Anchorage Daily News

Mayor’s brings UAA’s Kenyan Connection full circle

By DOYLE WOODY
Anchorage Daily News

Published: June 21st, 2012 11:38 PM

http://www.adn.com/2012/06/21/2515318/mayors-brings-uaas-kenyan-connection.html

The man whose email inquiry years ago sparked the dynamic Kenyan Connection for UAA’s cross-country and track programs could prove a pivotal player at the head of the

In the early 2000s, Solomon Kandie, an elite Kenyan steeplechaser at Tulane University, emailed Michael Friess to see if the Seawolves’ running coach might be interested in recruiting Kandie’s younger brother, David Kiplagat. Friess was intrigued and — long story short — pursued the offer.

“A year, year and a half later, David was here,” Friess recalled. “That really started it all.”

Kiplagat became an All-America runner for UAA. He was the forerunner of a wave of Kenyan men and women runners who have helped UAA become a force in Division II cross country and track, and proved to be excellent students and supportive teammates.

Kiplagat last year went after the course record at Mayor’s. Through 22 miles, he was on pace to threaten Michael Wisniewski’s 2009 standard (2:22:29) and seize a $5,000 prize for the record. He faltered in the late going, yet still won handily — his 2:30:52 put him nearly 16 minutes ahead of the runner-up.

Now Kiplagat is ready for another attempt at the record and the $5,000 reward, and Kandie, an accomplished marathoner, will also be in the field as the brothers chase Wisniewski’s record.

“Their plan is to go after the mark, work with each other and try to roll the record,” said Friess, the Mayor’s race director who held the course record for 22 years before Wisniewski cracked it. “I think (Kiplagat’s) in better shape than last year. You know how it is. If it clicks, if the weather’s right, he could do it.”

Kandie, who lives in Albuquerque, N.M., owns a marathon personal best of 2:17:23, which he clocked while finishing seventh in the Sacramento International Marathon in 2011. Earlier this year, he ran 2:22:23 to finish third in the Mississippi Blues Marathon.

A $5,000 prize is also available for breaking the women’s course record — best of luck with that. Chris Clark’s 2:38:19 in 2002 remains 11 minutes faster than any other woman has ever run in race history, and it looks like the 2000 Olympian’s record could stand for ages.

“Until our children are old,” Friess said.

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The top Alaska man and woman in the marathon earn two round-trip tickets from Alaska Airlines.

More than 4,000 runners are expected to compete in the five races folded into Mayor’s — besides the marathon and half-marathon, there is also a marathon relay, a 5.6-miler and 1.6-mile Youth Cup. As of Wednesday, the race featured entrants from 48 states and 16 countries.

Mayor’s offers a unique course for the marathon — 70 percent paved trails and 30 percent unpaved trails. A seven-mile stretch of rolling hills on “tank trails” along the base of the Chugach Range is a scenic, and demanding, section of the course. Also, moose sightings and the occasional bear sighting have occurred in past races.

Like many big running races, Mayor’s has developed into a platform for causes. This year, at least eight different health causes are represented, some for which runners elicit donations or pledges to support non-profits.

Because this is Alaska, Mayor’s has also developed into a destination race, a chance to visit or check a box on a runner’s list of goals.

So it is that Don Wright of Lake Elmo, Minn., is here to cross off another state on his quest to run a marathon in all 50 states. Alaska marks his 45th state — he’s got the remaining five scheduled later this year — and Mayor’s will be his 64th marathon overall.

Wright, 71, an attorney who does computer consulting, is a unique potential member of the 50 States Marathon Club. He runs with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer he was diagnosed with nine years ago.

As part of a study at the Mayo Clinic, Wright takes one pill a day of pomalidomide and thus can avoid chemotherapy, which would leave him too sick to train.

“I’m the beneficiary of modern innovation and technology,” Wright said. “For me, it’s literally saving my life.”

He runs for cancer charities — Team Continuum and Tackle Cancer Foundation — that support cancer patients and their families.

Wright said he also runs to raise awareness that, while he is fortunate to be part of a study of pomalidomide, other cancer patients do not have access to such options.

“We need a better system in our country for people who are dying,” Wright said
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