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Articles tagged #Stephanie Bruce
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Ryan Hill, the 2016 World Indoor silver medalist at 3,000 meters who has qualified for three US World Championship teams at 5,000 meters, has signed with HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite on a multi-year deal. Hill, who turns 31 on January 31, spent the last seven years of his professional career under Jerry Schumacher as part of the Bowerman Track Club, which he joined after graduating from North Carolina State University in 2013.
The signing represents a significant change for Hill, who will now be based in Flagstaff and its 7,000 feet of elevation year-round as he chases his first Olympic team. Hill was 5th at the 2012 Trials and 6th in 2016, both in the 5,000 meters, and will remain focused on that event for the foreseeable future.
It’s also a big move for NAZ Elite, which continues to grow after signing a four-year extension with HOKA through 2024. Hill’s personal bests of 7:30 for 3,000 and 13:05 for 5,000 are significantly faster than NAZ Elite’s team records of 7:47 and 13:27.
“I’m very confident in the way we train and what that has produced for people at 5,000 meters,” says NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario. “We just haven’t had a 5,000-meter specialist. Our athletes have gotten a lot better at 5,000 meters, and I think that will translate to someone like Ryan. It’s just, he’s starting off at a different point. And I think his ceiling in that event is different than Stephanie Bruce or somebody…I’m really excited about his ability to close. I love people who can close, like any coach. So my job becomes, hey, let’s just make sure we can get him strong enough to be there at 250m to go, because he’s shown time and time again that if he’s there, he’s very dangerous.”
NAZ Elite has built its reputation as a marathon-focused squad, but Rosario would also like the group to be competitive in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters on the track. That was already the case on the women’s side — Kellyn Taylor and Bruce finished third and fourth at USAs in the 10,000 in 2019. Now, with the additions of Hill and Tyler Day (13:16/28:04 pbs), he believes the men can make some noise in what is shaping up as a pivotal two years for American track & field.
“I view this like a general manager,” Rosario says. “There are different time periods where different things are really important, right? And in this country, an Olympic year is always very important on the track. But then I think next year, track is arguably just as important because the World Championships are in Eugene. So we wanted to have a presence on the track at 5,000 and 10,000 on both sides, men and women. And now I think we do.”
Hill and Nike parted amicably. Six days ago, the Bowerman Track Club posted a lengthy Instagram post announcing with “great sadness” that Hill, whom they called “irreplaceable,” would be leaving. Hill also went to Instagram to say it would be “incredibly hard to leave my lifelong friends, coaches, and some of the best teammates in the world. I’m ultimately very excited and motivated for my next opportunity.”
(01/06/2021) Views: 51 ⚡AMPWhen COVID-19 postponed or canceled all of the year’s major marathons in the U.S., two running industry insiders—Ben Rosario, the coach of NAZ Elite in Flagstaff, and Josh Cox, an agent to many marathoners, including several on the NAZ team—brainstormed a way for some of the country’s fastest athletes to race.
The result is The Marathon Project, an elite-only 26.2 that takes place at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, December 20, on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Chandler, Arizona.
The course is on a flat, two-mile stretch of road with roundabouts at each end. Runners go up one side of the road and back down the other for a 4.2-mile loop that they’ll do parts of six times. The course is built for fast times, not for variety.
The race will be broadcast live on USATF.tv, and a 90-minute replay of the race will be available on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday evening. The broadcast will include veteran commentator Paul Swangard as well as Des Linden and Bernard Lagat, two experienced marathoners who should bring some insightful analysis.
Who is racing?
The race brings together 53 men and 44 women, plus 14 male pacers. Several were top-10 finishers at the Olympic Marathon Trials in February, the last chance these runners had a chance to race a major marathon on U.S. soil.
The top women include Sara Hall, who finished second in 2:22:01 at the London Marathon in October, and Keira D’Amato, who recently set a women’s-only 10-mile American record.
