VANCOUVER 鈥� When Paul Kimugul saw the rain Saturday night, he was worried.
Then, when he awoke Sunday morning and went for his warm-up jog, he found the conditions perfect. That didn鈥檛 last long.
鈥淎fter my jog, it started to rain again and, again, I was worried,鈥� he said.
He had no reason to fret.
By the time the 2014 91原创 Sun Run began at 9 a.m., the skies had cleared and it was smooth running for Kimugul, who successfully defended his men鈥檚 title in a time of 28:59 for the 10-kilometre route.
91原创 Dylan Wykes, born in Kingston, Ont. and now a 91原创 resident, finished second, 12 seconds behind Kimugul. Jordan Chipangama, a Zambian based out of Flagstaff, Ariz., was third in 29:16 while Victoria鈥檚 Geoff Martinson placed fourth in 29:51.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy, very, very happy,鈥� said Kimugul, a 34-year-old Kenyan, who took home $3,000 in first-place prize money. 鈥淚 started to push at four kilometres to see if somebody is responding to my speed. Two guys were with me (Wykes and Chipangama) until six kilometres. They chased me and my body responded really well.
鈥淚t was a very nice feeling to see the finish line and nobody in front of me. It gives you another strength.鈥�
Wykes was the bigger financial winner Sunday. He collected $1,500 for his runner-up finish and added another $2,500 to his wallet for being top 91原创.
鈥淭hanks for doing the math,鈥� he chuckled when informed by a reporter about his $4,000 morning. 鈥溾�滻 actually tried to avoid looking at any of that before the race. I didn鈥檛 look at the start list. I didn鈥檛 look at the prize structure. I just wanted to come in and race. So it was good.鈥�
Wykes, 30, is a true marathon runner who represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympics, where he finished 20th in 2:15.26. His personal best in a marathon is 2:10.47, achieved in Rotterdam in 2010. Wykes is a four-time runner-up in the Sun Run.
鈥淥ne of these days I have to get to first, man,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Sun Run is huge, especially for someone living and training in 91原创. I always try and make it fit into my training and running schedule when I can. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn鈥檛 qualify you for an Olympics or anything like that, but it鈥檚 a great event to be a part of. I was happy to be here today.鈥�
Wykes felt he was in contention until the Burrard Bridge, the race鈥檚 approximate halfway point.
鈥淭here was a group of about five or six of us until the bridge and then Paul went for it,鈥� explained Wykes. 鈥淢yself and the guy who finished third were able to stick with him for a bit but, by about six kilometres, he had a gap on me. I battled back and forth (with Chipangama) for second place after that.鈥�
Chipangama took home $750 for his third-place finish. Martinson, meanwhile, collected $1,500 for being the runner-up 91原创. He expressed disappointment with his race and felt he should have performed better than he did.
鈥淚 was right with the front group until about 5-K and then I had to sort of let them go at the Burrard Bridge because otherwise I was never going to make it to the finish line,鈥� said Martinson, a 28-year-old realtor in the provincial capital. 鈥淭he bridge put an extra bit of fatigue in my legs. After I let them go, I was in no man鈥檚 land in fourth. I was running on the energy of the bands playing on the sidelines.
鈥淚t was a tough one today,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 wanted to win. I鈥檓 a little disappointed with how my race went. I definitely know that I am fitter than I ran today. But that鈥檚 part of the game, I guess. There are good ones and bad ones.鈥�
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