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PARK FOREST, IL - It rained, but the runners shined anyway on Monday at the 26th annual Park Forest Scenic 10-Miler. The award-winning race proved to be quite rewarding for Kenyan Patrick Nthiwa and Russian Alevtina Ivanova. They were the champions on this soggy day in Chicagoland.

For Nthiwa and fellow Kenyan distance specialist Hosea Kogo, it came down to an all-out sprint with Nthiwa prevailing. And for Ivanova, who doesn't speak a word of English, it came down to letting her performance do the talking as she broke the women's course record.

Running in a light drizzle with the temperature hovering around an unseasonably cool 60 degrees, Nthiwa outdashed Kogo in the final 150 meters after Kogo had started a kick with 600 meters left. Nthiwa, 20, hit the finish tape on Indianwood Boulevard in 47 minutes, 48 seconds (gun time), to win $3,000. Kogo, 31, crossed the line in 47:52 and took home $1,500 , while Nephat Ke nyanjui, 26, also of Kenya, placed third in 48:01, earning $1,000. Kenyans took nine of the top 10 places.

"I had to give it everything I had to win this thing," said Nthiwa, who also won at Park Forest in 2001. Kogo, who had made it a two-man race by breaking Kenyanjui just before the 8-mile mark, thought he could steal the race when he went into full flight 600 meters from the line. "I thought I had an edge," he said. For about 350 yards, he did. Then Nthiwa found another gear.

"It was a nice race," Nthiwa said. "I am very happy to win it again and I hope I am invited back next year."

The top three men had broken from an early pack of 15 and went through 6 miles together in 28:41. Nthiwa and Kogo then threw in 4:47 and 4:41 miles and when they went through 8 miles in 38:09, Kenyanjiri was 20 meters back.

From there, Nthiwa and Kogo worked together, clocking 4:51 on the ninth mile before the big theatrics at the end.

Before setting up for the sprint duel near the finish, Kogo did his best to drop Kenyanjiri, zig-zagging from one side of the road to the other. All the action just before 8 miles added a bit of distance, but it got the job done. Kenyanjiri hung on for a bit before falling back.

"I knew we were three and that there was going to be great sprint," Kogo said of his strategy. "I was trying to get rid of one guy."

"I just followed him," Kenyanjiri said of the unusual tactics. "I have no experience. Now I do!"

In the women's race, Emily Samoei of Kenya and Ivanova both were after the course record. Samoei went out fast while Ivanova bided her time in the early miles, gradually reeling in Samoei shortly after the runners departed the forest portion of the course at about 5.5 miles. Ivanova, 28, then hit the accelerator through the rolling residential portion of the course, making Samoei 22, pay for her fast start. Ivanova's 53:18, easily erased the former course record of 54:08 that was set in 1988 by Patty Murray of Park Ridge, IL. Ivanova got $3,000 for the victory and another $2,000 bonus for breaking the record. Samoei also came in under the old record at 54:02, earning $1,500, while Dorota Gruca, 32, of Poland, ran 54:24 for third place and $1,000.

Ivanova, who is training for next month's Dublin Marathon, said through interpeter Stan Moore that she knew Samoei was a notorious "quick out of the blocks" runner and that she (Ivanova) would wait to make her move to win the race and break the course record. Translation: running in the woods, Ivanova literally saw the forest through the trees.

"She says she felt very well throughout the race," Moore said. "She says she saw other people slowing and even stopping while she felt stronger and stronger as the race went on. After the fifth mile, she overtook the rest. Her ambition was to beat the record. She knew she had a rival (Samoei), but she was not concerned. She knew she was going to overtake her."

Samoei was first out of the woods, but Ivanova was closing fast and took the lead before the 6-mile marker, which she went through in a snappy 31:46. To make her point, the Russian then surged with 5:23 and 5:27 splits on predominantly uphill Miles 7 and 8. That was all she wrote.

"I didn't know she was following me," Samoei said. "I was really pushing and trying to break the record. When she passed me, I tried to follow her, but she was very strong."

The first American male to cross the finish line was Matt Thull, 28, of Wauwatosa, WI, a Milwaukee suburb. Thull, who does some training in Colorado, averaged exactly 5 minutes a mile, posting a 49:59 for 11th place. Other top locals were Jack Kafel, 25, of Chicago, who finished 14th in 50:43 and Jeremy Borling, 23, of Chicago, who ran an evenly paced 52:02.

Top Chicago-area Masters champions were Dennis Simonaitis, 41, of Draper, UT (50:07) and Jenny Spangler, 40, of Gurnee, IL (57:07). Spangler also was the first American woman to finish.

"I felt pretty good out there," Spangler said. "I was in front from the start and from the beginning, I didn't pass anyone and no one passed me. I was running by myself the whole way. My main goal was to break 58 minutes, which I did. It was more important to get in the mental state for the Chicago Marathon. It's been a long time since I've been competing with such strong competition."

What about being the first U.S. woman?

"I was a little surprised," Spangler said.

Other top local women were Gloria Iverson, 34, of Lincolnwood, who was 12th woman in 59:23 (59:20 Chip), and Carrie Wojcik, 24, of Orland Park, who was 13th in 1:02:11 (1:01:51 Chip).

Defending women's masters champ, Janet Robertz, 43, of Shorewood, MN, was satisfied, although finishing second this time.

"I was faster than last year," Robertz said. "I was happy to be running. Two weeks after this race last year, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my pelvis."

Roberts trailed Carmen Alaya-Troncoso, 44, of Austin, TX, waiting until late in the race to move into second (masters). "I started gaining on her between 8 and 8 1/2, and I stayed behind her until I was sure. I didn't want to get passed (back)." Robertz finished in 57:42 and Ayala-Troncoso clocked 58:09.

In the 5K, Cameron Stuber, 28, of Chicago, breezed to the men's title in 15:13, while Erika Holroyd, 25, of St. Louis, won the women's competition in 18:07.

"It was pretty lonely out there on the last mile," Stuber said. "I had actually hoped to go under 15 minutes. Holroyd desribed her race as "real good."

Also running in the 5K was Ann Coles of Algonquin. It was her first race of the year following the birth of her first daughter almost nine months ago. Coles, who placed sixth in the 2000 U.S. Women's Olympic marathon Trials, was happy to be back on the racing scene, placing third overall.

"I really had a great time being out on the roads again," Coles said. "I do look forward to feeling stronger again. Jenny (Spangler) is my inspiration. She ran great! All in all, I ran what I had expected (19:44)."

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