Linius and Josephine train together in Kenya, they just arrived on Friday and they both won in Cleveland

Linius Kiplagat and Josphine Wanjiku train together in Kenya, and they shared the joy of victory in the men's and women's 10K races, respectively, at Sunday's Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. Kiplagat, 24, and Wanjiku, 25, are in the United States for the first time, and will stay for the next three months. They arrived in Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday and got to Cleveland on Friday.  Kiplagat finished in 29 minutes and 4.87 seconds. He started quickly and separated himself from the field after the first 2K. He said he wasn't bothered by the light rain. "It's my second road race," Kiplagat said. "It was a nice race. I felt confident. It was cold, though. This is my first time here. There are nice people here, friendly." Isaac Mukundi (29:23.51) and Dominic Korir (29:25.53), both also from Kenya, finished second and third, respectively. Wanjiku led wire-to-wire, finishing in 36:32, ahead of runnerup Jessica Odorcie (36:37) of Perry in Lake County and Melly Watcke (37:06) of New Bremen, Ohio. "I felt good," Wanjiku said. "Rain, but the course was good. They are nice people here. "I had an advantage because I was prepared for the hills. I'm happy, because it's a win, here for the first time in America. It's a big achievement. I expect more wins." Edwin Rotich won the men's race in 28:58 last year, and Gladys Kipsoi led the women in 33:28.

posted Sunday May 20th