Mbishei and Kiplagat prove class apart in Edinburgh run

THE Queen threw open the gates of Holyroodhouse yesterday to welcome the 10,000-strong throng competing in the Bupa Great Edinburgh Run, but ultimately it was the small group of elite Kenyan athletes who reigned over the capital. Titus Mbishei and Florence Kiplagat took victory in the elite men's and women's races with the remaining places on the podium claimed by their compatriots. Individually, and in unison, they stood apart.

Mbishei built a healthy 14-second cushion by the time he broke the finishing tape outside the Scottish Parliament, completing the 10-kilometre circuit in 28.26, ahead of Olympic 5,000 metres bronze medallist Edwin Soi and fellow countryman Vincent Yator.

The trio accelerated before the race had reached its half-way point in the Meadows but Mbishei had another gear in reserve. "At the beginning, I was very slow," he stated. "At 5K we had to push. Vincent started it off and at 6K, I went alone. In my plans, I was going to push at 3K but I had to adjust."

Scampering through the palace courtyard to the end, he looked entirely comfortable. "It was not easy," he said. "But I am happy to win."

Shettleston Harriers' adopted Eritreans Tsegeziab Woldemic and Tsegai Tewelde were fifth and sixth respectively while Glasgow University student Matthew Gillespie, who spent an audacious spell at the front for the opening kilometre, was rewarded with tenth place in 31.12.

It was a brave move. The initial climb through Holyrood Park proved awkward for many including double-Olympic champion Derartu Tulu, who never recovered from the testing ascent and ended up eighth.

Florence Kiplagat handled the start better and she controlled matters from the front before picking her moment to make a decisive surge. From an initial group of seven, her challengers – including Edinburgh's Freya Murray – dropped by the wayside one by one until just three Kenyans remained.

During the sharp descent down the Mound, Kiplagat revealed her hand. Grace Momanyi and Doris Changeywo were duly trumped and the 2009 world cross-country champion, in a time of 32.10, enjoyed a ten-second cushion.

"At 6K, I started going to the front but at 7K, there was a hill and I decided I'd make a push," Kiplagat said. "It's a difficult course. You have to deal with the climbs. But where I train in Iten, there are plenty of those so I was prepared. I'm still trying to recover from injury but I think could go a minute faster."

Jennifer McClean (Edinburgh AC) and Diane Lauder (Gala AC) came ninth and tenth.