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The Runner’s Rite of Spring ®

and Rosa Mota of Portugal sloshed through ankle-deep southerly winds. The women responded in remarkable
water to win their respective divisions. Kigen took the men’s fashion—the top three broke Rosa Mota’s year-old World
title in 47:25 as 22 men broke 50 minutes. Mota nipped Best time. Lisa Martin of Australia finished first in 52:23, a
Lisa Larsen in 54:16 to lead 12 women under the one-hour whopping 46-seconds under the previous mark. Runners-
mark. up Anne Audain (52:30) and Carla Beurskens (53:00) also
bettered the old record. Jon Sinclair reversed a series of
major race runner-up finishes by kicking early and moving
away from J.P Ndaysienga and Larry Green for a 46:48 win.
Priscilla Welch, 42, won the women’s masters division and
placed fourth overall with an astonishing 53:51, a world best
time for masters.

Race winner Simeon Kigen and Race Director Jeff Darman
in 1984
1985 (March 31)
In 1985, Kigen won again, posting a near-record 46:24 as
favorable weather returned to the event. With temperatures
in the low 50s and moderate wind, Lisa Larsen Weidenbach,
runnerup the previous year, surprised everyone, includ-
ing herself, by running an event record of 53:30 to take the
women’s crown.
Masters champion Barry Brown, with an age-group record
49:46, was the last of 31 runners to break 50 minutes for
the distance. Some 25 women dipped under the one-hour
barrier.
Jon Sinclair (6) wins in 1987
1986 (April 6) 1988 (March 27)
In 1986, Rosa Mota eclipsed the women’s World Best 10 The winds shifted to the northwest for the 1988 race, with
mile, while Thom Hunt came to within two seconds of Greg gusts up to 25 miles per hour. Belgium’s J.P. Ndaysienga, the
Meyer’s 1983 world best time. Mota, the bronze medalist 1987 runner up, took the lead at 3 miles, got caught by a
in the Los Angeles Olympic Marathon and 1984 Cherry pack at 7 miles, but emerged in the front of a wild four-man
Blossom winner, shaved nine seconds off Joan Samuelson’s sprint to the finish. He clocked 47:33, with Martyn Brewer
World Best time with a 53:09 clocking despite running second in 47:35, Jon Sinclair third in 47:40, and Joseph
on a tender achilles tendon. Hunt began a series of surges Kipsang fourth in 47:45. Anne Audain reversed the previ-
to break away from English Olympic steeplechaser Roger ous year’s standings with Lisa Martin with a 53:26 to 54:06
Hackney at the 8-1/2 mile mark, which brought him to the victory in the women’s race.
finish just off the all-time best with a 46:15. The top 37 men
broke 50 minutes, while 20 women bettered one hour. 1989 (April 2)
Perfect running weather was sandwiched between high
1987 (April 5) winds on Saturday and showers on Monday for the 1989
April showers stopped the night before the 1987 race and race. Lisa Weidenbach responded with her second victory
low tide right at race time ensured that the tip of Hains in an American record time of 52:34 – just 11 seconds shy
Point would not be submerged. Both the runners and the of Lisa Martin’s World Best time. The men’s race featured a
fully in-bloom cherry blossoms were pushed by favorable near-photo finish with Zimbabwe’s Brian Sheriff outlean-

54 2019 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Media Guide