Ondara wins Edinburg 10K Run/Walk

EDINBURG — The suspense built just over the 25-minute mark as to who would be rounding the final stride of Saturday morning’s 28th-annual Edinburg 10K Run/Walk.

Not since 1992 had a Valley native won the city’s 6.2-mile course, but many believed that drought was about to end. Pharr native Westly Keating, a former University of Texas-Pan American standout in cross country and track & field, legitimately stood as the Valley’s best shot to break the area’s skid, but Keating’s impressive time of 29 minutes, 38 seconds, still kept a local out of the winner’s spot.

In his first trip to South Texas, Macdonard Ondara of Kenya won the overall competition with his time of 28:57, 35 seconds ahead of runner up Alfred Cherop.

After crossing the finish line, a clearly disgruntled Keating, who finished third overall, walked off and nodded his head in disappointment.

“I started off the race and I felt so bad the first mile and I felt so slow,” Keating said. “I could never get into a rhythm. It took me a long time. Finally, the last couple of miles I started reeling people in, but I let them get too far ahead.”

Keating was looking to make the Edinburg 10K his fourth major win in the past two months before taking an extended break from competition after a half marathon in Dallas next month.

“I really wanted to win this race,” he said. “This is my last year competing so I really wanted to send it off on a high note. I’m just very unsatisfied right now.”

Not even Ondara, who jogged off his win inside Edinburg Municipal Park, would admit he was satisfied with his performance.

“I didn’t see the time,” a humbled Ondara first stated, not even acknowledging his victory. “I wanted to beat the record.”

Ondara fell just five seconds short of the course record (28:52), which was set in 2007 by Alene Reta, brother of Alene Shewarge of Ethiopia, who won the women’s overall competition Saturday. Ondara vowed to return next year and break the record.

“I’ll be back,” he said. “Now that I know the course.”

Shewarge’s time of 33:37.6 was two seconds better than Rahab Watetu Noungu. Zoila Gomez of Colorado finished as the top USA female runner, finishing fifth overall.

Gomez says the Valley’s humid temperatures had an affect on her performance.

“I come from 7,000 feet in altitude. Actually the town I’m from is one of the coldest places in the nation. I think it was just humid and a little bit windy, but overall it was a nice race,” she said.

Edinburg North cross country coach Hector Gandara and UTPA freshman runner Hilda Galloso finished as the top performers from Edinburg.

Ramiro Paez covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4470.