SPOKANE, Wash. — The 50th running of Bloomsday is in the books, and while thousands completed the course and earned their T-shirt, only a select few can say they were the winners of their elite division.
In the men’s elite race, a first-time Bloomsday runner won for the second consecutive year as Patrick Kiprop crossed the finish line with time to spare, beating Mike Kamau, who finished second, by a full 35 seconds for a final time of 34:08.
In the women’s elite race — what some considered to be the best field of runners in Bloomsday history — Veronica Loleo won the title with an official time of 38:02. Adane Anmaw Mengesha made it interesting toward the end, but Loleo turned on the jets down the stretch to win it by 12 seconds…