Malot gives Kenyan women another Bridge Run crown

Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier

2008 Cooper River Bridge Run

A year after a 1-2 finish by Ethiopian runners, the women's division of the 31st annual Cooper River Bridge Run turned out to be another Kenyan conquest.

Leah Malot competing in her first Bridge Run on Saturday and earned a $5,000 paycheck by winning the 10-kilometer race with a time of 33 minutes and 22.6 seconds to beat fellow Kenyan Janet Cherobon, who ran a 33:36.8. The winning time didn't even come close to putting Malot in the top 10 all-time times, but it gave her country, Kenya, another title.

Kenyan women have won eight of the last 10 races. Kenyan runners won six straight titles from 1999-2004, and Russian Olga Romanova ended the streak in '05. Kenyan Sally Barsosio won in '06, and Ethiopian Rehima Kedir edged fellow countryman Amane Gobena by five seconds to win last year's race.

This year, the Kenyans reclaimed the crown in what was an exceptionally strong field of female runners. Eleven of the top 13 seeds were from either Kenya or Ethiopia and had broken 34 minutes for a 10K.

Cherobon, the second-place finisher, competed in her second straight Bridge Run. She finished sixth last year with a time of 33.45.0

Russian Lyudmila Biktasheva finished third in 33:57.9 while Kenyans Irene Limika, Margaret Chirchir and Caroline Chepkorir held down the fourth through sixth spots.

The female Masters' winner, Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, finished 11th overall with a time of 35.42.9.

The 35-year-old Malot decided to run in the Lowcountry after reading about the Bridge Run and talking to her friends.

"I said to myself, 'Why not me, too?' I'll try my best and try to win," Malot said. "You cannot say, until you cross the finish line, 'I am the winner.' The race was quite good. I enjoyed my time here. I enjoyed the bridge even though it was a bit windy."

Malot, who was the sixth seed heading into Saturday's race, was due for a victory.

On March 22, she finished second with a time of 35:23 at the Crescent City

Classic in New Orleans. Last week, it was more of the same as she finished second in the Azalea Trail Run, which was contested in downtown Mobile, Ala. She finished second to Genoveva Jelegat Kigen in both races. Kigen was the No. 1 seed for the Cooper River Bridge Run, but dropped out Wednesday because of back problems.

Malot knew the competition would present a challenge, but said she has run for a long time and doesn't fear anyone.

"The competition was quite OK," Malot said. "There were many good runners and it was very nice for me to run here for the first time. It was very nice for me to win."

She's a veteran, but Saturday marked the first time she ran over a bridge as big as the Ravenel Bridge.

"It was nice. It was fantastic. But it was windy," Malot said. "I didn't look out and enjoy the view. I didn't look at anything because when you are running, you are just concentrating on the race. So maybe I'll go out another time and look."