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Erika Kemp Wins the 2024 Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI

rika Kemp Wins the 2024 Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI

Kemp holds off Annie Rodenfels and wins her second Boston 10K for Women in 31:48

BOSTON – It was a return to glory for Erika Kemp for Providence, who won the 48th Boston 10K for Women in a personal best time of 31:48. Kemp, who also won the 2022 event in a then-PR of 32:15, outlasted 2023 champion Annie Rodenfels who finished in 31:54. Emily Venters of Salt Lake City finished third in a time of 32:11.

Under a postcard perfect autumn day, temperatures hovered in the 50s as more than 5,000 registrants from 40 states gathered at the second longest-running all-women’s race in the country. Following her fourth-place last year, it was course experience and lessons learned that fueled Kemp’s winning strategy.

“Winning is always so fun, but winning here is a little extra special,” said the 29-year-old Kemp, who earned $10,000 with the win. “Right before the race, one of the volunteers told me I had to do it for the women today, and I was like ‘we’re all here for the women,’ and he said, ‘but you have to do it more,’ and I really took that to heart.”

Kemp, Rodenfels, Venters, and Bethany Jerde represented a four-woman pack that sped through a 5:01 first mile, splitting a canyon of foliage on Beacon Street, before turning right onto the Massachusetts Avenue bridge. As they crossed the Charles River into Cambridge, a 5:11 second mile thinned the chase pack, and four leaders had a six second lead on fifth place. 

“I took it out a little hard which I wasn’t necessarily meaning to do,” said Rodenfels, who lives in Boston and earns $5,000 with a second-place finish. “But I felt good, and I thought we would kind of burn [the competition] out a little sooner than if we went out conservatively.”Approaching mile three, Kemp took on a slight headwind and carried the hot pace westward along the Charles River with a 5:01 mile. Jerde fell off the pack as the Memorial Drive course dipped below Massachusetts Ave. “I was a little bit haunted by my fourth-place finish last year,” said Kemp. “I vividly remember going under that underpass around mile three, and that tiny uphill right after the bridge. In those moments last year, I backed off when I should have pushed harder. So this year I stepped on the gas a little more.”

As the three runners switched back to the eastbound direction at the 3.5 mile mark, Kemp and Rodenfels exchanged surges, and Venters fell three seconds behind. Turning back onto the Massachusetts Ave. bridge and heading toward Boston, Kemp, Rodenfels, and Venters were greeted by a roar of thousands of women running in the other direction.

“Coming over that bridge around mile four, running past the field of women – their energy will literally push you through those last two miles,” said Kemp. “And it was on another level today.”

Kemp led by two seconds as the runners re-entered Back Bay, and turned left onto Commonwealth Ave., with Kemp dropping another 5:01 mile between four and five. But Rodenfels would not quit. “She’s a hard competitor,” said Rodenfels of Kemp. “She does not give up and I know that.”

Streaking down Commonwealth Avenue, Rodenfels continued nipping on the heels of Kemp – from Fairfield to Exeter and Dartmouth to Clarendon, the two athletes pushed each other towards new PRs. “It was a good sign that I was with her for that long, Rodenfels added. “And that I was able to keep pushing and maintain a small gap and not let it get bigger and bigger as it went on.”

Kemp was simply too strong. Circling the Boston Public Garden, and before turning left onto the closing stretch on Charles St., Kemp did not waiver and broke the tape in front of a roaring crowd. “It feels great,” said Kemp of her victory and new 31:48 PR. “Winning once is super cool, but now, they’re going to keep saying I’m a two-time champion and that just sounds a lot better.”

In the wheelchair division, 15 year-old Maddie Wilson broke the tape in a time of 34:57. For Wilson, this is a race with which she has grown familiar, having competed on its course since she was just six years old. In the Masters Division, Leslie McCarthy of Milton, MA earned $500 with a time of 39:56.The race is enthusiastically supported by a group of sponsors, led by REI and PUMA, who brought enormous energy to the day’s activities. Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is New England’s largest all-women’s sporting event the second longest-running all-women’s race in the country. For the fourth consecutive year, the race saw a rise in participation, this year with a 24% increase in registrations from 2023. “What a wonderful day for our city and our sport, exclaimed Dusty Rhodes, who founded the race in 1977. “To see so many families, first timers, and long timers all here together smiling wide at the finish – it is just so gratifying. What an honor it is to help host this event.” With today’s race, Rhodes extends her legacy as the longest-running female race director in the country.

