It was like last year never happened for Cleveland Forde.
The heartache of having to sit out the 2014 Courts 10k is definitely a thing of the past after the local distance king regained his throne following yet another dominant performance in yesterday’s run.
Smooth and silky, the ‘Little Kenyan’ was hardly bothered while running in the leading bunch all the way to take another domineering win at the fifth annual event.
Forde was sidelined due to Chikungunya symptoms last year and was forced to watch arch rival Cleveland Thomas take the top honors. Fully healthy, Forde displayed why he is Guyana premier distant athlete.
The Guyana Defence Force standout led Thomas (32m: 58s) and Winston Messengher (33m: 01s) onto the podium to pocket the appetizing $100,000 first prize.
Not bad for less than 33 minutes of work. 32 minutes, 45 seconds to be exact for the event which started at Courts’ Main Street office, proceeded to the East Coast road near Conversation Tree and ended at the point of origin.
Trinidad and Tobago based Kelvin Johnson and Nathaniel Giddings (34m: 01s) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Forde was part of an eight-man pack which separated from the rest of the field at the Russian Embassy.
He then upped the ante at the second water station near the 6k mark at GDF as the trio of Thomas, Messengher and Johnson followed closely behind.
Thomas who won in 32m: 56s last year however found another gear at Lamaha and Cummings Street prompting Forde to respond as Messengher and Johnson lagged behind.
The Forde/Thomas duo then journeyed together until Forde changed another gear at New Market and Main Streets.
A tiring Thomas did not give chase and a relaxed looking Forde cruised in to loud applause to regain the Courts 10 trophy.
While Forde regained the trophy, it was five for five for US-based Euleen Josiah-Tanner on the distaff side.
Tanner is turning the race into a one-woman show.
Since the event’s inception in 2011, she has always occupied the top spot, only thing that changes in the script is the names of the runners up.
Yesterday, the 40 year old grabbed gold in 39 minutes and 39 seconds, leading Andrea Foster (42m: 17s) and a fading Alika Morgan (44m: 38s) into the top three.
Matthew McKenzie (junior boys) and Shantell Hinds (junior girls) were also in the winner’s row.
Notes: Staff members of Courts participated in a 3km run which is a spinoff of the main race. Forde who was at the finish line told this publication that chikungunya symptoms was the reason for his absence.
Teams from Crossfit Bel-Air and Genesis Fitness also took part in the incident-free event.
The organizers, along with president of the AAG Aubrey Hutson, deemed the event a success, stating that it was the largest turnout in recent memory. (Emmerson Campbell)
