Ethiopians win top spots in 10K race Five Canadian male elite athletes finish in top 10

May 28, 2011, OTTAWA – Unpredictable weather conditions today stayed favourable for the nearly 10,000 runners participating in the Ottawa Race Weekend 10K race at 6:30 p.m.

Ethiopians again took top spots in both the men’s and women’s races. Deriba Merga improved his third place finish in 2010 to finish first with 28:30. Dire Tune crossed at 31:43, her second consecutive Ottawa 10K win and about 30 seconds faster than 2010. It is also her second time finishing ahead of her male counterpart – women elite athletes started 3 minutes and 55 seconds ahead of the men. For her efforts she’ll take home $6,000 US for being lead women, and an additional $4,000 for being first to cross the finish line.

“We were delighted to see two familiar faces returning to Ottawa to win the 10K event this year”, said Manny Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator. “Humid conditions may have prevented some old records to fall, but it remained dry throughout the race.”

Canadian male elite athletes performed strongly, with five finishing in the top 10. First to finish was Eric Gillis of Guelph, who placed fourth overall again this year with a time of 29:15.

Tarah McKay-Korir, of St. Clements, Ontario, came in eighth overall with 34:36 to take the top spot among Canadian women – a significant finish considering she is the mother of an eighth- month-old baby. There were eight women among the top 20 finishers.

The 2011 Ottawa Race Weekend 10K event sold out on March 15 this year, with 39,735 registered runners.

RESULTS - MEN 1. Deriba Merga (Ethiopia) 28:30 2. Wesley Korir (Kenya) 29:00 3. Ryan Vail (USA) 29:09 4. Eric Gillis (Guelph, Ontario) 29:15 5. Mohamed El Hachimi (Morocco) 29:18 6. Nicholas Kurgat (Kenya) 29:20 7. Matt Loiselle (, Ontario) 29:22 8. Réjean Chiasson (Toronto, Canada) 30:05 9. Dylan Wykes (, BC) 30:17 10. Rob Watson (Guelph, Ontario) 30:23 11. Jeffery Scull (Guelph, Ontario) 30:25 12. Daniel Wallis (New Zealand) 30:47

RESULTS – WOMEN 1. Dire Tune (Ethiopia) 31:43 2. Samira Raif (Morocco) 32:47 3. Ejegayehu Dibaba (Ethiopia) 32:57 4. Hyvon Ngetich (Kenya) 33:41 5. Aziza Aliyu (Ethiopia) 33:50 6. Alemtsehay Misganaw (Ethiopia) 33:57 7. Caroline Kirui (Kenya) 34:24 8. Tara McKay-Korir (St.Clements, Ontario) 34:36 9. Divina Jepkogei (Kenya) 34:38 10. Hellen Jemutai (Kenya) 35:17 11. Emily Tallen (Kingston, Ontario) 35:35 12. Lucy Njeri (Kenya) 35:41

Links: Photos: http://runottawa.ca/index.php/en/media/gallery Full results: http://www.sportstats.ca/resultslive1/l.php?ec=1

About the Ottawa Race Weekend The 2011 edition of the Ottawa Race Weekend will welcome just under 40,000 participants in seven races, including the , the half-marathon, the 10K, 5K, family 2K and kids marathon. The Ottawa marathon and Ottawa 10K are both designated Silver Label IAAF events by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF).

Run Ottawa, the organization behind the Ottawa Race Weekend, is run by a volunteer Board of Directors, and is dedicated to promoting the sport of and enhancing the health and well-being of our community by organizing distinctive world-class and local races, and managing an active, membership-based running club. - 30 -

For more information:

Annie Boucher Media relations Ottawa Marathon boucher@fusecommunications 613-863-3702 @ottawamarathon