Richard Slater
RIYADH — With the annual marathon looming ever closer on the horizon, 156 Riyadh Road Runners gathered Friday in the south of Riyadh and braved the cold conditions to participate in the final 10-mile race of the season.
The race started with the mercury hovering around the 3 degrees mark, giving the participants an opportunity to try out their seldom used cold weather gear.
Laura Blazek extended her unbeaten streak in Riyadh, completing her sixth victory of the season and preserving her record of having won every race she has participated in since her arrival in Saudi Arabia in 2015.
In the male race, Gareth Gallagher ran with the proverbial “fire in his belly” and saw off all-comers to take a well-earned victory, his third of the season.
Irishman Padraig Cusack led momentarily in the beginning and was the quickest runner around the first corner. However, his countryman Gallagher snatched the lead within the first kilometer, and then managed to put more time into his nearest rivals Sylvain Girardeau and newcomer James Micciche as the gradient increased at the 2-km mark.
The uphill passage proved tricky to all runners, and on the plateau above the date farm the wind was strong and cold (by Saudi standards). Gallagher rounded the roundabout at the 4-km point with a 45 second lead and was able to keep his rivals in check thereafter. He eventually finished just outside the hour mark and over 2 minutes ahead of his nearest rival.
Second place in the male race went to Bengt Lofgren, with the Swede using his experience and nous to move through the field over the course of the second lap, fighting his way onto the podium from 6th place at the halfway mark. Just behind him, James Micciche was very impressive on debut and finished comfortably in front of 4th placed runner Girardeau, who himself is going from strength to strength in the year that will see him take on the challenge of an Ironman triathlon for the first time.
The ladies’ race followed what has become a common pattern in the 10-mile races, with Blazek blazing into the lead, reigning club champion Claudine Roghi giving chase but proving unable to bridge the gap to her American rival, which remains at around the 2-minute mark. Behind them, Nikki Layne had a fantastic race to clinch the third and final podium spot, in a race which saw all three leading women run season’s best times.
The club now moves on to Dirab Golf Course for the 30km race, which is the longest event of the season apart from the marathon itself. The club thanked Carrefour for its provision of water and fruit throughout the season, and the Ranco administration for the use of its farm as a race venue.
Results
Male race: 1. Gareth Gallagher (IRE) 1:01:47, 2. Bengt Lofgren (SWE) 1:04:05, 3. James Micciche (USA) 1:04:24.
Female race: 1. Laura Blazek (USA) 1:11:22, 2. Claudine Roghi (FRA/NZ) 1:13:12, 3. Nikki Layne (UK) 1:15:47.
