Forde outsprints Trinidadian, wins SA 10k race

Oct 25, 2010 Sports

By Edison Jefford
Cleveland Forde’s bottom-end speed was his trump card yesterday when he and Trinidad and Tobago’s, Denzel Ramirez faced-off for the IAAF South American (SA) 10km Road Race Classic title after entering the Police Sports Club Ground neck-and-neck.
Forde, who has never comfortably won the South American 10km race, was forced to dig deep at Sports Club after Ramirez jumped a pack that included him, Trinidad’s, Curtis Cox and Brazilian Eliesio DaSilva on Thomas Road as they moved toward the finish.

All the prize winners of the 2010 IAAF South American 10km Road Race Classic pose for a photo opportunity with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony yesterday at the Police Sports Club Ground after receiving their prizes.

The lanky Ramirez entered the Sports Club for the final lap of the race, holding on to about a one metre lead over Forde, who aligned himself with Ramirez with approximately 200m left then had a sudden burst of speed that stunned the Trinidadian.
“I didn’t have any speed. Cleveland real fast boy… from the 200m mark I thought I could catch him but he real fast. I didn’t had anything left to catch him. He has that 1500m speed that works for him,” Ramirez said in the familiar Trinidadian accent.
Forde sprinted through the tape in 32:44.00 with Ramirez trailing about 30m behind in 32:52.00 as Cox settled for third with 33:14.00. Brazil’s, DaSilva, who was second in 2009 finished fourth in 33:36.00 with Dennis Horatio fifth in 34:09.00.
Alika Morgan was the only Guyanese among the top five finishers in the women’s race, which Brazil’s, Antonia DaSilva won in 38:11.00. Morgan’s time was 41:10.00. Trinidad and Tobago’s Shermin Lasaldo and Celine Lestrade were third and fourth with 41:47.00 and 42:06.00 while the seasoned, Suriname’s, Llsida Toemere was fifth in 42:23.00.
The eventual lead pack that included Forde, Ramirez, Cox and DaSilva broke away after the seven km mark when Linden’s Nathanie Giddings, who finished seventh overall, but won the 16-20 male category, gave the men a real run for their worth.
Before then, Giddings, Forde, Ramirez, Cox, DaSilva, Horatio, Cleveland Thomas and Lionel D’Andrade had taken the early initiative in the race. D’Andrade and Thomas, who were eight and ninth overall in the race, was dropped at the halfway mark.
The barefooted Giddings sparked his ambitions when he went ahead between the five and seven km marks, but that was short-lived as he was soon reeled in when Cox took over the pace on Kitty Public Road, heading back toward the Police Sports Club Ground, where the race started.
However, Ramirez seized the moment to go for the kill on Thomas Road, but Forde followed him. The two of them left Cox and DaSilva as the pace toward the finish intensified. It was the speed of Forde that gave him the edge over endurance at the end.
“I didn’t want to use my kick (sudden burst of speed) too early. Many times along the course I thought about stepping it up a bit, my plan was to come out and run a fast time but after it started raining, I decided to run a more tactical race,” Forde said after his win.
The victory at the 2010 South American 10km Road Race Classic gave Forde an impressive record at the event. Forde had won the first stage in Guyana; the second stage in Suriname and placed second at the third stage in Panama last year.
“I got to be satisfied with this performance. I didn’t expect that time,” he said. When asked about the challenge from Ramirez, he added, “(Richard) Jones told me about him, but I didn’t expect him to be so tough. I had to really run a smart race.”
Giddings’ time was 34:32.00 in the 16-20 Boys’ category while Grivon Grant (36:45) and Quin George (36:45) was second and third respectively. Chavez Sital placed fourth in 37:30 while Andrew Semple rounded off the top five in the category with 37:58.00.
Onecia Bacchus won the 16-20 Girls’ race in 44:13.00 while Nicola Bobb was second in 47:20.00 and Janella Jonas third in 48:02. Carlissa Atkinson was fourth 50:52.00.
Llewellyn Gardner won the male masters’ race in 40:52 while Maurice Julian, Kwame Bright, Rudolph Taylor and Maurice Fagundes was second, third, fourth and fifth in 42:01, 42:36, 43:31 and 47:43 respectively as Alicia Fortune and Valerie Saul took the female masters’ categories.