(10/13/2024) Views: 186 ⚡AMP

Annie Rodenfels Wins Boston 10k For Women

The 47th running of the Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI, returned to the Boston Common and the streets of Boston and Cambridge on Saturday.

Over 4,000 women participated in the autumn classic, which began at 8:50 a.m. for handcycle and wheelchair participants and at 9 a.m. for all runners.

Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is New England's largest all-women's sporting event.

The 6.2-mile course brings runs through Boston’s Back Bay and into Cambridge and finishes on Charles Street between the Public Garden and Boston Common.

This year's race was won by Annie Rodenfels, who broke the tape in her 10K debut in a time of 32:08. She was followed by Emily Venters with a time of 32:31 and Jenny Simpson at 32:39.

A Boston resident, Rodenfels surged on the Massachusetts Avenue bridge and ran uncontested through the last mile until the Charles Street finish line.

“I thought I would sit back and wait and out-kick them at the end, like -- their mistake if they leave me until the end -- because besides maybe Jenny Simpson I think I’ve probably got the best kick in the field,” Rodenfels said afterward, with an American flag draped around her shoulders. “But I just felt too good, I figured I’d just go for it. What do I have to lose?”

For Rodenfels, who trains along the banks of the Charles River, the familiarity aided her approach in the new distance.

“I like the course a lot – I love running in Boston, I feel like I can have a mediocre year the rest of the year and then when I get a race in Boston, I knock it out of the park. I feel like I get more cheers because I am from around here,” said Rodenfels, who earned $9,000 with the victory.

Winning the Masters Division and finishing 11th overall was Sara Hall, who clocked a 33:19. Fourteen-year-old Madelyn Wilson won the wheelchair division in a time of 35:50, racing for the first time in a larger chair.

 

(10/09/2023) Views: 825 ⚡AMP

Bostonian Erika Kemp Wins the 2022 Boston 10K for Women

It was a hometown victory at the 46th Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI, as 27-year-old Erika Kemp broke the tape and set a new personal best with a time of 32:15. In her race debut, Kemp surged at mile five and cruised onto Charles Street for a 17 second victory over Kenyan Risper Gesabwa. Gesabwa’s time of 32:32 put her four seconds ahead of American Taylor Werner, who clocked 32:36, one second shy of her personal record. 

‘I’ve been waiting for this day for seven years,’ said an elated Kemp, who credited her course familiarity with her PR performance. “My training overall has been pretty good. I’ve just had a really hard time putting it together in a race. It wasn’t super surprising, but it was very rewarding to see it all come together.”

Under sunny skies and a temperature of 50 degrees, Kemp, Gesabwa, Werner, and Mary Munanu of Kenya formed a pack of four quickly after the 9:00 a.m. start. Sticking together across the Massachusetts Avenue bridge into Cambridge, they jostled along Memorial Drive, while switchbacks brought the cheers of nearly 3,000 women who chased them.  “Towards mile three and four, Mary [Munanu] and I surged a tiny bit, and we got some space going into mile four,” recalled Kemp, who earned $9,000 with the victory.

Munanu and Kemp accelerated as they returned into Boston, and the crowd roared as they turned left onto Commonwealth Ave. Gesabwa and Werner stuck close behind, battling for the third podium spot. “We were side by side at mile five, and there was a sharp turn, where Mary surged,” recalled Kemp. “And I was like ‘no I can’t quit.’ So, I put in a surge and this was the only time she didn’t respond, so at that point I knew this was my chance, and I just went for it.”

The late surge was a welcomed sign for Kemp, who runs for the Boston Athletic Association High Performance Team. “The other races I’ve done so far this year, I get to about three miles, and I’m just dead – mentally, physically, emotionally, just like, nothing left. So when you’re coming back on the bridge, and you’re just running past a stream of women and they’re cheering so hard for you, it just gives you new energy.”

