Experience triumphed over youth Saturday evening at the 10th annual Debbie Green 5K Run/Walk for Leukemia ( http://www.debbiegreen5k.com).

As the runners made their final turn onto Water Street alongside Wheeling"s Heritage Port, a group of three emerged as the leaders&David Langat, Dagne Alemu and Joseph Ngitich.

At 33, Langat was the senior member of the trio. But as the group made its way down the homestretch, the Kenyan taught his younger packmates a thing or two about how to finish.

Langat broke the tape in 14:02, establishing a new race record by 1 second and walking away with the top prize in his first visit to the Friendly City and capturing the Road Runners Club of America 5K National Championship title in the process.

""It was a good course,"" he said. ""I enjoyed it.""

Langat, who trains in Chapel Hill, N.C., thought luck might have played a part in his victory. But there was nothing about how he turned on the burners in the closing seconds to squeak by second-place Alemu, a former Olympian who crossed the finish line two ticks behind the winner, to suggest luck. Ngitich took third in 14:08.

The winner of the women"s race was Ethiopia"s Meskerem Legesse who was a 2004 Athens Olympian, representing her country in the 1,500 meters.

She admits her running style is best suited for the mile and her best event, the 800 meters. Longer distances haven"t really been her specialty, but you couldn"t have noticed from her performance Saturday along the streets of downtown Wheeling.

Legesse held off a hard-charging Maryna Dubrova to capture the women"s.

""I didn"t get a good look at my time when I finished, but I think it was pretty good,"" a composed Legesse said following the 10th running of the ""Race for a Reason.""

That"s being a bit modest.

For someone who"s only recently taken up running longer distances, Legesse nearly eclipsed the 16-minute barrier, finishing in 16:04, three seconds ahead of Dubrova, a 28-year- old native of the Ukraine. And in the process, Legesse shattered the previous women"s 5K mark.

Legesse and Dubrova were neck-and-neck throughout the race, and it was only during the final stages that the current Bronx, N.Y., resident was able to pull away.

""(Dubrova) was tough,"" Legesse admitted. ""I think with maybe 300 meters or so to go, I started to pull away a bit, but she stayed right there with me.""

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Congratulations to the following RRCA National 5K Champions

OPEN MALE
David Langat age 33 from Kenya residing in Chapel Hill, NC with a time of 14:02

OPEN FEMALE
Meskerem Legesse age 20 from Ethiopia residing in Bronx, NY with a time of 16:04

MASTERS MALE
Tony Yurko age 44 from Cumberland, MD with a time of 17:42

MASTERS FEMALE
Robin Winchester age 42 from Washington, WV with a time of 22:52

GRAND MASTERS MALE
Kevin Rabineau age 50 from Coldwater, MI with a time of 18:22

GRAND MASTERS FEMALE
Diane Basich age 50 from Adena, OH with a time of 22:31

Complete results listed under Results on: www.runohio.com