Stephanie Bruce, Emma Bates, Kellyn Taylor, and Julia Kohnen (who were sixth, seventh, eighth, and 10th, respectively at the Trials) also figure to be in the mix.
On the men’s side, Americans Scott Fauble and 2016 Olympian Jared Ward are among the top contenders. Four top-10 finishers from the Trials—Marty Hehir (sixth), CJ Albertson (seventh), Colin Bennie (ninth), and Matt McDonald (10th)—will also line up.
The men’s race also brings several international entrants. Amanuel Mesel Tikue of Eritrea boasts a PR of 2:08:17, although it dates back to 2013. Jose Antonio Uribe Marino of Mexico hopes to hit the Olympic standard of 2:11:30 to qualify for the Games, and Cam Levins of Canada also is looking for a strong performance to put him on the Canadian Olympic team.
Will Sara Hall set the American record?
Hall, 37, has been on a tear lately. After dropping out of the Trials at mile 22, she redeemed herself with a PR in a solo half marathon in Oregon and that runner-up finish in London, which she earned by way of a furious finishing kick in the race’s final meters.
The American record for the marathon, Deena Kastor’s 2:19:36, has stood since 2006. Hall has asked for a pacer to take her through the halfway point in 69:40, faster than Kastor’s record.
But in a prerace press conference, Hall was reluctant to call it a record attempt. “I want to go into this race with the mindset of trying to run as fast as possible,” she said on the Zoom call. “I can be all or nothing, and I don’t want to be in a scenario where I’m running really well and if I’m just off the American record pace, it feels like I’m failing. I think that would still be a big success, a big PR. That’s my main focus, just running as fast as I can.”
Hall added that she has done a lot of training faster than record pace. “I think [the record is] definitely possible based on my training,” she said.
In addition to Hall’s requested pace for a 2:19:20 marathon, the women’s race will have three other pace groups: 2:23, 2:26, and 2:29:30, which is the Olympic qualifying standard. The men will have two pace groups: 2:09 and 2:11:30.
What’s in it for the runners?
Rosario announced a modest prize purse: $5,000 for each winner, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third.
Otherwise, athletes are racing for sponsor bonuses—shoe companies often pay their athletes extra money for breaking certain times, although the terms of these deals aren’t publicly known.
Then, of course, there’s the joy of racing, when events have been hard to come by for the past 10 months.
“Every opportunity we have to be on a starting line is a gift in 2020,” Bruce said.
What safety measures are in place?
The race is following safety guidelines set out by USA Track and Field, World Athletics, and the state of Arizona. Participants must take two COVID-19 tests, separated by 24 hours, within the seven days before the race—which, of course, must both be negative. Most participants are staying in a race hotel near the course, creating a bubble environment of sorts.
But runners are traveling from all over to get to the race. Hehir, who is finishing up his final year of medical school, is traveling to the race from Philadelphia, where he has spent the past two weeks working in an ICU filled with COVID-19 patients.
“It’s just as scary as it’s hyped up to be,” Hehir said of Covid. “Yes, not everyone ends up in the ICU, but when you end up there, you are incredibly sick. It’s definitely a bleak place to be.”
He said he gave some “extra thought” into committing to the race, but he praised the precautions the race had put in place. “These opportunities are far and few between,” he said, “and as long as we feel like it’s being done in a safe way, a lot of us are going to jump on it.”
(12/17/2020) Views: 73 ⚡AMPAliphine Tuliamuk, who won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb. 29, is due with her first child, a daughter, in January and plans to race at the Tokyo Games on Aug. 7.
Having a full pregnancy between qualifying for and competing in an Olympics is, of course, rare. The one-year Olympic postponement from July 2020 to July 2021, announced four weeks after the marathon trials, made it possible for Tuliamuk.
“My family plans were to race the Olympics [in 2020], and then run the New York City Marathon in November of this year and then, after that, start a family,” she said.Aliphine Tuliamuk, who won the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb. 29, is due with her first child, a daughter, in January and plans to race at the Tokyo Games on Aug. 7.
