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Muhumed, Smith win USATF 8K road titles at Crazy 8s 8K Race

The Crazy 8s 8K Race has been a staple in Northeast Tennessee for decades. Saturday night, however, marked the first time it would serve as the USA Track & Field 8K road race championship for both men and women.

The competition did not disappoint in the humidity of the Model City.

Warren, Bayless inducted into Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

The elite start went off just after 9 p.m. ET, with the finish remaining just as tight as the starting line. Ahmed Muhumed crossed the finish line first, arms outstretched, in a time of 22:26 to claim the men’s 8K road race championship.

The former Boise State and Florida State star missed out on the 2024 Summer Games, but earned a confidence-boosting win in Tennessee.

“I haven’t won any national titles – I came second in the 5K in New York,” he said. “The time – when I saw it I said ‘no way I just did that.’ It’s something that I can only dream of in terms of it being up there. But I didn’t really – I talk about splits on my watch, but I did not care about what pace I was running. It was all about competing and staying with the front guys.”

Isai Rodriguez finished just one second behind (22:27) in second place, while Hillary Bor claimed bronze with a time of 22:34.

In the women’s competition, former U.S. Olympian and World Championships participant, Rachel Smith, earned herself an 8K road race title with a time of 25:40.

“Any time you can win a national championship title, it’s so special,” she said. “I definitely don’t take any of these for granted, especially as I’m getting older. It’s always an honor to win a national championship title.”

Emma Grace Hurley took the silver on the women’s side with a time of 25:58, as Natosha Rogers turned in a 26:11 for third place.

Muhumed and Smith claimed a $5,000 prize and the title for their efforts, but said running in the Model City is a memory they’ll take with them, as well.

“This is one of the best environments I’ve been in, in terms of racing,” Muhumed said. “Just grateful for the City of Kingsport and the Tri-Cities and everybody who is out here supporting.”

“The hospitality and the event was so, so awesome,” Smith said. “I really enjoyed being here and I hope to come back again.”

(07/22/2024) Views: 631 ⚡AMP
by Nick Dugan

Simpson, Frisbie, Rodriguez, Estrada Commit to Run Crazy 8s 8K Hoping for USATF National Championshisp

With the announcement that the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network Crazy 8s 8K Run will host both the USATF Men’s & Women’s 8K Road Championship Presented by Gatorade on July 20th, competition is heating up for both championships.

Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Simpson and Annie Frisbie will be two of the headliners in the women’s field with Isai Rodriguez and Diego Estrada the early favorites on the men’s side.“We’re off to a good start,” said co-director Hank Brown.

“We are receiving tremendous interest from some of the best runners from around the country. We’re expecting 40-50 elite runners in the USATF championship which will be very exciting.”

Simpson is arguably one of the more recognizable women’s middle/long distance runners in the United States. She won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, and followed with silver medals at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships Simpson is a former American record holder for the 3000 meter steeplechase and has represented the United States at three Olympics – 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio.

Frisbie is on a personal tear recently, running personal bests in 2024 for the 10K (31:49), 15K (49:28), 25K (1:22:37), and half marathon (1:07:34, 1st place). She is running her best and is in excellent shape.In 2023, the men’s race came down to a sprint finish in J. Fred Johnson Stadium with Clayton Young outlasting Andrew Colley and Isai Rodriguez. Young will be going to Paris to run the marathon and Colley is nursing a sore foot, so Rodriguez will be the top returning finisher (Colley is still tentative).

Rodriguez has a 10,000 meter personal-best under 28 minutes and was the Pan Am Games 10k champion in 2023.Estrada is a veteran runner making a successful comeback in 2024. He represented his native Mexico in the 10,000 meters in the 2012 London Olympics, but became a US citizen in 2014 at which time became eligible to represent the USA in international competition.

He has an impressive 10k time of 27:30 set in 2015, and 5K of 13:31 at the Carlsbad 5K in 2014. He is now 34 and quite possibly running his best times in 2024.

He placed fifth at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, running a very fast 1:00:49, which is a personal best at that distance and tnen followed that a thrid-. place finish at the USATF 15K Championship in Jacksonville. In May he set an American best of 1:13:09 at the USATF 25K Championship, winning the Amway 25K River Run in Grand Rapids, MI.

