Ochichi winds up first-time winner

Isabella Ochichi passed through Washington like the wind yesterday, winning the 32nd Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run a week after setting a pending world mark for a 5K.

Ochichi easily ran away from fellow Kenyan Catherine Ndereba for a victory in 52:07, a $5,500 pay check and the fourth-fastest winning time in race history. Ndereba survived the challenging weather conditions from West Potomac Park through Rock Creek Park and back in 53:00.

“It was good but cold,” said Ochichi, who broke out a 14:53 at the Carlsbad 5000 in California a week ago. “Compared to my specialty, the 5K, the 10 mile is long.”

Ndereba finessed her way though her last hard run before she attempts to regain the laurel wreath in the Boston Marathon two weeks from today. After that, she will turn her focus to the Olympic marathon.

“I feel great,” the 2003 world marathon champion and former marathon world record holder said. “I’m very proud of myself for the time I ran.”

Ndereba was matched by her brother Samuel, who also placed second in 48:14. He lost a duel in the final 200 meters with fellow Kenyan Nelson Kiplagat, a 24-year-old who entered the race Thursday and flew to the United States for the first time Friday.

Kiplagat’s time of 48:12 was the slowest winning time since Bill Rodgers posted a 48:57 in 1978. It was the 12th time in 13 years a Kenyan man has won the race.

Reuben Chebii made it a Kenyan sweep, finishing third in 48:17, before a Colombian and three Japanese sprinted home.

But the main event was the matchup between Ochichi, the trackster, and Ndereba, the marathoner.

“I usually beat her on the track, but I thought she would beat me on the roads,” said Ochichi, a 24-year-old in Washington for the first time. “I figured if I did my best, I would be number three behind Catherine and [defending champion] Olga [Romanova].”

The going was tough yesterday. The field of 7,000 battled forceful headwinds and freezing windchills. Some of the mile markers blew over. Race officials took down the finish line scaffolding, and the awards ceremony was canceled for fear runners would stand around and suffer hypothermia.

Ochichi passed the midpoint in 26:16 and finally put some space between her and 31-year-old Ndereba. Ochichi kept a steady pace of 5:07 to 5:15 miles, and Ndereba could not hang on.

“I knew she had a lot of speed because of her time at the world cross-country meet,” said Ndereba, the Boston Marathon winner in 2000 and 2001.

By Mile 6, the gap was 16 seconds, and it was 36 seconds after the turnaround in Rock Creek Park and past the eight-mile mark. With the winding park road, Ochichi periodically would disappear from Ndereba’s sight, but she paid little attention. Boston is her goal.

Ochichi laid down a 5:01 final mile to score the 53-second margin of victory.

Russian Victoria Klimina closed the gap to eight seconds on Ndereba but never caught her and ended up third.

The next three places were Russians, including Romanova, who was fifth in 53:45, just three seconds slower than last year’s winning effort.