SIX STORYLINES - FREIHOFER'S RUN FOR WOMEN
By Chris Lotsbom, @ChrisLotsbom
(c) 2014 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

ALBANY, NY (30-May) -- On Saturday, May 31, Race Results Weekly will be on hand at the 36th annual Freihofer's Run for Women here in Albany, the capital of New York State. Ahead of the all-women's race, which last year saw 4245 finishers, we detail six storylines to watch for.

-- Daska Seeks Third Title: Ethiopia's Mamitu Daska has won the Freihofer's Run for Women twice before, taking top honors in both 2011 (15:19) and 2012 (15:20). Here, the 30-year-old aims to become only the fourth athlete in race history to win at least three titles over the course of their careers.

Daska's quest for title number three became somewhat easier when two-time champion Emily Chebet withdrew from the race on Wednesday. Chebet's management group, International Athletics Consultancy (IAC), cited on Twitter that she pulled out due "to [a] short period of time in between this fine event and #Kenyan Trials for 2014 #Commonwealth Games." According to International Athletics Consultancy, Athletics Kenya moved up the date of the Commonwealth Games Trials.

"It was a tough decision for Emily Chebet, especially as she loves to race in Albany," IAC tweeted.

With Chebet out, Daska becomes the fastest woman in the field. If she does win, then she'll join Lynn Jennings, Marla Runyan, and Benita Willis as the only three-time winners here (Jennings was champion a total of eight times, with six coming over the 5-K distance and two over 10-K, a distance eliminated in 1991).

The only concern for Daska would be her recovery from the tough Bolder BOULDER 10-K last Monday, which she won convincingly for the fourth time. She finished that race in 32:21.7, an excellent time for a high altitude run.


-- Possible Event Record? Speaking of Daska, she has the best chance of taking down Emily Chebet's course record of 15:12, set in 2010. Daska knows the course very well and owns the third and fourth-fastest marks ever on the rolling five kilometer out-and-back route.

If recent performance is any indication, Daska should come very close to challenging the record. On April 19 she set a personal best at the B.A.A. 5-K in Boston, timing 15:14, then the following month ran 31:41, another personal best, at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10-K in New York City in near-100% humidity. If Daska uses the final steep downhill stretch to her advantage, then don't be surprised if the course best is shattered.


-- Marathoners Dropping Down In Distance: Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba and Kenyan Lucy Kabuu, both formidable marathoners, will be shifting gears and racing much shorter than they're used to come Saturday morning. Will they have the leg turnover to match Daska?

Deba is coming off her third runner-up finish at a World Marathon Major event, placing second at April's Boston Marathon in a personal best of 2:19:59. Previously, the Bronx-based Nike athlete, coached by her husband Worku Beyi, was second at both the 2011 and 2013 TCS New York City Marathons. Deba's personal best for 5-K is 15:52, set back in 2010. According to Race Results Weekly's annual database, that race was Deba's last 5-K competition, and interestingly enough was also run in upstate New York at the Chris Thater Memorial 5-K in Binghamton.

Kabuu, 30, was third at the Tokyo Marathon in February with a time of 2:24:16. Kabuu does have an extensive background at 10,000m, representing Kenya at the Olympic Games twice in the discipline and racing to a new course record of 31:46 at the TCS World 10-K in Bangalore this month. The adjustment back to 5-K may not be as severe for Kabuu, but it will be intriguing to see how both her and Deba react to the faster pace.


-- American Opportunity: An American has not won the Freihofer's Run for Women in nearly a decade (it used to be the USA Championships). On June 5, 2004, Marla Runyan timed 15:26 for first, recording her third consecutive and final win at the all-women's race. In 2013, Amy Van Alstine was the top American, fourth overall in 16:01. The Northern Arizona Elite team member returns, riding a wave of strong performances, including a 15:22.98 5000m at the Payton Jordan Invitational and a 15:30 at the Carlsbad 5000, both personal bests. Could she be the one to break the winless streak?

Other Americans entered include Megan Hogan, Michelle (Frey) Lilienthal, Tera Moody, Stephanie Pezzullo, and Jen Rhines, who turns 40 in July.


-- Local Favorite Hogan Returns With Experience: When Race Results Weekly was last in Albany in 2011, Megan Hogan had just graduated from George Washington University and recently turned professional. Now three years later, Hogan --a native of Ballston Spa, 30 miles north of Albany-- is ready to challenge for the top American spot once again. In 2011, Hogan was fifth overall (second among Americans) in 15:54. Last year, she dropped back a bit, placing tenth and third for Americans in 16:30. Hogan has run 55:29.5 for ten miles and 33:40 for 10-K in 2014, showing that she is rounding back into form.


-- Traditionally, the Freihofer's Run for Women always has a strong master's field, and 2014 is no different. Melody Fairchild, the former high school and collegiate standout who has recently rekindled her career, comes into the race having won the USA Masters 10-K Championships (35:15) and placed second among women 40-and-over at the B.A.A. 5-K.

Also among the masters competitors are Sheri Piers (second a year ago), Carmen Troncoso (50+), Paula Wiltse, and Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. Samuelson, who recently turned 57, timed 2:52:11 at the Boston Marathon on April 21 (while still 56 years old), and ran 18:59 here in 2013.


The Freihofer's Run for Women 5-K is an IAAF Silver Label road race in it's 36th year.