Nthiwa wins first Wasatch Front 10K

The inaugural Wasatch Front 10K at LaVell Edwards Stadium didn't have the large turnout organizers hoped for, but the quality of the field was outstanding —thanks in large part to the $20,000 prize purse.

The Saturday morning race drew an international group of runners with individuals who have had great success in road races and marathons throughout the United States and the world. Kenya's Patrick Nthiwa won the men's race in 29:13 and captured the first-place prize of $3,000. He beat out four other Kenyans who rounded out the top five, including Gilbert Koech (fourth place), the winner of the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon.

"The race was very challenging," said Nthiwa. "Some of us didn't know the course that well. Next time we hope to do better."

Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania won the women's 10K in a time of 33:22. She beat Teresa Wanjiku of Kenya by seven seconds and fellow Romanian Luminita Talpos by 39 seconds. Tomescu-Dita placed second to the current women's marathon world-record holder, Paula Radcliffe, in this year's London Marathon and is currently training for the World Championships this summer in Helsinki, Finland.

"I'm surprised," said Tomescu-Dita. "I didn't think I would win. The course was very good and my time is good for the altitude."

Teren (31:46) and Emily Jameson (36:23) had a successful day at the race. The husband and wife team both finished ninth in their respective divisions to earn prize money for a top-10 finish and, in Teren's situation, additional prize money for being the top Utah resident to finish.

Former BYU runner Lindsey Dunkley (35:59) finished eighth overall and was the top women's finisher from Utah.

Race director Bill Burke knows it will take time to establish this race as a main event like the Bolder Boulder 10K in Boulder, Colo., or the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. Both events draw thousands of people each year.

However, Burke started the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans in 1979. That year, the Classic drew 912 runners, but grew to almost 33,000 in 1990.

Race organizers also competed for runners with several other established races in the area this weekend and plan to move next year's race up one week in hopes of attracting more people.