RIYADH — A mere two weeks after landing in Riyadh for the first time, Ben Psaila and his wife Anne Marie Watson have already made quite an impact on the sporting scene in the capital. After strong performances at the Riyadh Wheelers' race last weekend, they arrived at the Riyadh Road Runners' 10-mile event Friday morning with high hopes of a positive outcome. The race was held at Ranco Farm, a beautiful location to the south of Riyadh, where the hills always provide a stern test, although the date trees offer some respite from the sun. Psaila started fast, but Abdul Mohsin Al Hashim stayed with him for the first 5-mile loop, raising the prospect of a close finish. Gerd Muetze trailed the two leaders by a few seconds, keeping them in his sights throughout the first 5 miles. At the 6-mile mark, Psaila began to pull clear, leaving Al Hashim behind as the Saudi national struggled to maintain the 6:30/mile pace he achieved on the first loop. From there onwards it was smooth sailing for the victor Psaila, who finished in a highly impressive time of 1:05:36, which is the fastest time anybody has run over 10 miles this season. Muetze caught Al Hashim towards the end, finishing strongly in his last race with the club before his return to Germany. Al Hashim clung on to third place, beating the time he set in November by over a minute. Anne Marie Watson, wife of the male winner, won the female race with consummate ease. Her time of 1:10:46 placed her fourth overall, and she beat the second placed female Claudine Roghi by over 8 minutes. Kerstin Kick finished third, narrowly losing out to her husband in the home straight. Also worthy of note is Malek Chatila's emergence as a front-runner in the men's field. His time of 1:14:56 was a full 10 minutes quicker than his first effort in October, and he is showing signs that he may break into the top five before long. Male race: 1. Ben Psaila (Mal) 1:05:36, 2. Gerd Muetze (Ger) 1:08:00, 3. Abdul Mohsin Al Hashim (KSA) 1:08:51. Female race: 1. Anne Marie Watson (GB&NI) 1:10:46, 2. Claudine Roghi (NZ) 1:19:11, 3. Kerstin Kick (Ger) 1:24:14.
