Barus and Miyauchi Win Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon

By Brenda Barrera
Virginia Beach, VA
September 4, 2011
For the Washington Running Report

Yoko Miyauchi wins in 1:11:49, three seconds off the state record.

Labor Day weekend may signal the ‘official’ end of summer; but for the 11,219 runners who toed the start line at today’s Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon, it was the start of a festive race featuring live bands at every mile and a fun-filled weekend of activities that included a post-race party on the beach and free pass to the American Music Festival. Two new champions were crowned: Benson Barus, 31, from Kenya won the overall title in 1:02:22 and Japan’s Yoko Miyauchi, 28, led the women’s field in 1:11:49.

Barus is certainly having a good year, going back to May when he won the Prague Marathon in 2:07:07. Under cloudy skies with low humidity, he led a men’s field that included countryman Solomon Busendich, 27, who finished 13 seconds behind him in 1:02:35. It looked as if American Ryan Hall was going to take the third place but he got edged out by one second at the finish line by Kenyan Samuel Ndereba and had to settle for fourth place. They finished 1:03:01 and 1:03:02, respectively(in photo).

“Hats off to the guys,” said Hall who was certainly a crowd favorite. The top U.S. contender did not seem disappointed but admitted although he tried, he could not hold off Busendich those last 30 yards. Next up for Hall is the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October. Fredericksburg native Tim Young, 24, running for the Brooks-Hanson Distance Team, took 11th place in 1:07:23, well off the PR he set in February at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon (1:04:21).

The top Mid-Atlantic finisher was Andrew Budiansky, 21, (who grew up in Leesburg) from Williamsburg, VA, who finished in 1:12:18.

Russian Vyscheslav Shabunin, 41, dominated the men’s masters competition. He not only ran 1:04:49, but also cracked the top 10 with his 9th place finish. Gideon Mutisya, 42, from West Hartford, CT was next in 1:12:09 followed by top local favorite John Piggott, 46, who did not have to travel far (Williamsburg, VA) to take the next spot in 1:16:33 and win his age group.

Tony Nogueira, 43, of Glen Ridge, NJ won the men’s wheelchair division in 48:24. The top local wheelchair racer was Shannon Franks, 34, of College Park, MD (1:05:59).

Japanese runners took eight of the top 10 places, dominating the women’s elite field. Miyauchi did not take the lead under after the 10 mile mark; but once she did, she held onto it to win the top spot. Kenyan Jane Kibii set a PR with her 1:12:04 second place finish and Olympian Yurika Nakamura, 25, from Japan was right behind her in 1:12:10. Nuta Olaru, 44, the 2004 Rock ‘n’ Roll Champion from Romania, was the top masters in 1:14:05 and finished 9th among the women. The top American was a teenager–at just 14 years of age, Alana Hadley, from Charlotte, NC finished in 11th place with a remarkable time of 1:17:14.

The top Mid-Atlantic runner in the women’s competition was Alexandria’s Lisa Thomas, racing for the Pacers.

“We had a nice pack for seven miles,” said Thomas who picked up the pace the second half and started to pick off runners on her way to a 1:19:02 finish. Afterward she and teammate Lyndsay Wilkins noted the efficiency of the race start. “We were impressed it went off so smoothly, there weren’t any delays,” she said.

Another top regional finisher was Elyse Shimada, 23, who ran 1:23:09. Shamada just moved from California to Washington, DC last month and started law school.

“I used this as a tune-up for the Chicago Marathon,” said Shimada who noted she is still getting used to the east coast humidity. Lucky for her this was one year where the humidity level was actually lower than usual for this event.

One of the most popular runners in the race was not an elite, nor a speedy local, but a relay team participant who ran in a pair of torn up jeans and cowboy hat. Yes, many runners spotted that flowing mane of blond hair from under the signature cowboy hat and sped up to run with Josh Renager, whom they thought was rock star Bret Michaels (above). The resemblance was pretty remarkable.

What would a Rock ‘n’ Roll race be without Elvis? Jeff Brillhart, 48, from Chesapeake, VA finished in 1:49:59 and this marked his second time running this event in an Elvis costume. “It sure is easier to a run a half marathon than a marathon in this costume,” said Brillhart adding that the black wig was rather hot.

Rose Polyakova, 41, from Silver Spring MD  (below women’s times) has run a few of the Rock ‘n’ Roll races this year and thought she was registered for this one but she was not. Luckily, she was able to sign up on Saturday at the Expo and showed up wearing a buccaneer costume for the race. She finished in 2:33:49.

Virginia Beach is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country so it is not surprising that Katie Farmer (Ashburn, VA) who is getting married this fall would pick this for her bachelorette weekend. “Team Bride” included Farmer, Terese Hereford (Columbia, SC), Sara Bontuccelli (VA), and Caitlin Marshall (Woodbridge, VA).

Next year’s Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon is scheduled for September 2, 2011.

Women

Men

Wheelchairs

Place    Name           Sex    Age    City  State    Time
1    Tony    Nogueira    M    43    Glen Ridge NJ     48:24
2    Aaron    Pike       M    25    CHAMPAIGN IL      51:45
3    Chad    Johnson     M    36    Charleston IN     54:07
4    Shannon   Franks    M    34    College Park MD  1:05:59
5    Paul Kelly-Crank    M    55    BEAUFORT NC      1:53:32
6    Christopher Levari  M    33    CHESAPEAKE VA    3:01:24