by RBR AdminEmily Sisson is a fine example of the group of athletes that New Balance has supported and continue to develop. Coming down from altitude, and in her first race since her wedding, Emily showed just how tough she is. Racing against Buze Diriba, Sisson dropped a 5:02 for mile three and broke the field, putting 22 seconds on the field in the final mile.
Emily Sisson was a fine high schooler, and, after a start at Wisconsin, moved to Providence College. Now a NB athlete, Emily Sisson is a threat in all of her races, and quite frankly, reminds me of US great Cathy O’Brien, one of our finest American women distance runners.
Emily Sisson will have a few more races this fall, and we are looking forward to them!
Emily Sisson takes Reebok Boston 10k for Women, photo by Conventures
Emily Sisson Wins the 2018 Reebok Boston 10K for Women
The Rhode Island native breaks the tape in 30:39, Diriba finishes second.
BOSTON – Rhode Islander Emily Sisson took top honors at today’s Reebok Boston 10K for Women under cloudy skies and 57 degrees in Boston’s Back Bay. The 26-year-old won in a time of 30:39, and outlasted Buze Diriba of Ethiopia, who took second in a time of 31:10. It was a return to glory on Charles Street for Sisson, who also won the race in 2016, when it was known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women. Sisson used an easterly tailwind to her advantage, dropping a 5:02 mile at mile three, and Diriba with her, to open up a ten second lead. Returning over the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, Sisson forged onward, boosted by the cheers of thousands of women running in the opposite direction. Sisson opened up a 22-second lead with one mile to go, and turned onto Charles Street uncontested. With the win, she takes home $9,000 in prize money and becomes the seventh women to win multiple editions of the 42-year old race.
“It was really good out there, said Sisson, “It was a perfect day, a little windy in the last mile we were going into that, but other than that it was a great atmosphere, and perfect running weather.” It was the first race for Sisson since returning from altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona, and since marrying her husband Shane earlier this year. Sisson made her move at mile three to build a lead on rival Diriba, who edged Sisson by one second in March in the New York City Half Marathon. For Sisson, who sported an olive wreath, an American flag, and beads of sweat after her victory, her move was a calculated one. “I could tell that move dropped her a bit,” said Sisson. “She has an amazing kick, so I just wated to run it out of her, becuase I knew if it came down to 100 meters to go, she’s gonna have the advantage. So I knew I was going to try and take it out of her.” And luckily I was able to today, she’s a great runner and great competitor.”
For Diriba, who has twice won the B.A.A. 5K in Boston’s Back Bay, it was a return to a city she enjoys. “I felt good, I love this race,” said Diriba, who lives and trains in Albuquerque. The course here is very good, and I felt good through the race,” said Diriba. Diriba goes home with a second-place prize for $5,000. She’ll next race the Valencia Half Marathon on October 28.
The race began with Sisson and Diriba hitting mile one in 5:08, several meters ahead of a pack of ten, and enduring a minor headwind at mile two for a 5:11 split. It was there that Sisson picked up the pace, and after the first turnaround on Memorial Drive, used a tailwind to her advantage and dropped a 5:02 mile. At the second turn-around on Memorial Drive, race organizers and runners encountered a different turn-around than expected. In responding and cooperating with area public safety agencies, volunteers and organizers altered the location of its traditional second turn-around, shortening it by approximately 150 meters. The result was a shortened race course by approximately 300 meters, therby making the day’s race ineligibe for records.
Sisson checked her watch twice at the mile four mark. “I have raced here maybe three or four times, and I love it here. I felt really good [at mile four], and I wondered what I ran – [my watch read] 4:05 and I said, ‘I don’t feel that good,'” laughed Sisson. Turning back onto the Massachusetts Avenue, Sisson never looked back. She now sets her sights on a half marathon in the future, and perhaps a 2019 marathon.
Finishing third in a time of 32:19 was 23-year-old Erin Clark, making her roads debut. “It’s really exciting,” said Clark who runs with Northern Arizona Elite. “Going into the race, I would have been thrilled with thrid, so to come out here and do what I hoped to do was great, and bodes well for the rest of my season,” said Clark. In her first road race, and first time to Boston, the Colorado University product sported a big smile in Boston Common after the race. “It was fun and exciting for me to be a in a big city, and I’ve never raced a road race so hearing the crowds and the excitement down the roads, and the helicopter overhead, I was like ‘this feel so intense!'” Finishing fourth was Dylan Hassett in a time 32:38, and Holly Rees of the UK in fifth in a time of 32:46. Nine-year old Maddie Wilson won the wheelchair race, smiling wide and breaking the tape in her pink wheelchair in a time of 48:13.
Full results are available here –http://www.gsrs.com/results/
The race has started and finished at Boston Common since its second year in 1978. The first race in 1977 started along Memorial Drive, in Cambridge. Race founder and president of Conventures, Inc. – the organziers of the event, Dusty Rhodes was elated with the results of the day. “What a performance by Emily today, and what a day for a race for these thousands of Women, Rhodes said, as she passed out high-fives to elated finishers. “This is my favorite part of the day, Rhodes said as the finish clock hit the 1 hour, 20 minute mark, seeing these women come through with the biggest smile on their face, it’s very powerful.”
About Reebok Boston 10K for Women:
Established in 1977 as the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, the Reebok Boston 10K for Women is the longest-running all-women’s sporting event in New England. With thousands of runners and spectators each year, it’s New England’s largest all-women’s road race, and has been organized every year by Conventures, Inc. Known for many years as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race features a flat out-and-back course through Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and stretches of Memorial Drive in Cambridge, finishing at Boston Common. More than 175,000 women have raced in the event since its inception. For more information on the race please visit www.boston10kforwomen.
About Reebok:
Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Boston, MA, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of fitness and lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment. An American-inspired global brand, Reebok is a pioneer in the sporting goods industry with a rich and storied fitness heritage. Reebok develops products, technologies and programming which enable movement and is committed to accompanying people on their journey to fulfill their potential. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s functional training, running, combat training, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. A subsidiary of adidas, Reebok is the exclusive outfitter of CrossFit and the CrossFit Games; the exclusive authentic global outfitter of UFC; the title sponsor of the Reebok Ragnar Relay series; and exclusive apparel provider for Les Mills.
For more information, visit Reebok at www.reebok.com, or discover Reebok at the following locations: https://www.
Want bonus content on athletics? Support the sport of athletics! Support RunBlogRun as we cover the sport of athletics nearly 24/7, and get bonus content, please go to: https://www.patreon.com/
