Laban Moiben's 31:20 won the 10K.
MILFORD (9/2/06) - They came. They ran. They conquered. And they set course records too.

Laban Moiben, 22, and Emmanuel Kibet, 28 - Kenyans now living in Ann Arbor - picked up cash as well at the sixth annual Labor Day 30K/ 10K Race. The event gave $3,000 to top finishers this year. For winning the 10K, Moiben took home $250. Kibet received $500 for his 30K victory.

The Kenyans also broke course records set last year by the Usher brothers. Moiben shattered Aaron Usher's 34:04 10K mark by almost three minutes with his 31:20. Kibet bettered Nathan Usher's 1:39:39 30K standard with a 1:38:06.

Moiben ran the first two miles of the 10K with Ovidiu Olteanu, 36, of Novi. "Then he took off," Olteanu recalled. "I knew I couldn't stay with him."

Olteanu finished second in 32:43. Omar Hafez, 30, of Windsor, took third (35:21).

Moiben wasn't overjoyed with his 31:20 finish. "Not a good time," he said. "I have run 29 (minutes) many times. My best time: 29:27. It's a tough course. But good!"

Kibet had to battle another Kenyan, Stephen Muturi, 30, who currently trains with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, in the 30K. Muturi led most of the way.

Marybeth Reader won the 30K in 2:02:11.
"He was very strong," Kibet said of Muturi. "At about 15 miles I decided to chase after him. At 17 miles, I passed him."

"The last two miles are mostly downhill and I'm not good at downhills, so he passed me. I wish that the finish had been uphill," Muturi said.

Muturi was runner-up in 1:38:26, the second fastest 30K in race history. Nathan Usher, 23, of Lansing, took third in 1:39:57.

The women's 10K mark also tumbled this year. Laurel Park, 43, of Ann Arbor, ran 36:17 to break Gayle Kuipers' 41:37 record set last year.

"I felt awesome," said Park, who took home $250 for her victory. "The course was gorgeous.

"You go up a hill, then you have a beautiful, gentle downhill," she said.

"You can really pick up momentum. If you don't go too fast, you can recover and be ready for the next hill."

Denisa Costescu, 30, of Novi, who gave birth to a daughter four months before the race, came in second (37:14). Amy Wisneski, 30, of Dearborn, was third (40:04).

Nick Stanko and Gayle Kuipers were presented with their Michigan Runner of the Year awards. Nick ran a 5:23 pace to finish 4th in the 30K. Gayle was top master and 4th overall in the 10K with a time of 40:50.
Kuipers, 41, of Holland, put up a valiant fight as defending champ, finishing in 40:50, 47 seconds faster than her record-setting time last year. "I just tried to stay strong and mentally tough," she said.

Another impressive performance came from Samantha Brish, 14, of Milford. The young teen finished sixth overall in 42:10, the best time for any woman under 30.

In the 30K, Marybeth Reader, 37, of West Bloomfield, topped Sarah Plaxton, 38, of Highland. Reader, fifth last year in 2:04:44, improved to 2:02:11. Plaxton was runner-up in 2:04:13.

Krys Brish, 43, of Milford, Samantha's mother, took third in 2:09:14. "I got lost in the inaugural (2001) race," remembered Reader, who received $500 for her victory. "I ended up running about 23 miles. Today I knew exactly where I was going."

Winning the 10K walk were Larry Brandon, 65, of Novi (1:16:11) and Judy Jackson, 48, of Flint (1:14:30).

The event, directed by Doug Klingensmith, had a record turnout of just over 600 participants. Adding to festivities were a kids fun run, bike tours of 5, 10 and 50 miles, and non-competitive in-line skates of 5, 20 and 35 miles.

Event proceeds went to Down's syndrome awareness and the Milford Recreational Trail. For complete results, visit www.LaborDay30K.com. MR