“We are thrilled to have these guys and gals at Crazy 8s,” said Brown. “When we decided to host the USATF 8K Championship this is exactly the caliber of runners we were hoping to attract to Kingsport.”

The Regional Eye Center is offering a $10,008 American Record bonus for men who can break Alberto Salazar’s record of 22:04 (1981) or women who can break Deena Kastor’s record of 24:36 (2005).

In addition to the bonus, the race is offering prize money to the top 10 in the USATF Men’s and Women’s Championships.Sponsors are Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network, Gatorade, The Regional Eye Center, Eastman Credit Union, Kingsport Pediatric Dentistry, Food City, Martin Dentistry, Mycroft Signs, Culligan, Associated Orthopaedics of Kingsport, and JA Street.

(07/04/2024) Views: 434 ⚡AMP
by TriCitiesSports.com

Utah’s Clayton Young won the Crazy 8s 8K title on Saturday night

Utah’s Clayton Young bided his time until the last moment and made a strong move to win Saturday’s 33rd Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8-kilometer run on the candle-lit streets of the Model City.

With 200 meters to go, Young — the 2019 NCAA 10,000-meter champion from BYU — broke away from a group of six runners as he made his way into J. Fred Johnson Stadium to claim his second USATF title in 22:46 and the $5,000 that went along with the win.

There were nearly 3,200 finishers in Saturday’s races, including the Almost Crazy 3K, which was up almost 300 from last year.

“I was talking with my teammate Conner Mantz, who was runner-up last year and he said when he made his move, he felt like it wasn’t strong enough,” Young said. “He told me that I should be making that move before I turn up the hill. When I made my move, I was thinking about him and how he coached me through those final stages.”

Alberto Salazar’s American record of 22:04 lived another day. The start of the race was delayed by 45 minutes because of a strong thunderstorm that swept through the area.

“I had a lot of confidence going into this race,” Young said. “I’ve trained with Conner a lot and he’s had a great season, so that was a pretty good indicator. I just rode his coattails and went out there to see what I could do today.”

ZAP Endurance runner Andrew Colley was runner-up, finishing in 22:48. Oklahoma State graduate Isai Rodriguez took out the pace early and finished third in 22:49.

Young — who won the 2021 USATF 15K title in Jacksonville, Florida — trains with Mantz and now he’s got one up on his former BYU teammate.

“It’s finally nice to win another U.S. championship,” Young said. “You’ve got to celebrate all the victories, no matter how big or small they are. They keep you going and keep you motivated.

“To feel that strength over the last 800 meters was really validating and hopefully it’ll propel me through these next couple of races and into a fall marathon.”

Kingsport native Emma Russum — a member of Dobyns-Bennett’s 2019 state cross country state title team who now runs for Chattanooga — won the women’s division in 31:02.

It’s a dream come true of sorts for Russum, who’s regularly run the race since she was 6 years old.

“It feels really good to win and it’s even better because I got second last year,” Russum said. “I ran 20 seconds slower than last year, but it was super fun and I definitely was trying to keep a more relaxed effort at the beginning.

“People were yelling at me in the last bit that a girl was coming, so I had to kick it in. I love this race and I’ve been running it since I was big enough to run in (Little 8s).”

Russum made a little bit of area history as well, becoming the third local female runner to win the Crazy 8s title. She joined Johnson City’s Jenna Hutchins and Bristol, Virginia’s Stephanie Place.

“It’s really cool to be a part of such a short history of local winners,” Russum said.

(07/17/2023) Views: 1,127 ⚡AMP
by Tanner Cook

Raymond Magut and Judy Cherotich win the Crazy 8s on a new revamped course

A new course for the 30th running of the Crazy 8s 8K in Kingsport, Tenn didn’t bring a new world record to the Model City on Saturday, but it did bring some glowing reviews from runners, both elite and casual.

Raymond Magut broke away from a lead pack of four late in the race to win the $5,000 first-place prize sponsored by Associated Orthopedics of Kingsport. His finishing time was 22:52, which was the slowest winning time since 2006, when Julius Kiptoo won in 22:59.

“I liked the course. I felt good about my race,” Magut said. “I will try to come back in the future.”

Judy Cherotich took home the women’s title in 27:57, which was the fastest winning female time since 2014.

“This was a fun race. I really liked it,” she said.

The first American male was Martin Hehir (Philadelphia) in 23:27, which was a personal best. His sixth-place finish broke a two-year streak by ZAP Endurance athletes in the top five, but it kept a three-year streak of Americans finishing in the top eight.

Hehir was able to outsprint his Reebok and former Syracuse teammate Colin Bennie in the final stretches to gain top American honors by 3 seconds.

“It’s always a battle between Colin and I to see who will get to the finish line first. This was the first time in a long time that I had raced this late, and I really liked how the streets were lined with candles,” Hehir said. “The atmosphere for this race was so much fun.”

Joseph Panga finished in second place (23:00) while Wilson Kibogo (third in 23:06), Simion Chirchir (fourth in 23:11) and James Ngandu (23:23) rounded out the top five for the men’s field.

Nicole DiMercurio (Lenoir, N.C.) was the second female in 29:09, and Kerri Toney (third in 30:21) rounded out the top three females.

Crazy 8s torchbearer Michael Smelser finished in 38:22 alongside his brother Mark.

The final registration numbers for the 8K was above 2,400, which is up from last year.

 

(07/14/2019) Views: 2,470 ⚡AMP

Teacher Michael Smelser will carry the torch for the Crazy 8's run on July 13th

A Johnson City teacher and coach who suffered serious burns in an accident will now carry the torch for the Crazy 8's run on July 13th.

Michael Smelser spent eight weeks in the hospital in Augusta, Georgia, after a bonfire accident. Now, Smelser has recovered and will bear the torch for the race.

Officials say Smelser is an avid runner and has participated in most of the Fun Fest races. The Liberty Bell P.E. Teacher ran in every Crazy 8's race so far.

(07/04/2019) Views: 2,518 ⚡AMP
by Brandon Bailey

Gabriel Geay is the hottest road racer in the US right now will be racing Crazy 8s Saturday

Crazy 8s race organizers announced Tuesday that Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay and Kenyans Isaac Mukundi, Cleophas Ngetich and Linus Kiplagat have committed to race Saturday in downtown Kingsport. Geay is on a hot streak, recently winning the BAA 10K over a stacked field that included defending Crazy 8s champ Teshome Mekonen and previous 8K world record-holder Stephen Sambu. Geay followed that with an impressive win at the Boilermaker 15K this past Sunday, once again outracing Mekonen to the tape. “Geay is arguably the hottest road racer in the U.S. right now, and we are very excited he has decided to come to Kingsport,” said Crazy 8s co-director Hank Brown. “He might just be the first runner from Tanzania to win Crazy 8s. That would be pretty cool.” He’ll have plenty of competition in Mukundi, Ngetich and Kiplagat. Mukundi, who finished second in the 2016 Crazy 8s, has won such major races as the Bay to Breakers 12K (twice), Bolder Boulder 10K and Wharf to Wharf 6 Mile. His 10K personal record is a sizzling 27:45. Ngetich is a past winner of Crazy 8s, clocking 22:28 to win in 2015, and has 13 victories over his road-race career. Kiplagat owns victories this year at the Cleveland Marathon 10K, Cotton Row 10K, in which he broke the course record, Orange Classic 10K and the Monumental Mile. The starting line will once again be stocked with superstars from around the globe, all going for The Regional Eye Center $10,008 World Record Bonus — which goes to the first runner to break the existing 8K world-best time, currently 21:45. The winner will claim the Teleperfomance $5,000 Dash For The Gold. “It should be another fast race,” Brown said. “Even though the record is tougher this year, we’re still going after guys who think they can break it. All we can do is shoot the gun and see what happens.” (07/11/2018) Views: 2,148 ⚡AMP

Ethiopia's Teshome Mekonen set to defend title at 2018 Crazy 8s 8K

The 28th annual Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8K road race is slated to begin on the evening of July 14th as part of the Kingsport Fun Fest. The race is continually one of the fastest in not only the Southeast, but the entire world, boasting some of the leading times for 8K all-time. The race will also feature the top three finishers in last year’s race making a return trip to the Model City to chase the world record and the $10,008 world record bonus. A high bar was set earlier this year at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in New York, where a certified 8K split of 21 minutes, 45 seconds set the world standard. Last year’s champion Teshome Mekonen has run well this year with a third-place finish at the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon. He will be on the starting line along with Silas Kipruto, Wilson Kibogo and Simion Chirchir. (07/02/2018) Views: 1,900 ⚡AMP