Having a full pregnancy between qualifying for and competing in an Olympics is, of course, rare. The one-year Olympic postponement from July 2020 to July 2021, announced four weeks after the marathon trials, made it possible for Tuliamuk.
“My family plans were to race the Olympics [in 2020], and then run the New York City Marathon in November of this year and then, after that, start a family,” she said.
Tuliamuk will make a rare turnaround for a top-level marathoner. Many others returned from pregnancy to race 26.2 miles, but most after a longer break.
Notably in recent years, American Kara Goucher had son Colt in September 2010, then finished fifth in the Boston Marathon nearly seven months later. (Goucher also raced a half marathon less than four months after childbirth.)
Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe had daughter Isla in January 2007, then won the New York City Marathon that November.
In diving, Pat McCormick had son Tim in March 1956, then, eight months later, repeated as Olympic champion on the springboard and platform.
“One thing that I’ve been craving in this period is to hear stories of women who were having families and still planning to get back into competitive sports,” Tuliamuk said, “and I’m so excited that I’m going to be one of those women that other women will look up to because we need role models.”
“When I’m running, I don’t even feel like I’m pregnant,” Tuliamuk said two weeks ago. “It’s mostly just running for the love of it.”
Rosario hasn’t written a workout for Tuliamuk in months.
“Wake up every day, try to get a run in,” he said. “If your body tells you not to, then don’t.”
Rosario leans on experience from coaching another NAZ Elite pro, Stephanie Bruce, who twice returned from childbirth to marathoning. Bruce was sixth at trials and is racing another 26.2-miler, The Marathon Project, on Dec. 20, before turning focus to the Olympic track trials 10,000m.
Bruce stressed that every pregnancy and return to elite running is different, but she is confident her teamate can run well in Tokyo.
“It’s not like in the past where women were told, well, you can just race until you’re done racing, and then you can start a family,” said Tuliamuk, who recently re-signed with apparel sponor Hoka One One for the next four years. “You can do both of them.”
(12/07/2020) Views: 131 ⚡AMPFifty-six years after having organized the Olympic Games, the Japanese capital will be hosting a Summer edition for the second time, originally scheduled from July 24 to August 9, 2020, the games were postponed due to coronavirus outbreak, the postponed Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021, according to the International Olympic Committee decision....
more...The organizers of the KT Tape St. George Showdown have announced the fields and the safety protocols for what will be a small track meet in St. George Utah on Saturday, July 11. The meet, directed by Artie Gulden–the head cross country coach at Utah State University and Ben Rosario–the head coach of HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite, will take place at an undisclosed location without fans and with a strict set of guidelines related to COVID-19 testing.
The meet will be streamed live on RunnerSpace.com beginning at 9:30am EST/ 6:30am Pacific with the Men’s 5,000 meters presented by Polar to be followed by the Women’s 5,000 meters presented by Polar at 9:50am EST/ 6:50am Pacific. Both races feature regional fields with athletes coming from just four states: Ariz., Calif., Colo., and Utah. The men’s field is headlined by 2:09 marathoners Scott Fauble and Jared Ward, as well as young professionals Matt Baxter, Dillon Maggard, Rory Linkletter and Clayton Young. Pan Am Games Silver Medalist Reid Buchanan, 3:55 miler Eric Avila and BYU star Conner Mantz are also entered. The women’s race includes 2016 South African Olympian Dom Scott-Efurd up against the fifth, sixth and eighth place finishers at February’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon: Laura Thweatt, Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor. Top American 5,000 meter runners Sarah Pagano and Lauren Paquette should also factor into the proceedings.
All athletes, agents, coaches and support personnel were required to take a COVID-19 test within eight days of the event. All athletes will be required to take a rapid test on-site on Friday afternoon in St. George. Per Utah State guidelines, less than 50 people total will be allowed inside the stadium. Everyone who enters will be given a temperature check on Saturday morning. All non-competitors will be required to wear a mask and remain socially distanced throughout the event.
