RIYADH — Juan Aragones snatched a late victory in the Riyadh Road Runners' latest event, a 5 mile race held at Ishbiliyah compound Friday morning, and in doing so made amends for missing a turn and losing 1st place on the same course last month. Aragones set off quicky but trailed Abdulmajeed Almuayquil and Stephan Wullschleger throughout the majority of the short race, catching the leading pair by surprise when he made his decisive move with 1.5km to go. He burst into the lead on the penultimate long straight and managed to narrowly hold off Almuayquil for his first ever RRR victory, at only the third attempt. At the finish line the margin of Aragones' victory was a mere 4 seconds, and with Wullschleger finishing only 12 seconds off the winner, it bodes well for some more tightly contested races during the remainder of the season. Meanwhile in the ladies' race, Laura Blazek took the lead going into the first corner and never looked like relinquishing it. Claudine Roghi showed her usual consistency and took second place, with Maria Araujo showing her prowess in the shorter races by sealing third place ahead of Marie-Pierre Arminjon, who didn't make the podium on this occasion. The Riyadh Road Runners thanked Carrefour Tala Mall for its ongoing sponsorship and provision of fruit and water. The club now returns to the south of Riyadh for its next race, a 10 mile race in support of the 10KSA organization. Results Men's race: 1. Juan Aragones (ESP) 31:34, 2. Abdulmajeed Almuayquil (KSA) 31:38, 3. Stephan Wullschleger (SUI) 31:46. Ladies' race: 1. Laura Blazek (USA) 34:41, 2. Claudine Roghi (NZ/FRA) 36:34, 3. Maria Araujo (ITA) 37:24.
