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Ongeri wins

THUNDER BAY -- Last year Josephat Ongeri came to Thunder Bay and claimed the half marathon title. This time around he had his sights set on conquering another distance.
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Josephat Ongeri crosses the finish line of the Thunder Bay Marathon. (Matt Vis, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- Last year Josephat Ongeri came to Thunder Bay and claimed the half marathon title.

This time around he had his sights set on conquering another distance.

Ongeri was the winner of the Thunder Bay Marathon: Miles with the Giant on Sunday, completing the 26.2 mile course in a time of 2:28:43, just two seconds ahead of Kenyan compatriot and two-time marathon winner Gilbert Kiptoo.

While the temperature, which hovered around the 10C mark for most of the morning, was a little chilly for Ongeri, who calls Hamilton, Ont. his place of residence, but he was able to get the job done.

“I’m happy to be first in my first marathon here in Thunder Bay,” Ongeri said shortly after crossing the line.

“It was cold but it was okay for running.”

He is the fourth winner in the event’s five year history, joining inaugural winner Philip Kipchumba, 2011 and 2012 victor Kiptoo and last year’s champ Evans Maiko Momanyi, who did not return to defend his title.

Ongeri and Kiptoo led right from the onset of the race, finishing nearly 15 minutes ahead of the third place finisher, Chaska, Minn.’s Kyle Larson.

This marked the second consecutive runner-up finish in the marathon for Kiptoo, the reigning five-time champion in the 10 Mile Road Race.

“Next year will be different,” Kiptoo vowed.

The top local runner was Jonathan Balabuck, a Thunder Bay firefighter who counts five Ten Mile crowns from 2003 to 2007 on his resume, who wound up in fourth in a time of 2:56:34.

Duluth’s Katie McGee was the women’s champion, crossing the line in a time of 2:57:25, which placed her ahead of Rosslyn’s Nikki Wilberforce.

McGee, who had a baby seven months ago, took the marathon title for the second time after she won in 2012.

“I didn’t really know how today would go,” she said, adding her goal was to finish under three hours and had help with pacing from Balabuck. “I was a little behind that but I had a lot of help and jwe ust held steady.”

She is quite familiar in local running circles and is an eight-time past champion at the 10 Mile. She said Thunder Bay is her Canadian home.

“Thunder Bay has a really close knit running community and everybody really races at the top level,” McGee said. “There are a large number of people who are training and want to be competitive. I really enjoy the energy here. It’s small but it feels like a big city race.”

A pair of Etobicoke, Ont. runners swept the half marathon titles as Dancan Kasia captured his second in three years, finishing the 13.1 mile race in 1:08:48 to repeat his 2012 success. Winny Tonui was the women's winner, completing the run in 1:20:53.

The top local runners were Trevor Zimak, who placed third overall in a time of 1:12:25 and Lakehead University runner Lisa Alaimo, who was the second female finishing in 1:21:28.  





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