Padilla and Obwocha Get Friendly on Final Turn : After Nearly Bumping, Padilla’s Kick Leads to Victory in San Clemente 5K

Doug Padilla and Samson Obwocha knew it would be a two-man race heading into the final turn of the Fiesta 5,000-meter run Sunday at San Clemente.

When Padilla took the turn wide, about half a mile from the finish, and pulled back into the middle close to Obwocha, they nearly bumped.

Words were exchanged.

But it was a turn for the better for Padilla, who held on to win by half a step in 14 minutes 22 seconds.

“No, we didn’t really bump,” Obwocha said. “He just took a wide turn, and when he came back in, I thought he might cut me off.”

What did they say to each other?

“He said ‘Hello Samson, how are you feeling?’ It was funny,” Obwocha said. “He must have thought he was indoors taking a wide turn like that.”

Padilla, 32, and a two-time Olympian in the 5,000, moved ahead of an eight-man pack at the two-mile mark and appeared to be strong enough to wrap up the race early.

“I started my kick too soon,” Padilla said.

Obwocha, a 29-year-old Kenyan who lives in Van Nuys, kicked with him.

“With people like Padilla, you have to have a good kick or take off early,” Obwocha said. But he said he didn’t want to start his kick too soon because of a sore right hamstring.

Obwocha and Padilla sprinted downhill almost evenly the final half-mile.

With 20 yards left, Padilla edged in front and was able to hold on for the $2,000 first-prize money. Obwocha earned $1,000 for second, also in 14:22.

Padilla, from Orem, Utah, returned from three weeks of racing in Europe on Tuesday and said he was still feeling the effects of the travel, so neither Padilla or Obwocha was at full strength.

Mark Junkermann, a graduate of Los Alamitos High and UCLA, finished third in 14:38.

In the women’s race, Sylvia Mosqueda of Alhambra jumped to a 30-yard lead, but Lisa Weidenbach from Issaquah, Wash., overtook Mosqueda with a strong second half and won in 16:00. Mosqueda finished second in 16:20.

Though many racers might be expected to fade after starting as quickly as Mosqueda had, Weidenbach thought she might be tough to catch.

“I started thinking ‘Second place is not too bad,’ ” Weidenbach said. “At a half-mile, it seemed like she was 100 yards in front of me. I mean, she was ahead of my husband (Bill, who finished seventh among the men in 14:50.)”

Mosqueda completed the first mile in 4:40; Weidenbach in 4:45.

Mosqueda, who set the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. record in the 10,000 while at Cal State Los Angeles in 1988, looked very strong at that point, even with Weidenbach closing the gap.

“It was at about a mile and a half when I came up on her, and I thought the hill was a good place to make my move.” Weidenbach said. “She has a tendency to fall back on hills.”

Weidenbach pulled ahead, and going into the turn at the 2 1/2-mile mark, Weidenbach led by about 50 feet.