The Kenyan duo topped the Brasov Running Festival event in Romania
tRUNsylvania 10km Brasov Running Festival 2024 marked victory for Kenyan duo Daniel Kinyanju and Lois Kemnung on Sunday (September 22).
The course records were not broken on this occasion at the World Athletics elite label event, Romania’s main road race, but both races were still thrilling, with Kinyanjui and Chemnung winning in 27:08 and 30:13 sprints respectively.
Kinyanjui, 19, showed what talent he has in his debut over the distance, pulling away from Morocco’s Hicham Amghar and tRUNsylvania 10km champion Weldon Langat, also from Kenya, with a mile to go.
His surge from a long way proved decisive and he maintained his form in the latter stages of the race to upset the odds, despite Kinyanju’s two rivals closing in on the approach to the line.
“This has got to be the best day of my life,” Kinyanjui said. “My training was going well in Kenya and I had good times in training over 10km, but I still didn’t know what to expect as this was my first race in Europe.
“But I knew I wanted to run faster than I had in training. The pace at 5km (13:38, which was to beat Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkoriri’s 2022 record of 26:51, was starting to look incredible) was the pace I wanted and I felt very comfortable. I think I would even be happy if the pace was 13:20.
“I still felt great at the beginning of the third (three) period. I made a small move at 7km because the group was quite big, but at 8km I decided to go again because I wasn’t sure my kick was as strong as the others and I decided to be bold at the front.”
Kinyanju’s bravery paid off and he ended the morning $5,000 richer with first prize in the tRUNsylvania 10km.
Behind Kinyanju, Amghar also ran the race of his life and set a Moroccan record of 27:09, beating Langat who was given the same time.
No fewer than nine men ran personal bests in the top 10, all finishing in 27:40; and a South African record was set for Maxime Chaumeton, who ran 27:36 for ninth place.
Loice Chemnung (Brasov Running Festival)
A slow first half of the women’s race, past 5km in 15:19, meant the expected finish of the under-30s disappeared from view. However, the halfway point beckoned for Janet Czepngetic to make her move and try to break away from the leading group of 12 women.
His change of pace had the effect of breaking through the pack. At the start of the third lap, the seven women were still together, but only eventual winner Chemnung went with Chepngetic when the latter re-upped with three kilometers to go.
Chepngetic, the 2024 Pan African Games 10,000m champion who just missed out on Olympic selection when he finished fourth in Kenya’s 5,000m for Paris, continued to accelerate for most of the next two kilometers but with about 300m to go, Kemnung went. through the gears, and the compatriot did not react.
Behind Chemnung, who crossed the line in 30:13, Chepngetic was six seconds behind in 30:19, with Judy Kemboi third in a personal best of 30:29 to complete the all-Kenya podium.
No fewer than 10 women clocked under 31 minutes, with six achieving personal bests.
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