Rosario said that safety was the number one priority.
“We recognize the gravity of COVID-19 and the devastation it has caused across the globe,” Rosario said. “Our hope is not to push our sport forward, but merely to keep it afloat during these difficult times, and we believe small, controlled events like this one can be one way to do that.”
Gulden echoed the sentiment.
“We are really excited to give these athletes an opportunity to compete again and hope the fans will enjoy it,” Gulden said. “We’ve worked hard to create a safe environment for competition and are so grateful to people like Josh Cox and Jen Rosario, and companies like KT Tape and Polar, who have stepped up and been so instrumental to this event happening.”
KT Tape and Polar joined the event as sponsors this week. Because of their support, the athletes will be vying for a $5,500 total prize purse. The winner of each race will receive $1,000 in prize money.
(07/11/2020) Views: 159 ⚡AMPBorn in Kenya, Aliphine Tuliamuk grew up in the small village of Posoy where running was a part of life. She was given her first pair of racing shoes by a female pioneer in marathon running Tegla Laroupe.
Aliphine placed 9th at the 2005 World Junior Cross Country Championships. She’d actually take a break from running after that success but eventually got the attention of American colleges. She first came to Iowa State, and then transferred to Wichita State where she was an NCAA star, finishing NCAA runner-up at 10,000m twice, and nabbing a fourth place finish at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships, one spot behind Jordan Hasay. Aliphine was the first woman from her village and her family of 32 kids to graduate from college with a major in Public Health and turned pro in 2013.
After getting her US citizenship in 2016, Tuliamuk went on a tear winning US titles. All-in-all she has won 9 US National titles from the 5k to 25k on the roads, and has won US cross country. She joined HOKA NAZ Elite in 2018, and won US titles at the half marathon and 25k and set a PB of 2:26:50 in the marathon while a member of the club.
The one big goal remaining for Aliphine is to make the US Olympic Marathon team, and she shares that goal with her fellow HOKA NAZ Elite pros, Stephanie Bruce (2:27 PB) and Kellyn Taylor (2:24 PB).
I started running as a little kid growing up in rural Kenya, running was a way of lie. I fell in love with running in 4th grade and made it to what’s equivalent to the state meet. As an adult now, running is not only my job but a way to escape the world, it gives me so much joy and fulfillment. It’s my way of letting out stresses if everyday life. I have been dreaming of making the Olympics since 2010. She said.
My training had gone well so far, we have had a few workouts on some rolling terrains, most of the pressure I feel is from within, I want to make the team, fulfill my dreams, make my country proud and continue to be a positive role model to kids especially girls from my village.
(02/24/2020) Views: 413 ⚡AMPThe 2020 US Olympic Trials for both men and women took place in Atlanta, Ga on Sunday Feb 29. Runners had to qualify by running certain standards beforehand. The trials are hosted by the Atlanta Track club. The course runs through the heart of Atlanta and past monuments from the 1996 Olympic Games Most countries around the world use a...
more...HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite has announced that Lauren Paquette, an Olympic hopeful at 5,000 meters, has joined the team. Paquette, a graduate of Baylor University, has been one of the nation’s top 5,000 meters for the last several years.
She set her personal best at that distance, 15:14.45, in 2016 and nearly equaled the mark in 2019, running 15:14.64. She was fourth at the 2018 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships and will look to improve upon that performance at June’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field.
Paquette said she is beyond excited to join HOKA NAZ Elite.
“Joining this team is extra special for me because as an athlete who has trained solo for the majority of her professional career, I have come to respect and appreciate the power of the team and am so grateful and relieved to have teammates to share the road with,” Paquette said.
"My goals for 2020 are to better myself as an athlete physically and mentally, to learn more and ask more questions, and to make the most of this amazing opportunity I have been given. I would also love to return home from Eugene this June carrying an American flag.”