The race attracted 3,556 official registrants to a bustling Boston Common as the sun rose over Boston. For the 46th year, the women’s race gathered athletes of all ages and backgrounds, representing 37 states, 11 countries, and six continents. Runners from ages 10 to 88 registered for the event. “It was amazing,” said Kemp on the sea of women runners. “The way the course runs when you run past all the women on the Mass Ave Bridge, it’s just so incredible.”

The race saw a 15% increase in registrations from 2021, and is enthusiastically supported by a group of sponsors, led by REI and Puma, who brought enormous energy to the day’s activities. Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is New England’s largest all-women’s sporting event the second longest-running all-women’s race in the country.

Boston 10K for Women, Presented by REI

Established in 1977 as the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, the Boston 10K for Women, Presented by REI 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 180,000 women have raced in the event since its inception. 

(10/10/2022) Views: 1,094 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

24-year-old Weini Kelati Sets New American Record During Women’s 10K Race In Boston

A 24-year-old woman set a new record during a 10K race in Boston Saturday. Weini Kelati, a Flagstaff resident who was born in Eritrea, now holds the new American 10K record for a women’s-only race.

It happened at the Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI. This is Kelati’s first professional race. She finished in 31:18, beating the 2015 American record by three seconds.

Kelati averaged a 5:03 mile pace. She broke away from the other front runners at the three-mile mark.

“I just race with myself [in my training] and see how fast I can run. I know there were fast runners here today who could hang on with me, but all I was thinking was I’m just going to go and run my race,” Kelati said after the race.

The Boston 10K for Women was formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women. It is usually run on the second Monday in October but moved this year because of the Boston Marathon.

It’s the second longest-running all-women’s race in the country.

(10/18/2021) Views: 1,310 ⚡AMP
by CBS Boston

PUMA to become the Official Footwear and Apparel Partner of the Boston 10K for Women

Conventures, Inc., organizers of the Boston 10K for Women, presented by REI, today proudly introduced PUMA as its official footwear and apparel partner. In further demonstrating its commitment to women’s running, the footwear and apparel company will provide pre-event activations, on-site engagements at Boston Common, and will become the title sponsor of the event’s elite athlete field.  The Boston 10K for Women is the longest-running all-women’s sporting event in New England, and will return to the roads this October for its 45th running.

PUMA’s support of the event will put PUMA’s logo on the race bib number, PUMA footwear on race officials, and the “Elite Field, Powered by PUMA” will help support visibility for the event’s elite field. The new race partnership is the latest illustration of PUMA’s deep commitment to Boston, to running, and to women, and allows the company to align itself with the largest all-women’s race in New England for multiple years.

“When we recognized the opportunity to partner with such a historic and important race that supports female runners, we could not have been more excited to get involved,” said Erin Longin, Global Director of Running & Training at PUMA. “With PUMA Running we are looking to spark change in the running industry and champion female runners. The event brings out the best in women of all abilities, and it is a shining example of the sisterhood, compassion, and energy that unites us all. It’s a great day, and we can’t wait to be out there.”  

“It’s a bounce back year for women’s running, and as runners reunite around the country, the sport needs companies like PUMA to lead, which is exactly what they’re doing,” said Dusty Rhodes, who founded the race in 1977. “A road race is where everyone can line up as equals, compete, have fun, and support each other. It’s a unifying phenomenon, and PUMA recognizes the power of race day.”

Held every year on the second Monday in October, race organizers yielded their traditional race date to accommodate the 125th Boston Marathon, scheduled for Monday, October 11, 2021. The race date for 2021 Boston 10K for Women will be announced shortly, and the event will accommodate as much of an in-person component as it prudently and safely can.

The event features hours of pre-race and post-race athletic and wellness programming to complement the flat and fast 6.2-mile course, where runners cheer for each other along stretches of the Charles River. The course features sweeping views of the Boston skyline, a few twists and turns, and comes to a dramatic finish at Boston Common. In 2020, the event converted to a six-day virtual event, where runners from 40 states and 10 countries took part in the 10K at a time and location of their choosing.

About Boston 10K for WomenEstablished in 1977 as the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, the 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. The race features a flat out-and-back course through Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and scenic stretches of Memorial Drive in Cambridge. More than 183,000 women have raced in the event since its inception. For more information on the race please visit www.boston10kforwomen.com.

