Gabrielson, Brown Splash to Get in Gear Wins

Racing along rain-soaked streets and fighting blustery spring weather, Team USA Minnesota's Matt Gabrielson and Emily Brown earned titles at Saturdays' Get in Gear 10K.

Gabrielson, the defending men's champ from St. Louis Park, clocked 30:01, while Brown, Minnetonka, finished in 33:28.

Runner-up in the men’s race was Festus Kigen, of Kenya, who crossed the line in 30:22. In third place with a repeat from 2011 was Chris Erichsen, of Minneapolis, who finished in 30:31. In the women’s race, second place went to Doreen Kitaka, of Kenya, in 34:02 and third went to 2011 winner Michelle Frey, of Minneapolis, who posted 34:04.

Temperatures were in the low 40s with a light rain and windy conditions during the race. In addition to the signature 10K race, which had 3654 finishers, the event included a 5K, and a half marathon. All the races began and ended at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, including a 2K run held earlier in the morning.

Until Gabrielson (pictured below) won in 2011, East African male runners had won the Get in Gear 10K every year from 1994 through 2010 -- with the lone exception of 1996 when Chaska native Curt Kotsonas topped the field. Although Gabrielson’s started the race with Kenyans on either side of him, he began to pull away shortly after mile 3 and then continued to increase his lead.

“I was alone from 5K on which is a little nerve-wracking yet I just tried to stay as relaxed as possible,”  Gabrielson said in a Get in Gear media release. “I did not feel fast, but I felt strong almost like I could run 4:48-4:50 per mile all day. I wanted this race to be the springboard towards running really well at the USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth in June. I am right on schedule and needed this little shot of motivation to start doing some solid work over the next month or so."

The Get in Gear 10K served as the USA Track & Field - Minnesota State 10K Championship and is also part of the USATF-Minnesota Team Circuit. The 10K prize purse included $1,000, $500 and $250 for first, second and third places in both the male and female races.

Brown's victory in the women's race came two years after a runner-up finish at Get in Gear in 34:00.

“I felt pretty comfortable throughout the whole race,” she said. “I had gone in with a plan to try for 5:30 pace at least for the first mile. Although I was faster than that through the first two miles, it felt fine and I believed I could keep pushing that same pace all the way through. All in all the race went by pretty fast and I didn’t feel too strained until the last 800 meters where it is inevitable to start feeling a little sluggish.

“I had a good idea where the turn to the finish was and after checking my watch I knew I could hold my lead and get in under 34 minutes so I was already pretty pleased with my race at that point. A new road PR was a nice added bonus for a solid effort of running today. It’s always nice to do a local race because I get to maintain all the comforts of home while eliminating the nuisances of traveling. And on top of that, I love the support of the Minnesota running community and all the familiar faces that I’ve gotten to know over the years.”

Next up for Brown (pictured above) will be the Bloomsday 12K in Spokane on May 6 with Gabrielson aiming for the Newport 10,000 road race in New Jersey on May 12.

Find complete Get in Gear results HERE.

Photos by Gene Niemi.