HOKA NAZ Elite head coach Ben Rosario said Paquette is the perfect fit at the perfect time.
“We are reaching the point where we always wanted to be, that being that nearly all of our athletes are true Olympic hopefuls,” Rosario said. “Having been fourth at the 2018 USATF Outdoor Championships, Lauren is certainly in that category and after hopefully putting athletes on the U.S.Team in the marathon, and ensuring our international athletes make their Teams, we can to go to the U.S. Track and Field Trials in June with Lauren and the rest of the crew fit and ready to go.”
HOKA Director of Global Sports Marketing, Mike McManus, shared his thoughts on the signing.
“We’re thrilled that Lauren has joined the already talented mix and believe she will be a further asset in the upcoming Olympic Year.”
The HOKA NAZ Elite roster currently includes six athletes who will compete at the upcoming United States Olympic Marathon Trials; Stephanie Bruce, Scott Fauble, Scott Smith, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Kellyn Taylor and Sid Vaughn. Nick Hauger and Danielle Shanahan, like Paquette, will focus on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. The team also features three international athletes hoping to represent their respective countries in Tokyo; Matt Baxter from New Zealand, Canadian Rory Linkletter and Great Britain’s Alice Wright.
(01/15/2020) Views: 941 ⚡AMPSara Hall, 36, ran a personal best 2 hours, 22 minutes, 16 seconds, sixth fastest in U.S. marathon history. Her previous PR was 2:26.20 at the 2018 Ottawa Marathon.
The women’s race was won by Ashete Bekere in 2:20:14, pulling away at the end from fellow-Ethiopian Mare Dibaba, 2:20:21, with Kenya’s Sally Chepyego taking third overall in 2:21:06.
Hall’s time takes four minutes from her previous best time of 2:26:20 and moves her up to sixth in the U.S. all-time rankings.
“I’m very happy. It’s the first time I’ve run a marathon with negative splits,” Hall told Runner’s World. “When I began to catch other women after halfway, I had fun and ran some 5:15 miles. It got tough near the end, with strong wind and running alone, but I finished strong. Ryan and I knew I was ready for an improvement, and it’s good to do it well.”
Hall is among several women with Arizona ties who are U.S. contenders for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Others include Amy Cragg, Emily Sisson, Kellyn Taylor, Desiree Linden, Allie Kieffer and Stephanie Bruce.
Hall also gave a lot of credit to her husband and coach, Ryan Hall, who is the American record holder in the half marathon. She said it was her best period of training ever, with not one day off for injury or illness since racing Boston in April.
“We knew from her training times that she was ready to move to a new level. It was a matter of getting it right in the race today,” Ryan Hall added.
(09/30/2019) Views: 880 ⚡AMPThe story of the BERLIN-MARATHON is a story of the development of road running. When the first BERLIN-MARATHON was started on 13th October 1974 on a minor road next to the stadium of the organisers‘ club SC Charlottenburg Berlin 286 athletes had entered. The first winners were runners from Berlin: Günter Hallas (2:44:53), who still runs the BERLIN-MARATHON today, and...
more...There haven't been three American women in the top five at the Chicago Marathon since 1994, and the 2019 field has a good shot at changing that, Jordan Hasay, Amy Cragg, Stephanie Bruce, Lindsay Flanagan and Emma Bates have a chance at rewriting Chicago Marathon history this fall.
On October 13, one of the strongest-ever American contingents will line up in Chicago for a race that hopes to see Deena Kastor’s American record fall.
Hasay announced in May that she would be returning to Chicago to target the American record and yesterday the remainder of the American elites were announced for the world major. This field includes the five women mentioned above who all own sub 2:30 personal bests.
Cragg, who was the 2016 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trial champion, is an interesting addition to the field. She’s run the fifth-fastest time in American history and ended a 34-year medal drought by taking home a World Championship bronze in 2017.
