Olympic-bound Luminita Talpos was runner-up to New Zealand’s Kim Smith at yesterday’s Steamboat Classic 4 Mile. Fellow Asics runner and two-time (2003 and 2005) Steamboat champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita was fourth. Talpos finished in a blistering time of 20:16, sixteen seconds off Smith, while Tomescu-Dita finished in a time of 20:39. Glenn Latimer assembled his usual strong mix of American and foreign runners, and expectations were that if the weather cooperated Smith might use her recent 30:35.54 speed to go after the event record. Talpos kept within 20m or so of Smith through the first half of the race along Monroe Street, but along the return home via Madison Street, Smith’s track speed enabled her to steadily break the race open.

The two Romanian women were both happy with their times, as they are beginning their higher mileage preparation for Beijing. As part of this prep, they shared the pace at this morning’s 12-mile Boredom run through Peoria’s neighborhoods. At Steamboat’s traditional Sunday morning brunch at Sully’s bar, race director Philip Lockwood dug deep into race reserves and awarded both women the $21 cash stipend that goes to the fastest finishers of each year’s Boredom Run, rather than the traditional 50-50 split of cash in the event of a tie.

Photo of Luminita Talpos (l) and Constantina Tomescu-Dita (r) after Steamboat awards ceremony.