Daska Repeats At Freihofer’s Run

Michelle Frey was the top American.

(c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission. 

For the second year in a row, Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska won the Freihofer’s Run For Women in Albany, N.Y., clocking 15:19.1 for the 5K road race through New York’s state capital city.

Under wet and overcast conditions, Daska, 28, was able to separate herself from the field early on, running alone for most of the race to take home the $10,000 first place prize.  Her training mate, Ashu Kasim, thought she could stay with her, but couldn’t.

“I thought I would catch her, but I was a little tired,” Kasim told race organizers.  “At the start I had a little back pain, so that didn’t help. I liked the weather.”

Passing the mile in 5:00, then two miles in 10:01, Daska was close to challenging Emily Chebet’s course record of 15:12. But with no one to push her on the finishing straight on Madison Avenue, Daska wound up seven seconds over the record.

“I’m very happy to have won for the second year,” Daska in a statement from race organizers.  “I did feel confident, but the fans along the course made me even more confident, and that helped me to win.”

Kasim clocked 15:36.7 and another Ethiopian, Alemitu Abera, took third in 15:40.2.

Michelle Frey was the top American, finishing sixth in 16:02.2. Complete top ten results can be found below.

According to race organizers, close to 5000 women took part in the event’s 34th edition.

Freihofer’s Run For Women (34th) 
1. Mamitu Daska, Ethiopia   15:19.1 $10000
2. Ashu Kasim, Ethiopia     15:36.7   5000
3. Alemitu Abera, Ethiopia  15:40.2   3000
4. Risper Gesabwa, Kenya    15:46.1   2000
5. Genoveva Kigen, Kenya    15:52.4   1000
6. Michelle Frey, USA       16:02.2    750
7. Jelliah Tinega, Kenya    16:06.6    500
8. Lara Tamsett, Australia  16:13.8    300
9. Laura Thweatt, USA       16:14.2    250
10. Rebecca Donaghue, USA    16:16.7    200