She’s barely raced since running her personal best at the 2018 Tokyo Marathon, but we’re excited to see what she can do come the fall.
There haven’t been three American women in the top five at the Chicago Marathon since 1994, and this particular field has a good shot at changing that.
(07/13/2019) Views: 793 ⚡AMPRunning the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the pinnacle of achievement for elite athletes and everyday runners alike. On race day, runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries will set out to accomplish a personal dream by reaching the finish line in Grant Park. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is known for its flat and...
more...“This year’s elite field highlights an exciting resurgence we are seeing in American distance running right now,” said Bank of America Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. “We have a deep pool of American runners who are coming to Chicago to run fast, and we cannot wait to welcome them in the fall. We could see new American records and a lot of personal bests in October.”
With a PR of 2:20:57, Jordan Hasay leads this year’s women’s field as the second-fastest American woman in history and the fastest to ever run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Hasay hopes to put Deena Kastor’s long-standing American record, 2:19:36, in jeopardy.
But Hasay’s primary competitor won’t be the clock alone – Amy Cragg, Emma Bates, Stephanie Bruce, Lindsay Flanagan and Taylor Ward represent a strong contingent of U.S. women all vying for podium finishes. The last time three American women finished in the top five in Chicago was 1994, and the last time U.S. women claimed the top two spots was 1992. Chicago’s history could be rewritten this fall.
Cragg, a member of Nike’s Bowerman Track Club since 2015 and the winner of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials, enters this year’s field as the fifth-fastest American woman in history with a personal best of 2:21:42. Cragg stunned the world at the 2017 IAAF World Championships Marathon when she ended a 34-year medal drought by taking home the bronze. While she hasn’t raced much in 2019, she won the one-time Road to Gold eight-mile road race in Atlanta in March.
Galen Rupp, a two-time Olympic medalist in the marathon (bronze) and 10,000m (silver) and the current holder of four American records, stands out in the men’s field as the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion and as one of the fastest runners in U.S. history with a PR of 2:06:07. While it will be difficult to match the foot speed of someone like Rupp, several American men have the potential to run significant personal bests and place inside of the top ten.
Brogan Austin, Chris Derrick, Scott Smith, Diego Estrada, Dathan Ritzenhein, Noah Droddy and Brendan Gregg are among some of the top Americans in this year’s field. Austin closed out 2018 with a career-boosting win, a national title and a huge personal best, 2:12:38, at the California International Marathon. Prior to that breakthrough performance, he broke the course record at the Indiana Monumental Half Marathon, clocking 1:02:39. He built on his 2018 momentum by winning the Road to Gold eight-mile road race in March.
The Chicago Marathon will be Austin’s third go at the marathon. Derrick, a native of Naperville, Illinois and the 2013-2015 U.S. Cross Country champion, made his highly anticipated marathon debut in Chicago in 2017, running 2:12:50 to finish ninth. He followed up his debut performance with a ninth-place finish in 2:13:08 at the 2018 New York City Marathon.
Derrick, one of the elite pacers for Nike’s Breaking2 project in 2017, is one of the most versatile runners in the field with PRs of 13:08 in the 5,000m, 27:31 in the 10,000m, and 1:01:12 in the half marathon.
Smith, a 4:01-miler, experienced a huge breakthrough in the marathon in 2017 when he posted a 2:12:21 in Frankfurt, and then he hung on to finish sixth overall at the 2018 Boston Marathon (the now infamous year where runners endured whipping winds and freezing rain). He trains with Northern Arizona Elite, and he has represented the U.S. internally in both the half marathon and marathon at the IAAF World Championships. Smith’s strongest performance came in May when he finished second at the USATF 25K national championships.
