Musyoki Comes Up Short of World Record : But Kenyan Is Fast Enough to Win Bastille Day 8K in Newport Beach

Standing at the start of the Bastille Day 8K in Newport Beach Sunday morning, William Musyoki glanced up at the overcast skies, bent down to touch his toes, and readied himself for his lastest assault on a world record.

At 5-feet-3 and 110-pounds, Musyoki, a 22-year-old native of Kenya, is a diminutive man with decided goals.

Sunday, like the Sunday before, Musyoki’s aim was to run a world best, this time to better Alberto Salazar’s eight-kilometer record of 22 minutes 7 seconds, which has stood for eight years.

He did not come close, missing the record by nearly 50 seconds. Although Musyoki won--gaining $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip for two to Paris--his time of 22:56 was also not fast enough to break the 22:46 course record set by Tracey Garrison.

“I was not tired, but when you run alone in front, you need some help,” said Musyoki, a resident of Walnut.

The help he received was merely temporary. At the gun, Musyoki quickly took the lead, with several runners funneling in behind his smooth, fluid stride. But after the first 200 yards, only one man, Francisco Pacheco of Mexico City, was in contact.

“At the start, I didn’t know Musyoki was here,” said Pacheco, speaking through an interpreter. “But when I saw him in line, I figured, ‘No big deal.’ I’ve run with better guys.”

Pacheco, 27, and a member of the Mexican national team, took the lead for a few strides, then, letting Musyoki take over, dropped a stride behind and let the Kenyan set the pace. Together, 50 yards ahead of the pack, they passed the first mile in 4:24--the pace for a 22:00 8K.

Pacheco, trying to keep as close to Musyoki as possible to have better protection from the light winds, almost clipped the leader’s heels at one point. Musyoki countered with a few quick zigzags and a surge, leaving Pacheco 10 yards behind.

Musyoki quickly extended his lead, though his time at two miles (8:57, eight seconds ahead of Pacheco) was about five seconds slower than world-record pace. From there, Musyoki tried to maintain, but after passing the four-mile mark in 18:25--about 25 seconds slower than he had hoped--he knew he would be far short of a world record.

“The fourth mile (time), when I saw it I just said, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t get the record,’ I said just go for the win.”

Pacheco made a chase of it, however. After trailing by nearly 13 seconds, he closed in to within striking distance. But in the last mile, Musyoki, who never looked back, slightly picked up his pace and sprinted to the finish.

Pacheco earned $800 for second (23:07), and Tim Gruber of San Jose received $400 for third (23:28).

Musyoki, who has run a race each of the last five weekends, said he is considering cutting back his race schedule.

“I race (a lot) because everybody wants me to race; I don’t want to disappoint them,” he said. “But nowadays, I know I’ve been racing too much. My body tells me this. I think I need to test a new (training) formula. The one I’m using now is not working very good.”

Asked if he still felt he could break a world record, he said, “Why not? If anyone else can break it, why not me?”

In the women’s division, 34-year-old Michele Hopper Buchicchio of Glendora outlasted Leslie Lewis, also 34, in winning in 26:50. She also earned $1,000 and a trip for two to Paris.

In winning her first race since having a baby 17 months ago, Buchicchio cruised the first mile in 5:08 with Lewis and UC Irvine All-American Beth McGrann at her side. As McGrann dropped back, Lewis and Buchicchio ran together until the 3 1/2-mile point, where Buchicchio surged, leaving Lewis behind.

Lewis (27:10) finished second for $800, though McGrann almost caught her but had to settle for third (27:11) and $400.

Race Notes:

More than $12,000 was raised Saturday night in hopes of giving William Musyoki--or any other capable runner--more incentive to break the world record. Had a world record been set, the record setter would have split the $12,000 with a designated charity. Said Musyoki: “Yes, when I heard that, I said, ‘Ooooooh.” Honorary race chairman and former pole vaulter Bob Seagren announced that the goal for next year is to raise $100,000 for a world-record bonus/charity donation to attract more world-class runners. . . . A total of 4,120 registered runners, including about 165 U.S. Marines running in formation, finished the 8K. . . . Ray Stewart of Downey won the wheelchair division in 18:50, and John Morgan, a blind runner who races with a guide, finished in 32:51.