 

(06/05/2021) Views: 804 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

Boston 10K for Women cancelled, will be run virtually in 2020

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, the all-women’s race will not be held in its traditional mass participatory form this October.

organizers of the Boston 10K for Women, are proud to introduce a virtual event for race participants to enjoy this October. Though the 44th running of the event was initially slated for Monday, October 12, organizers have followed the guidance of state, city, and public health leaders in deciding not to hold the mass participatory road race and surrounding events in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beginning on Wednesday, October 7 and continuing through Monday, October 12, race participants will have the opportunity to complete the 6.2-mile distance at a time and location of their choosing. Participants can share their times to a leaderboard, and will receive a 2020 participant shirt, training plan, and products from race sponsors. 

Registration for the 44th edition of the Boston 10K for Women will open on Monday, August 24 at 10:00 a.m. For a reduced entry fee of $25, those who sign up by Monday, September 14 will receive a commemorative long-sleeve shirt and participants will have the option to donate additional funds to one of the event’s official charities. Registration will occur at www.boston10kforwomen.com.

The virtual event will include the mailing of a pre-race participant package, and several perks sent via e-mail. There will be no programming at Boston Common on Monday, October 12.

The race is the largest all-women’s sporting event in New England, and traditionally attracts thousands of women from around the world, including an elite field competing for $17,000 in prize money. Last year, Rhode Island’s Molly Huddle won her fifth title on the flat and fast course, breaking the Charles Street breaktape in a time of 31:50, adding to her 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2015 victories.

Established in 1977 as the Bonne Bell Mini Marathon, the 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. The race features a flat out-and-back course through Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and scenic stretches of Memorial Drive in Cambridge. More than 181,000 women have raced in the event since its inception.

(08/24/2020) Views: 1,840 ⚡AMP

Molly Huddle clams victory at Reebok 10K for Women clocking 31:50 on Monday

Molly Huddle, 35, of Providence, took home first place in the Reebok 10K for Women race held at Boston Common on Monday afternoon, finishing with a time of 31 minutes, 50 seconds.

Rounding out the top three were Iveen Chepkemoi, 22, and Emily Infeld, 29, each finishing within 30 seconds of Huddle.

Huddle was one of two top-10 finishers out of the age 30-39 division, along with Lauren Perkins who finished ninth.

In the wheelchair race, Alicia Dana, 50, took home first place in 18:47. She finished more than 25 minutes ahead of her competitor, 10-year-old Madelyn Wilson. 

(10/15/2019) Views: 1,790 ⚡AMP
by Dan Shulman

Emily Sisson wins Reebok Boston 10K in record time but course was 380 meters short

Update: When we first reported this story it was thought that an American Record was set today in Boston as reported by the Boston Globe.  However, the course was 380 meters short, somehow the cones got moved just past the 5k mark. Most likely she still would have run sub 32. Emily Sisson separated herself from the competition early, at the Reebok Boston 10K for Women Monday afternoon. The 26-year-old from Rhode Island pulled away from Buze Diriba of Ethiopia at the 3-mile mark and held on to her lead down the stretch to claim victory in 30:39 — a comfortable 33 seconds ahead of the second-place Diriba. The time at first was thought to be an American record breaking the record set by Shalane Flanagan (30:52) in 2016 in the same event. But the course was short and the race director is trying to find out why cones were moved...The win is Sisson’s second in three years, as she also won in 2016 in 31:46. She becomes the first repeat winner since Huddle, who won the event four times, including three straight from 2008-10. Diriba’s time of 31:12 also broke the benchmark set by Huddle but was not good enough to beat Sisson. Formerly known as the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women, the race is the largest all-woman running event in New England and has been a Columbus Day staple in Boston since 1977. Running through the Back Bay and into Cambridge, competitors make their way along the Charles River before finishing on Charles Street between the Public Garden and Boston Common. Other finishers: Diriba, Erin Clark of Arizona (32:19), Dylan Hassett of Rhode Island (32:28), and Holly Rees of the United Kingdom (32:46) rounded out the top five finishers in the open division.   (10/08/2018) Views: 2,340 ⚡AMP