Bellin Run 2011 Top 3 Finishers to Compete Again Saturday

June 8, 2012

The first, second and third place winners of last year’s Bellin Run will battle again during the big race on Saturday.

That means the return of 2011 Bellin Run first place winner Allan Kiprono, second place finisher Lani Rutto Kiplagat, and third place finisher and five-time Bellin Run champion John Korir.

Kiprono won last year’s race with a time of 28:29. Kiplagat finished second with a time of 29:04. Korir posted a 2011 finish time of 29:43.

Jelliah Tinega led the women’s field last year, capturing her second consecutive championship in the women’s division. Her time was 32:34.

All four head an exciting field of 2012 elite Bellin Run participants.

The race, set for 8 a.m. Saturday, contains a number of other notable elites, many of whom have stood upon the winner’s podium in years past. Confirmed elite athletes for Saturday’s race include:
•    Uta Pippig: Female champion, 1995
•    Joan Samuelson: Female champion, 1992, 1991, 1988, 1986
•    Anne Audain: Female champion, 1982, 1983
•    Bill Rodgers: Male champion, 1978

The remaining elite athletes are up-and-coming runners, all of whom are making waves on the national running circuit:
•    Jenny Scherer: Five-time participant; St. Norbert College graduate
•    Risper Gesabwa: First-time Bellin Run elite
•    Tim Young: Second-time Bellin Run elite
•    Brendan Martin: First-time Bellin Run elite

Although stocked with a large filed of elite athletes, the Bellin Run is an all-inclusive event, welcoming of all performance levels.

The 36th annual Bellin Run will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 9. Last year’s event drew 18,701 registrants, a record for the seventh consecutive year.