10-mile winner had few worries

Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Gold medalist Abdi Abdirahman competes in the men's 10,000 meter final during day six of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials at Hayward Field on July 4, 2008 in Eugene, Oregon.

Second-place finisher and near spoiler Joshua Moen of St. Louis Park called the race a "boxing match."

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: October 4, 2009 - 11:56 PM

Before beating his own course record in winning Sunday's Twin Cities 10-mile, this year's national championship, Abdi Abdirahman, a huge sports fan, watched a full slate of college football Saturday. Three top 25 teams were upset.

"I watch all the football yesterday," Abdirahman, a 32-year-old who was born in Somalia and now lives in Tucson, Ariz. "I even know the scores in my head. It was some tough games out there yesterday. ... The BCS will be all messed up this year."

Like Saturday's spoilers, Joshua Moen, a 27-year-old from St. Louis Park who races for Team USA Minnesota, nearly shocked Abdirahman, winner of the 2007 10-mile national title. Moen pushed Abdirahman for the bulk of Sunday's race, which began near the Metrodome and ended near the State Capitol. He finished in a course-record time of 46 minutes, 35 seconds. Moen crossed the finish line in 46:38. Both men plan to compete in the New York City Marathon.

Moen called the duel "a boxing match." He led at the 7-mile mark, but Abdirahman, who left Somalia in 1991 during a civil war, sensed his opponent's strength waning late in the race. With a little more than a mile to go, the three-time Olympian looked over at Moen, gritted his teeth and pushed past him.

"It's like we were throwing punches in the form of like a surge, where you'd run hard and you test to see the waters, where they're at, and he'd do the same thing," Moen said.

But Abdirahman said he had few worries as the race developed.

"I knew I had the race about like six, seven miles to go because he wasn't feeling comfortable," said Abdirahman, who won $10,000. "It was a great race. I wouldn't say it was easy. But I've had some tougher races than this."

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