Bloomsday: Kenyan runner Veronica Loleo breaks women’s elite course record by one-hundredth of a second

Well before the Bloomsday elite women’s field reached dreaded Doomsday Hill, Veronica Loleo, of Kenya, was beginning to pull away from a pack that started at nine and then whittled down to five.

By the time Loleo crested Doomsday and turned onto Pettet Drive, her lead had grown to 50 meters.

It would only grow from there. The only question left to be answered was whether Loleo, running by herself, would break the course record.

Loleo did by just a whisker – one-hundredth of a second. She navigated the 49th edition of the 12-kilometer road race (7.5 miles) in spectacular fashion, winning in a time of 38 minutes, .02 seconds. The previous best, 38:00.03, was set in 2016 by Cynthia Limo.

It’s not downhill from Pettet Drive to Monroe Street Bridge, but Loleo made it look like it was as she built a 100-meter lead that she’d never relinquish.

Doing her first Bloomsday, Loleo turned south from Broadway onto Monroe Street and it appeared she would fall just short of the record. She sprinted the final two-tenths of a mile, a short downhill finish a few feet from the north end of the bridge.

Well back in second was Adane Anmaw Mingesha, of Ethiopia (38:18), and 2024 champ Sarah Naibei, of Kenya, took third slightly behind second but given the same time – 42 seconds faster than her time a year ago.

Naibei, Aubrey Frentheway, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Daisy Kimeli of Kenya, third a year ago, were side by side as they led a nine-person pack through the first mile.

As the runners passed a spectator playing an accordion, they began the first of two shorter hills before approaching Doomsday. The pack was down to five through 2 miles.

Loleo opened a 10-meter lead near Spokane Falls Community College and stretched it to 20 meters a half mile later.

She took over the race at Doomsday, leaving Mengesha, Naibei and Frenthway to jockey for second.

“I tried my best to push,” Loleo said. “It was very hard.”

Loleo said she was surprised nobody tried to keep pace up Doomsday.

“We were tracking for a course record going up Doomsday,” said elite race coordinator Andy LeFriec, who was in the women’s media truck. “Then at the top of Doomsday we were four to five seconds off the (record) pace. I thought maybe (Loleo) had moved too early.”

Loleo finished 20th in a half -marathon in Prague, Czech Republic, a month ago.

“The (Bloomsday) course is very good,” Loleo said. “I was in good shape.”

It was ideal running conditions Sunday morning – 45 degrees and sunny skies when the gun sounded for the women.

The 17-year-old men’s course record (33:51) was safe.

Patrick Kiprop, of Kenya, who recently completed his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, made his road racing debut in dominating style.

Kiprop won in a runaway, finishing in 34:08. Mike Kamau, also of Kenya, was second (34:43).

Former Gonzaga runner Jake Perrin of Kalispell, Montana, took sixth (35:01) and Diego Estrada of Flagstaff, Arizona, second a year ago, was 10th (35:46).

Kiprop said he started to break from the leaders near the 4-mile mark. He did so in an unconventional way, too.

“I tried to use the downhills and tried not to attack the hills,” Kiprop said. “I realized most of the people in the field will not make their move on the downhills. I used that (it was my strength).”

Kiprop calls himself a track runner first. He continues to train at Arkansas.

“I think I’ll do more road races. I think I have experience now,” Kiprop said, smiling. “I plan on coming back. I think I need to defend my title next year.”

In the wheelchair division, Hermin Garic defended his 2024 title (31:10), holding off Wyatt Willand, and Hannah Babalola won the women’s title (40:30).