Richard Slater
RIYADH — Mo Foustok and Tannille Maclean took the honors in the Road Runner’s 10-km race last weekend, emerging triumphant in the largest race in the 38-year history of the club.
Al-Bustan compound played host to the race and all 207 runners enjoyed participating under the cloudless sapphire blue sky. The comparatively cool temperatures and still conditions also contributed to pushing a number of participants to run personal best times.
In the male race, the winner of the earlier 10km race, Gareth Gallagher, assumed an early lead, which he held on to until around the 4km mark. Mo Foustok, who had been lurking on Gallagher’s shoulder for some time, then launched an attack and strode into the lead. Gallagher fought manfully to hang on but in the end the long strides of Foustok saw him accelerate away. Finishing just behind Gallagher in third place was the evergreen Bengt Lofgren, who held off challenges from his perennial rivals McArthur, Al-Muayquil and Girardeau to secure the final podium spot.
In the ladies’ race, reigning club champion Claudine Roghi ran a lifetime personal best time, however, it was still only good enough for second place as her Kiwi counterpart Tannille Maclean surged into an early lead and was never caught.
Her feat is all the more impressive considering that she is just 14 years old. In previous races Maclean has started too fast and then burned out, but her maturity was apparent here as she ran a perfectly paced race. In third place was Marie-pierre Arminjon, showing again what a consistent runner she is and securing another podium place, finishing a few seconds in front of newcomer Katie Bodley.
RRR thanked Carrefour for its provision of fruit and water, and Al-Bustan compound for the use of its track and roads. The club now moves on to the final race in the 10-mile series, to be held on January 29.
Results
Male: 1. Mo Foustok (KSA) 35:20, 2. Gareth Gallagher (IRE) 37:03, 3. Bengt Lofgren (SWE) 38:06.
Ladies: 1. Tannille Maclean (NZ) 44:13, 2. Claudine Roghi (FRA/NZ) 45:22, 3. Marie-pierre Arminjon (FRA) 46:30.
