From the moment the starting horn sounded at today’s UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, Kenya’s Leonard Patrick Komon made it clear that he was the man to beat. The 2011 Healthy Kidney 10K winner and course-record holder sprinted to the front of the pack and blazed through the first mile in 4:18; he followed that with another 4:18 for the second mile.

Through the hilly middle miles, Komon fought to keep ahead of record pace. He ran 4:33 for the third mile, and his five-kilometer split of 13:40 put him well in position to break his own Central Park record.

As Komon chased the record and the $30,000 Zayed Bonus that would accompany it, he built an ever-increasing lead over Moses Kipsiro of Uganda. Several seconds back of Kipsiro, a pack of three men—Kenyans Edwin Soi and Stephen Sambu, along with Abera Kuma of Ethiopia—battled for third place.

Over the second half of the race, the fast early pace and the course’s rolling hills took their toll on Komon, but he never relented, leading from gun to tape to win in a time of 27:58. Although he missed the course-record bonus, he did win $25,000 for first place, the largest winner’s purse for any non-marathon race in the United States.

Behind the leader, Sambu surged and closed the gap to Kipsiro. The two ran shoulder-to-shoulder through the last mile, and Kipsiro prevailed in a fierce sprint duel down the final stretch on the 72nd Street Transverse. Both men were timed in 28:02, with eight-hundredths of a second between them.

Komon became the second male repeat winner in the event’s nine-year history, after Australian Olympian Craig Mottram, who won in 2005 and 2006. Afterward, Komon remarked, “Throughout the race, I was feeling so good, but at eight kilometers I started to feel tired.” He added, “I am happy to start the year with a good race, and next year I’ll be prepared.” If Komon was “unprepared” this year, a third victory looks very possible.