Kemoi, Edwards win Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon

DULUTH — Daniel Kemoi took an early lead in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and held on to run the second-fastest time in the race’s history.

The 35-year-old from Kenya won the 13.1-mile race in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 3 seconds. He was 18 seconds ahead of Kiya Dandena, 33, of Flagstaff, Arizona, who finished in second place.

Kemoi said with “perfect” weather and a “so very nice” course, he separated himself from the lead pack after just a mile.

He had a race plan and didn’t want to wait on everyone else, he said.

So he ran the next 12 miles alone.

“Where is my friend?” Kemoi said he thought when he would look behind him. “Is he coming, or did he die?”

Following his race plan worked.

Although it was his best half marathon time by 24 seconds, it was a little slower than he would have liked; his goal was to finish in under an hour.

He also fell short of the course record of 1:01:22, which was set in 2013 by Meb Keflezighi.

Kemoi said he was being a bit conservative with his pace as he’s been nursing a calf injury for the past month.

This is the first Grandma’s event Kemoi has run. But it might not be his last.

“Next year? I’ll be back,“ Kemoi said.

Rosie Edwards was in fourth when she stopped to use the bathroom about four miles into the half marathon.

In doing so, she lost contact with the lead pack.

“It was kind of lonely out there for those middle miles,” Edwards said.

But Edwards, 33, of the United Kingdom, caught back up, winning in 1:12:45.

“I was in fourth until about mile eight so I just had to keep keying off the girls in front,” Edwards said. “I knew them all. I knew they were strong competitors. So they really kept me going.”

Bloomington, Minnesota, native Elena Hayday, 22, finished second in 1:13:00. Hayday competed in cross-country and track and field at the University of Minnesota.

This was Edwards’ first appearance in Duluth. She said she’d like to return for the full marathon. She ran the half marathon in preparation for the European Championships in Munich in August where she plans to run the marathon.

Edwards missed her best half marathon time by 19 seconds and would have liked to be under 1:12:00. But a win is a win.

“Any time you get a win, it’s a really special day,” Edwards said. “You can’t take it for granted.”