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STRATTON FAXON NEW HAVEN ROAD RACE: Abdiraham, Cherobon-Bawcom win 20K national titlesSep 06, 2011 (New Haven Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- There were no wrong turns for Abdi Abdiraham this time. Instead, Abdiraham led pretty much from the start and won the 34th Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race in comfortable fashion Monday. Abdiraham, 34, took the lead for good at the 3-mile mark and cruised to victory in 1 hour, 12 seconds to capture his second victory in New Haven, a race that serves as the 20K national championship. Fellow Kenyan Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was recently granted eligibility, was the first woman across the finish line. She won her first national title in 1:08:31. In 2005, in his only other appearance in New Haven, Abdiraham took a wrong turn but still managed to win in :58:42 minutes. Despite holding a large lead Monday, Abdiraham glanced back several times at the field, but not out of nerves. "No, I wasn't worred," Abdiraham said. "I was just wondering where they were." Jason Lehmkuhle of Minneapolis was second (1:00:36) and Fernando Cabada of Longmont, Colo. was third (1:00:59). "I hoped someone was close to me so I could run a little bit faster, but no one was close to me," Abdiraham said, "I was just running my own race. I wanted to be fast but no one wanted (to challenge). I was just waiting, but I kept running my own pace. It wasn't hard, I was comfortable, took the lead, and I was running great." Clara Grandt of Morgantown, West Virginia was second (1:09:05) in the women's field, while Katie McGregor of Minnesota was third (1:09:56). Grandt held a 5-second lead over Cherobon-Bawcom until the latter took over for good at about the 9-mile mark. "I was very happy about the way I ran," Cherobon-Bawcom said. "It's too hot for me, though. It was really, really humid." Running as American was equally as fulfilling as winning for Cherobon-Bawcom. "I can not explain it," Cherobon-Bawcom said. "I am just so excited. It's an honor to be an American, this is why I did it, and I am so excited about it." Cherobon-Bawcom was an eight-time All-American at Division II Harding University in Arkansas. She won three national titles there. While not running, Cherobon-Bawcom is a registered nurse, although she's currently not working. She hopes to continue her studies and said the time was right to become a U.S. citizen. "I lived here for 12 years and I thought this was the best thing to do," she said. Close to 7,000 runners in all participated in the 20K, 5K and kids run. ___ (c)2011 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) Visit the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) at www.nhregister.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |