Running News Daily

U.S. Olympians highlight field in 2024 Faxon Law New Haven Labor Day Road Race

Three U.S. Olympians highlight a competitive field set to run on Labor Day in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race, the host of the USA Men's and Women's 20K Championship.

There's one Olympian competing in the women's field: Rachel Smith represented America at the Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000 meters and became this year's 15K National Champion.

Jess McClain finished fourth at this year's Olympic Trials Marathon.Virginia's Keira D'Amato leads the women's field. She set the course record when she won the race in 2022.

The 2021 race champion, Erika Kemp, will also be competing.

Moving over to the men's field, there are two runners with Olympic appearances. Woody Kincaid represented the U.S. in the last two Olympics. He ran the 10,000 meters in Paris and the 5,000 meters in Tokyo. This marks Kincaid's first 20K.

Hillary Bor is the other Olympian. He represented America in the 2016 Steeplechase. Another challenger will be Sam Chelanga, who has finished in the top three in five appearances in New Haven's 20K. Also competing is West Hartford's Ben Lanza, who is one of Connecticut's top distance runners.

The female and male 20K winners will receive the Ryan Shay Memorial Award. Shay passed away while participating in the 2007 Olympic Trials Marathon in New York City. The award is in recognition of Shay’s hard work and dedication to the sport, as well as longtime support of the New Haven Road Race.

"We're very excited about having many of the country's top runners compete in New Haven," said John Tolbert, Elite Athlete Coordinator in a release. "We have very deep Men’s and Women’s race fields. With a cool day, the men’s and women’s 20K American records could be in jeopardy.”

Labor Day is Sept. 2. The race will begin on the New Haven Green. The Kids Fun Run starts at 8:10 a.m. The 20K, Half Marathon and 5K all start at 8:30 a.m.

(08/27/2024) Views: 126 ⚡AMP
by Christine Butterfield

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: 310 ⚡AMP
by Nick Dugan

Two B.A.A. Athletes Qualify For U.S. Olympic Team Trials

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that B.A.A. High Performance Team members Annie Rodenfels and Bethany Hasz have earned spots on the starting line for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field, to be held later this month in Eugene, Oregon from June 21-30.

Rodenfels will compete in the women’s 3000m steeplechase (preliminary round June 24/final on June 27), while Hasz will toe the line in the women’s 5000m (preliminary round on June 21/final on June 24).

The Trials will be held at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with top three finishers in each event slated to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games (so long as athletes have met the Olympic standard or earned enough qualifying points).

Rodenfels’ personal best in the steeplechase is 9:25.48, set last year. She won the steeplechase at the Drake Relays this year (9:31.03), was fourth at the Boston 5K in April, and clocked 15:03.97 indoors for 5000m in December 2023. Last fall she won the USATF 5K National Championship on the roads in New York City.

Hasz is coming off a 5000m lifetime best of 15:05.80 set May 17 in winning the Drake Relays 5000m. This year she’s also recorded personal bests in the road 5K (15:30), road 10K (32:03), and mile indoors (4:39.24). She earned a bronze medal at the 2023 USATF 5K National Championships, finishing third just behind Rodenfels and Olympian Rachel Smith.

The B.A.A.’s High Performance team supports runners on their way towards making international teams, with the goal of competing at the highest level: the Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships, and Abbott World Marathon Majors. The B.A.A. is sponsored by adidas, which provides comprehensive support for the organization’s High Performance team, running club, and mass-participatory events.

B.A.A HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM ROSTER:

Eric Hamer

Bethany Hasz

Megan Hasz

Josh Kalapos

Barry Keane

Matt McDonald

Annie Rodenfels

Abbey Wheeler

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.) 

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The 129th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21, 2025. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

(06/14/2024) Views: 307 ⚡AMP
by B.A.A.

Hillary Bor Smashes His American Record at Cherry Blossom 10-Miler

Ugantda's Sarah Chelangat (51:14) broke the women's course record as American Emily Durgin (51:26) ran fast to finish second.

Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Hillary Bor enjoyed a triumphant return to the nation’s capital, winning his second consecutive USATF 10-mile championship title this morning at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Miler and lowering his own national record by a healthy 15 seconds in the process.  Bor, 34, who was coming off of a strong half-marathon debut in New York City three weeks ago, finished third overall behind Kenyans Wesley Kiptoo (45:54) and Raymond Magut (45:55), clocking 45:56.  Another American, Nathan Martin, also ran under Bor’s previous record of 46:11, stopping the clock at 46:00.

“Last year when I ran this race I ran 46:11 and it shows the fitness,” Bor told Race Results Weekly while wrapped in an American flag.  “I went to Rabat for my steeplechase.  I broke my foot and still ran 8:11.  Last summer I was really, really struggling with the injury; I was just rehabbing from June to September.”

But today Bor –who represents Hoka, and like last year wore bib 13– felt healthy mile after mile.  In cool and sunny conditions he was in the lead pack of seven at 5-K (14:14), and was the race leader at 10-K (28:36) where eight men remained in contention for the overall title including Kiptoo, Magut, Kenya’s Shadrack Kimining, and Americans Teshome Mekonen and Biya Simbassa.  The leaders were averaging 4:38 per mile, but Bor felt the pace slow a little bit past the 10-K mark.

“Between 10-K and 15-K, we slowed down,” Bor continued.  “We kind of wait and look at each other.”

With less than a mile to go, four men still had a chance for the win: Bor, Kiptoo, Magut and Martin.  The race wouldn’t sort itself out until the final 800 meters where the course goes uphill, turns left, then goes back downhill for the finish line adjacent to the Washington Monument.  Bor thought he could take the overall win, but Kiptoo had other ideas.

“The last 800 I was just kind of waiting,” said Kiptoo, who runs for Hoka Northern Arizona Elite.  “I was like, everybody is making a move and I was like just good to wait until that last 600, and that’s where I knew I was going to win.”

Kiptoo streaked to the finish line to take the overall title, but only had a second on Magut and two seconds on Bor in the end.  On the financial front Bor was the big winner, earning $10,000 for the USATF title and another $2,000 for finishing third overall.  Kiptoo earned $6,000 for the overall win plus a $1,000 bonus for running sub-46:00. Magut won $3,750 for finishing second overall and running sub-46:00 (time bonuses were only available for the first and second place finishers).

“The fitness is there,” said Bor, who will move back to the track where he hopes to make his third consecutive Olympic team in the steeplechase.  “Ten miles has been good to me.”

Today’s race was bittersweet for Martin.  The 34-year-old, who finished seventh at the Olympic Trials Marathon in February, ran an excellent race, breaking the national record, but still ended up second in the national championships.

“I was going for the win,” Martin told Race Results Weekly.  “A mile to go I tried to take off and gap people and it didn’t work out.  But, it was an awesome time.”

In the separate early-start elite women’s race, Uganda’s Sarah Chelangat repeated as overall champion in a new course record of 51:14.  The 22-year-old led from gun to tape, and her time was a whopping 50 seconds faster than last year.  She earned a total of $7,000: $6,000 for the win and $1,000 for breaking 52 minutes.  She said that she had come to win.

“I’m happy,” said Chelangat, who represents Nike.  “It is hard when you are running alone, but I’m happy because I won the race.”

Behind her, American Emily Durgin was running the race of her life.  Durgin, 29, who represents adidas, moved from a chase pack of three at 10-K (31:45), where she ran with Ethiopians Kasanesh Ayenew and Tegest Ymer, to running alone by the final mile.  She was too far behind Chelangat at 15-K to try for the overall win, but she kept pushing because she wasn’t sure if Rachel Smith (Hoka), the recently crowned USA 15-K champion, was catching up.

“The last mile I was more like, I hope Rachel doesn’t come from behind again,” Durgin said, referring to the USA 15-K Championships on March 2 where Durgin finished third.  “At that point I was still trying to maintain a good time, and coming into this race I was like, I really want to win a national title, but I also wanted to run a fast time.”

Indeed she did.  Durgin’s time of 51:26 was only three seconds slower than Keira D’Amato’s USATF record for an all-women’s race set in 2020 at a special event here in Washington during the pandemic.

“If I ended up second here today and still ran fast I was going to be happy with it,” Durgin continued.  “Thankfully, I think I gapped Rachel enough so she wasn’t able to out-kick me this time.”

(04/08/2024) Views: 425 ⚡AMP
by David Monti

Gebreselama and Fisher win as records fall in San Juan Capistrano

Tsigie Gebreselama set a US all-comers' record to win the women’s 10,000m, while Grant Fisher topped a deep men’s race to triumph at The TEN, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Saturday (16).

Hitting the Olympic standards for Paris – 27:00.00 for men and 30:40.00 for women – was the aim for many athletes in San Juan Capistrano. A total of eight athletes managed it in the men’s race and four achieved it in the women’s.

Leading the way in that women’s race was Ethiopia’s world cross country silver medallist Gebreselama, who improved her PB to 29:48.34 to move to ninth on the world all-time list.

The 23-year-old won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in a PB of 1:05:14 three weeks ago and returned to the track to dip under 30 minutes for 10,000m for the first time, also becoming the first woman to break that time barrier on US soil.

Gebreselama, the fourth-place finisher in the World Road Running Championships half marathon in October, had been the only athlete to go with USA’s Alicia Monson from the start but when Monson struggled to maintain the pace, Gebreselama took over at the front and Monson later dropped out.

Chasing the Olympic standard in a group further back, USA’s Weini Kelati led the way and clocked a PB of 30:33.82 to finish second. She was followed by Lauren Ryan, who ran 30:35.66 to improve Benita Willis’s 20-year-old Australian record, and Britain’s Megan Keith, who ran 30:36.84 on her 10,000m debut.

Rachel Smith finished fifth in 31:04.02 and Karissa Schweizer sixth in 31:04.80.

In the men’s race, North American record-holder Fisher led one of the deepest 10,000m races in history as he sprinted into the lead in the closing stages to win in 26:52.04. 

His 21-year-old US compatriot Nico Young followed him over the finish line in a US collegiate record of 26:52.72 and the next six were also under the Olympic entry standard.

Andreas Almgren ran a Swedish record of 26:52.87 to finish third, while Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed was fourth in 26:53.01, Eritrea’s Habtom Samuel was fifth in a PB of 26:53.84, Adriaan Wildschutt was sixth in a South African record of 26:55.54, USA’s Woody Kincaid was seventh in a PB of 26:57.57 and Kenya’s Edwin Kurgat was eighth in a PB of 26:57.66.

(03/17/2024) Views: 366 ⚡AMP

Olympians and national champions to headline stacked professional athlete field at 2023 USATF 5K Championships

Weini Kelati, Courtney Frerichs, Keira D’Amato, Woody Kincaid, and Zach Panning to race for world’s largest 5K prize purse; Nearly 10,000 runners to follow in footsteps of pros by racing Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K.

Five Olympians, one Paralympian, and four athletes who competed at this year’s World Athletics Championships will race in the 2023 USA Track & Field (USATF) 5K Championships at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K on Saturday, November 4. The event will take place in Midtown Manhattan the day prior to the TCS New York City Marathon and will be broadcast live on USATF.TV. Abbott will return as the title partner of the event which features a $79,500 prize purse – the largest of any 5K race in the world.

In the women’s race, two-time NCAA champion Weini Kelati will return in search of her third consecutive title in the event. Each of the last two years she has smashed the event record, taking the tape in 15:18 in 2021 and 15:15 in 2022. She will be challenged for the top spot on the podium this year by three-time national champion Keira D’Amato, 2023 U.S. cross-country champion Ednah Kurgat, and U.S. Olympians Abbey Cooper, Courtney Frerichs, Colleen Quigley, and Rachel Smith.

“Doing the Abbott Dash 5K is becoming a little bit of a early season tradition for me,” Kelati said. “Although my fall season looked a little bit different this year because of the opportunity I had to represent Team USA at the World Road Running Championships in Latvia, I’m really happy I get to come back to New York to try for my third straight 5K national title.”

Woody Kincaid, the U.S. 10,000-meter champion and American record-holder in the indoor 5,000 meters, will lead the men’s field. Lining up against him will be Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz, the top American finisher at the World Athletics Championships marathon this year Zach Panning, 2023 B.A.A. 5K champion Morgan Beadlescomb, and last year’s fourth through sixth-place finishers in New York, Ahmed Muhumed, Alec Basten, and Brian Barraza.

“I still see my career being mostly on the track for the next few years, but I like the idea of throwing in some more road races when it makes sense,” Kincaid said. “As I look towards the Paris Games, the Abbott Dash will be a nice jump-start to my 2024 training, and it will be cool to be in the middle of the big city marathon hoopla without having to go the full 26.2.”

Following in the footsteps of the professional athletes, nearly 10,000 runners will participate in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, including top local athletes and many runners in the marathon on November 5.

Abbott, the title sponsor of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, is the sponsor of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K for the seventh time. Abbott, a global healthcare leader, helps people live more fully with life-changing technology and celebrate what’s possible with good health.

The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K annually provides TCS New York City Marathon supporters, friends, and families the opportunity to join in on the thrill of marathon race week. The course begins on Manhattan’s east side by the United Nations, then takes runners along 42nd Street past historic Grand Central Terminal and up the world-famous Avenue of the Americas past Radio City Music Hall. It then passes through the rolling hills of Central Park before finishing at the iconic TCS New York City Marathon finish line.

The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5K Championships will be broadcast live via USATF.TV. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. ET with the first race starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

 

(10/27/2023) Views: 493 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

World Record Holders, Olympians, National Champions set to Race B.A.A. 5K

The B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile will make a triumphant return to Patriots’ Day weekend, with professional fields featuring world record holders, Olympians, Paralympians, national champions, and local standouts. Held on Saturday, April 16, the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile will kick-off festivities leading up to the 126th Boston Marathon on April 18.

“The B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile are two events entrenched in the fabric of Boston Marathon weekend, and each features a field which will lead to fast competition,” said Tom Grilk, President and Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “With three years having passed since our last in-person edition of these races, we’re eager to return to the roads to crown champions.”

In the B.A.A. 5K, Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi will make her Boston road racing debut. A two-time Olympian and two-time World Athletics Championships silver medalist, Teferi holds the women’s-only 5K world record of 14:29. She’ll be up against recently crowned American marathon record holder Keira D’Amato, 2021 U.S. Olympians Emily Sisson and Rachel Schneider, reigning U.S. 5K national champion Weini Kelati, and B.A.A. High Performance Team member Erika Kemp. The B.A.A. 5K course and American record of 14:50 –set by Molly Huddle in 2015—could very well be in jeopardy.

On the men’s side, 2019 B.A.A. 10K champion David Bett and 17-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek, both of Kenya, will square off against New Zealand 5,000m indoor national record holder Geordie Beamish and 2021 U.S. Olympians Mason Ferlic and Joe Klecker. Stanley Kebenei, a World Athletics Championships finalist in the 3000m steeplechase, will also be part of the strong American charge. The B.A.A. 5K course and American record is 13:20, established by Ben True in 2017.

Boston Marathon wheelchair division champions Marcel Hug, Daniel Romanchuk, and Joshua Cassidy will all compete in the B.A.A. 5K less than 48 hours in advance of racing the 126th Boston Marathon. Vanessa de Souza, Shelly Oxley-Woods, and Jenna Fesemyer are top women’s wheelchair entrants.

Following the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will take center stage on Boylston Street. U.S. Olympian, Bostonian, and reigning indoor 1,500m national champion Heather MacLean will race for the first time on the three-lap course that finishes at the Boston Marathon finish line. Among her competitors are B.A.A. High Performance Team member Annie Rodenfels, 2019 runner-up Emily Lipari, and Great Britain Olympian Katie Snowden. MacLean and Rodenfels won’t be the only Massachusetts residents toeing the line, as Belmont High School standout Ellie Shea will race among the professionals. Shea ran 9:08.54 for 3,000m during the indoor season, a time that stands as No. 5 on the all-time high school list and is a Massachusetts state record.

Shane Streich, fresh off an indoor American record at 1,000m, will lead the American men in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile along with 3:54 miler Colby Alexander. Neil Gourley of Great Britain is entered, as are Canadian William Paulson, the 2019 Pan-Am 1500m bronze medalist, B.A.A. racing team member Kevin Kelly of Ireland, and local standout James Randon of Rhode Island.

A complete professional field list for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile can be found below. Preceding the professional divisions of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will be a scholastic mile and middle school 1K featuring student-athletes from the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon route. Entries for the high school and middle school events will be available on race weekend.

 

2022 B.A.A. 5K WOMEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 5K PB, TRACK 5000M PB)

Carmela Cardama-Baez, Spain, N/A, 15:25.41 (NR)

Kim Conley, USA, 15:29, 15:05.20

Keira D’Amato, USA, 15:08, 16:09.86

Emily Durgin, USA, 16:05, 15:24.19

Annie Frisbie, USA, 16:35, 16:05.78

Sammy George, USA, 15:53, 15:19.66

Tori Gerlach, USA, 15:56, 15:44.13

Marielle Hall, USA, 15:08, 15:02.27

Elly Henes, USA, N/A, 15:03.27i

Emma Grace Hurley, USA, 16:13, 15:57.23

Katie Izzo, USA, 16:00, 15:41.33

Weini Kelati, USA, 15:18, 14:58.24

Erika Kemp, USA, 15:45, 15:10.10

Melissa Lodge, USA, N/A, 15:53.81i

Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 15:48, 15:13.04i

Betty Sigei, Kenya, N/A, 15:37.80

Emily Sisson, USA, 15:38, 14:53.84

Rachel Smith (Schneider), USA, N/A, 14:52.04

Emma Spencer, USA, 16:41, 16:04.95

Susanna Sullivan, USA, 16:35, 15:42.59i

Senbere Teferi, Ethiopia, 14:29 (WR), 14:15.29

Abbey Wheeler, USA, N/A, 15:40.67i

 

2022 B.A.A. 5K MEN’S FIELD (NAME, COUNTRY, ROAD 5K PB, TRACK 5000M PB)

Eric Avila, USA, 13:55, 13:18.68

Geordie Beamish, New Zealand, N/A, 13:12.53i (NR)

David Bett, Kenya, 13:54, 13:06.06

Ben Blankenship, USA, 13:56, 13:33.07

Robert Brandt, USA, N/A, 13:19.11

Sam Chelanga, USA, 13:43, 13:09.67

Edward Cheserek, Kenya, 13:29, 13:04.44

Adam Clarke, Great Britain, 13:42, 13:39.21

Graham Crawford, USA, 13:54, 13:22.68i

Aaron Dinzeo, USA, 14:25, 13:58.37

Brandon Doughty, USA, N/A, 13:39.06

Mason Ferlic, USA, 13:52, 13:24.94

Sydney Gidabuday, USA, 13:53, 13:22.66

Eric Hamer, USA, 14:43, 13:29.60

Brian Harvey, USA, 14:01, 14:13.93

Stanley Kebenei, USA, 13:53, 13:45.87

Joe Klecker, USA, N/A, 13:06.67

Kasey Knevelbaard, USA, 13:56, 13:24.98i

Lawi Lalang, USA, 13:30, 13:00.95

Matt McClintock, USA, 13:49, 13:47.68

Tim McGowan, USA, 14:11, 13:54.20

Reuben Mosip, Kenya, 13:34, 13:50.80a

Charles Philbert-Thiboutot, Canada, 14:04, 13:22.44

Brian Shrader, USA, 13:57, 13:29.13

Zouhair Talbi, Morocco, N/A, 13:18.17i

Aaron Templeton, USA, 13:48, 13:39.39

Josef Tessema, USA, 14:05, 13:22.28.

(03/30/2022) Views: 1,605 ⚡AMP
by Running USA

A College Runner Spends the Night Hiding in a Tree to Escape a Charging Bear

When a mama bear started chasing after her, she did everything she could to survive.

On August 18, Rachel Smith, 19, headed out for seven miles on the Big Otter Trail in the HaDaRonDah Wilderness Area, a trail she’s run dozens of times in her hometown of Old Forge, New York, tucked away in the Adirondacks.

Usually a morning runner, Smith, who’s on the cross-country team at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, left her house at 7 p.m. because work had kept her busy earlier in the day. She told her mom she’d be back in 90 minutes, tops.

Because of the fog, Smith opted to run on a snow-mobile trail instead of the main road, where cars would have a hard time seeing her. There’s no cell service where Smith runs so she never brings a phone.

Smith didn’t come home that night.

Just before the 3.5-mile turnaround, Smith saw two black bear cubs. An avid outdoors person—she attended Adirondack Woodcraft Camps for 12 summers—Smith knew the mama bear would be nearby, and she had to avoid getting in between her and her babies.

“I thought, alright, this is fine, I’ll turn around early. That’s okay,” Smith told Runner’s World. “I turned around and mama is already charging toward me.”

Black bears, Smith said, are supposed to be scared of people, and in the past, they’ve run from her. But it’s a different story when cubs are involved, so Smith started screaming and made herself big. (The National Parks Service recommends talking to bears in a calmed tone and making yourself appear larger than you are, but other organizations recommend yelling at the bear.)

“She was not having it,” Smith said. “I couldn’t run forward because the cubs were there. And I couldn’t go backward, so I went left into the woods.”

Smith ran, screaming the whole time, forcing her way through heavy underbrush, bogs, marshes, and creeks. Every time she turned back or slowed down she could hear the bear thrashing behind her. Smith kept turning left, using her arms to swim through branches and leaves.

“It was getting dark and [the bear] sees better than I do in the dark, and all I’m thinking is, I gotta keep moving,” Smith said.

Eventually Smith came to a tree shaped like a V, surrounded by smaller trees. She used those smaller trees to make her way up the larger V tree.

“I can’t just climb up any tree because bears can climb,” Smith said. “But by using those smaller trees, I crushed them and was thinking the bear can’t get to me because she’s too big.”

She threw her sports bra, socks, and shoes down at the bear to scare her off, leaving Smith with just her running jacket and shorts, wet and cold from the rain.

Smith doesn’t know how long the bear circled the tree, trying to climb up. All she could see was the animal’s eyes looking up at her. Smith’s Garmin watch—and her only light source—died at 9:47 p.m., leaving her in total darkness.

The temperature dropped into the 40s, and Smith did everything she could to stay warm. She couldn’t sit because of the shape of the tree so she alternated between standing on one leg and squatting, hugging the trunk tightly for hours until

“I couldn’t cry, because I needed the water. I peed myself again because I was scared shitless—thank goodness because [the pee] was so warm, and thank God I had something good to eat before I left,” Smith said. “I started thinking about the normal stuff you think about when you think you might die. What did I say to my mom and my sister? I told them where I was going and when I’d be back. I knew they were looking for me. But there was no civilization for God knows how many miles.”

At some point—Smith had no concept of time after her watch ran out of battery—there was a light in the distance, making a whirring sound. It was a helicopter. But it was too far away to see Smith.

When the sun came up, Smith looked around from her perch and didn’t see any sign of the bear. Smith jumped some 15 feet down from the tree and looked for her New Balance 1080 shoes and, unsuccessfully, her socks and sports bra. She took off running, heading east.

She heard sirens in the distance and knew she was heading in the right direction. And then Smith came upon a blue trail marker.

“I was like, “Oh my God, it’s a trail. It’s a horse trail,’” she said.

She took off her shoes—her feet were covered in blisters from running without socks—made a sports bra out of her rain jacket, and sprinted down the trail.

“I felt like I was sprinting, but I probably wasn’t moving that fast,” Smith said, laughing.

She hit the main trail from where she started the night before and then passed over Route 28, the main road.

“I knew I was going to make it home,” she said.

About a mile from her house, Smith saw her friend’s car—the entire town had been out looking for her—and her friend drove her home, where her family, fire trucks, and ambulances were waiting.

Smith went to the hospital, where she was admitted overnight for observation because bloodwork revealed she had toxins in her system. Because Smith’s muscles had been contracted for hours while hugging the tree trunk, the breakdown of the muscles released toxins into her bloodstream.

Later, as runners are wont to do, Smith calculated her distance and estimates she was chased for roughly five miles, and covered 12 to 15 miles to get home.

“I’m not at all surprised by Rachel’s tactics,” Molly Peters, coach for the cross-country and Nordic ski teams at St. Michael’s College, told Runner’s World. “Rachel is one tough cookie. She is a strong, intelligent, and quick-thinking person. That mama bear didn’t stand a chance.”

The rising junior will head back to school this week where she’ll continue to study pre-pharmacy and biology, with a minor in chemistry. And while local news outlets reported Smith was found safe, she is suffering from physical injuries, nightmares, and plausible post traumatic stress disorder.

“I wake up screaming. I can’t be alone,” Smith said. “All I want to do is go on a run to shake everything off, but [until I heal] I can’t.”

What happens if you encounter a bear on the run? Here are a few quick tips from Kate Kuykendall, an expert and spokesperson for the National Parks Service:

Move slowly—preferably sideways to give the bear space—and do not go between a mother and her cubs.

Make it clear that you are not prey.

If you have children, pick them up so they don’t appear small, and don’t turn your back.

If the bear is not in attack mode, speak in a low, calm voice to the animal and make yourself appear large by opening your jacket or holding a pack over your head.

If attacked by a black bear, try to scare it off by making noise and appearing as large as possible.

If attacked by a brown (grizzly) bear, play dead until (hopefully) the bear loses interest and wanders off.

(09/06/2020) Views: 1,371 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World