Record-holder Komon returns for UAE-backed New York race

New York: Kenyan 10k world record holder Leonard Patrick Komon will be out to repeat his 2011 success when he headlines a strong field at the ninth UAE Healthy Kidney 10k in New York on Saturday.

The 25-year-old won the race in a Central Park course record time of 27min 35sec two years ago and went on to set a world record of 26:44 in a race in the Netherlands later that year.

He will be back to compete in this weekend’s race – which will see about 9,000 runners compete – but faces stiff competition from the likes of three-time World Championships medallist Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, fellow Kenyan and 2008 Olympics 5,000m bronze medallist Edwin Soi, World Cross Country Championship team bronze medallist Abera Kuma of Ethiopia, and home favourite and 2009 New York City Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi.

The Healthy Kidney 10k is organised by the New York Road Runners (NYRR) in association with the UAE Embassy in the US as a memorial to former UAE President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who received a kidney transplant in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2000.

The winner of the elite men’s race will scoop $25,000 (Dh92,000) – the largest prize for a 10k race anywhere in the world – with an extra $30,000 Zayed bonus prize up for grabs if that person breaks the course record. And, with conditions in New York set to be favourable on Saturday, NYRR President and CEO Mary Wittenberg believes Komon’s 2011 mark could be beaten.

“We never thought the 10k record would fall and become as fast as it has become in this event. It seems almost impossible to run faster, but we said that in 2011,” Wittenberg said on Thursday.

“It is possible, but it requires a perfect weather day. We have the competitive field and we have the athletes able to do it – it could happen again. I think it’s going to be interesting conditions, we need it to be cool and rain may have just fallen to bring the wind down. So we’ll see.”

With the spotlight focused firmly on security at athletics events in the light of last month’s Boston bombings, which killed three spectators and injured 264 others during that city’s marathon, Wittenberg insisted the NYRR never considered calling off the UAE Healthy Kidney 10k.

“Safety and security is our principal concern. We’ve made some changes to bring it more in line with the [New York City] marathon. We’ve added security methods that are right for these times,” she said.

“Our hearts are very much with the victims of the Boston bombings. It was a very, very sad and tragic day and our focus has very much been on doing anything we can in support of Boston and in support of our local running community. There’s a lot of ‘Boston Strong’ out there and people running in Boston shirts, but we have no worries relative to our event, we just want to run in honour of Boston.

“It has strengthened our resolve and reinforced the importance of what we do in giving people a chance to come out together in peace and in running. There was never a question of us cancelling. The runners very much wanted us to carry on in honour of those Boston victims – they were saying ‘we must go on’ and ‘we can’t be afraid’.”

The race, which raises money for the National Kidney Foundation, will see runners complete one lap of the rolling hills of Central Park’s six-mile loop, plus another two-tenths of a mile to make the course up to 10km. It is due to start at 9.30am (5.30pm UAE) on Saturday.

The UAE delegation in New York for the race is led by Lieutenant General Mohammad Hilal Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Armed Forces Officers Club, and also includes Major General Mustafa Al Raisi, Colonel Mohammad Al Habsi, Dr. Jamal Al Suwaidi, and singer Aryam, among others. On Friday the delegation was due to attend a function with HE Ahmad Abdul Rahman Al Jarman, UAE Permanent Representative to the United Nations.