Friis wins Tamanaha for third year in row
By Mike Tymn
Special to The Advertiser
During the first few miles of the race, Christian Friis appeared to be soaring. In the end, he was clearly struggling.
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But Friis, a 27-year-old Hawai'i Pacific University senior from Denmark, hung on to win the 24th annual Norman K. Tamanaha 15-kilometer run yesterday morning in 50 minutes, 8 seconds. It was his third consecutive victory in the event and his slowest time. He won last year's race in 49:09 and the 1999 race in 49:57.
Christian Friis' fast start nearly cost him the win.
Nina Christensen battles stomach problems.
Closing rapidly on Friis over the last mile, Eric Stabb, 34, finished second in 50:29, and four-time winner Jonathan Lyau, 36, third in 50:38.
"I was really fading on the way back," Friis said. "I think I was a little tired from various activities during the week."
Nina Christensen, a 26-year-old HPU sophomore from Denmark, easily won the women's race while clocking 57:51 to finish 15th overall. Ê
Rachel Portner, 47, finished second in 1:00:05. Mary Sele, 39, was third in 1:00:34.
"I had some stomach problems during the race and was just focusing on where I was going," said Christensen, when asked if she was aware of her competition.
With 299 entrants, the 9.3-mile race, named after the man considered Hawai'i's "Father of Running," got under way at Kapi'olani Park at 6 a.m. Ê
Lyau kept pace with Friis for the first half mile, but Friis started pulling away, reaching the mile mark in 4:55 with a lead of roughly 40 yards. "That was too fast," said Friis, who averaged 5:23 per mile.
By the turnaround point in Kahala, Friis led by nearly 300 yards, as Stabb and Lyau matched strides in second place. Stabb moved ahead of Lyau on the eighth mile and began reeling in Friis. "He had about 45 seconds on me going into the park," said Stabb, "but I soon realized that there was no catching him."
Christensen had the women's race all to herself, while Portner, who won the 1986 race with a 55:38, overtook Sele on the third mile for the second position. Four-time winner Jeannie Wokasch, 38, was fifth in 1:04:26.
Farley Simon, 46, finished fourth in 52:49 to lead the masters (40-older) competition. Simon won the 1983 race in a then-record time of 46:51. Duncan Macdonald broke the record two years later with a 46:16. That record still stands.
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Top 10 Men
1, Christian Friis 50:08. 2, Eric Stabb 50:29. 3, Jonathan Lyau 50:38. 4, Farley Simon 52:49. 5, Pete Boksanski 53:02. 6, John R. Smith 53:31. 7, Roger Busch 53:50. 8, Clint Sheeley 54:26. 9, Kevin O'Neal 55:21. 10, Craig Knohl 56:09.
Top 10 Women
1, Nina Christensen 57:51. 2, Rachel Portner 1:00:05. 3, Mary Sele 1:00:34. 4, Angie Song-Rooney 1:01:42. 5, Mina Casey 1:02:11. 6, Jeannie Wokasch 1:04:26. 7, Tomoko Magruder 1:04:40. 8, Susan Dezso 1:06:30. 9, Teresa Condron 1:07:36. 10, Connie Comiso 1:07:58. Ê
