Richard Slater
RIYADH — Club newcomers Gareth Gallagher and Laura Blazek pulled off sensational victories in their first ever Riyadh Road Runners (RRR) race Friday.
Over 160 runners, spectators and volunteers met at Al-Bustan Compound early Friday morning for the first 10-km race of the season. The race was tough for all participants, as the Riyadh temperatures stubbornly refuse to fall and the four-lap course offered little respite from the sun.
Club champion Bengt Lofgren took an early lead in the men’s race, however, Gallagher, who arrived here a mere five weeks ago, kept a steady pace and managed to pick off Lofgren by the 1.5-km mark. From there on in, Gallagher maintained his tempo and managed to increase his advantage by approximately 30 seconds per lap.
Gallagher finished in 39:36, a full two minutes clear of Lofgren, who proves weekly that age is no barrier to fast running. In third place was Juan Aragones, winner of the 5-mile race three weeks ago. Aragones coped better with the navigation at Bustan and managed to not get lost here. He, however, found the pace of the leading men too fast to handle in hot weather.
In the women’s race, club champion Claudine Roghi met her match for the first time this season in newcomer Laura Blazek, who raced away at the start and continued to put time into all her rivals throughout the duration of the course.
Blazek finished in 45:26, which put her 8th overall. Roghi continued her consistent form and fought off a cold to finish in second, with Marie-Pierre Arminjon completing the podium.
The Riyadh Road Runners would like to extend their thanks to Al-Bustan for hosting the event and to Carrefour Tala Mall for providing water, juice and fruit for the runners.
Results
Men: 1. Gareth Gallagher (IRE) 39:36, 2. Bengt Lofgren (SWE) 41:46, 3. Juan Aragones (ESP) 42:07.
Women: 1. Laura Blazek (USA) 45:26, 2. Claudine Roghi (FRA/NZ) 47:56, 3. Marie-Pierre Arminjon (FRA) 51:29.