Estrada has been a favorite among Chicagoans, ever since his 2016 breakout performance in Chicago and his second-place finish at the 2017 Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle. After slipping on a bottle at the 10K mark during his Chicago debut and badly twisting his ankle, Estrada rallied to finish eighth overall (first American) in his still-standing personal best, 2:13:56. He finished 16th in 2017 and he did not race a marathon in 2018. Estrada hasn’t raced much on the roads in 2019, but his half marathon speed (1:00:51) and 2:13 PR indicate that he has the talent to be a top marathon runner heading into 2020.
Ritzenhein (“Ritz”), a three-time Olympian and the fifth-fastest American in history, enters Chicago with one of the most impressive resumes. He has broken 13 minutes in the 5,000m, run 27:22 in the 10,000m, collected four national titles, and earned a bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Championships Half Marathon. He set his marathon PR seven years ago in Chicago, 2:07:47. At 36 and now racing with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, Ritzenhein is a veteran, but his 1:01:24 half marathon earlier this year still makes him a top contender.
Droddy and Gregg both bring massive potential to this year’s field. Droddy, always a crowd favorite, ran his personal best, 2:16:26, in Chicago in 2017, but his half marathon best, 1:01:48, suggests that there is room to demolish his PR this fall. Gregg made his debut in Chicago in 2014 in 2:18:30, and he experienced his best performance in 2018 at the California International Marathon, running 2:13:27.
This year’s field also includes 25K American record-holder, Parker Stinson, and exciting debuts from Reed Fischer and Justin Gallegos. In 2018, Gallegos became the first professional athlete with cerebral palsy to sign a contract with Nike.
(07/12/2019) Views: 936 ⚡AMPRunning the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the pinnacle of achievement for elite athletes and everyday runners alike. On race day, runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries will set out to accomplish a personal dream by reaching the finish line in Grant Park. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is known for its flat and...
more...On a morning with near-perfect weather conditions in Central Park, Sara Hall won a thrilling battle for the USATF Women’s 10-K Championship, using a devastating kick to pull away from fellow Flagstaff, Arizona, resident Stephanie Bruce in the final 100 meters. The event was held as part of the 48th edition of the NYRR New York Mini 10-K, the longest-running women’s-only road race in the world.
Five minutes before the open race began, a field of 28 American professionals set out for the national title under comfortable temperatures (68F/20C) with moderate humidity and a slight breeze. Emma Bates, winner of U.S. titles in the marathon and 25-K in the past sixth months, took the early lead as the pack raced up Central Park West for the first mile (5:20), with Jordan Hasay and Carrie Dimoff a step behind.
As the race moved into the park a few minutes later, Bruce inserted herself just behind Bates, while Hall began to move up through the tightly-bunched group.
Shortly past 2 miles (10:28), a pack of five began to pull away, including Bates, Bruce, Hall, Aliphine Tuliamuk and Sally Kipyego. Laura Thweatt soon reconnected to the leaders and those six women climbed and descended the steep north hill in the park together through 3 miles (15:34) and 5-K (16:11). In the fourth, uphill mile Bates finally gave up the lead and appeared to be dropping back, with Thweatt and Kipyego taking turns controlling the pace.
“It was an honest pace the whole way. I couldn’t believe how fast we came through 5-K, which is mostly uphill,” Hall told Race Results Weekly. “There was always someone else would get in the lead and start pushing any time it slowed down.”
At the 4-mile mark (21:02) Bates had worked her way back into the mix, with Bruce and Thweatt now leading the group of six. Shortly past 8-K (26:02), the pack passed Sara’s husband and coach, Ryan Hall, cheering on the side of the course.
“I could tell she was relaxed,” the two-time Olympian said. “She smiled at me when she came past me. I was just telling her to collect herself on the downhill. When you’re at that point in the race, everyone is screaming at you and you have to just relax, take a deep breath, collect yourself for the finish.”
Moments later the 36-year-old Hall began a surge to the front, running side-by-side with Bruce, and Kipyego a stride back. With a little more than 400 meters to go, Kipyego lost contact as Bruce and Hall were powering uphill to the finish. At 6 miles (31:25) it was still tight, before Hall unleashed a powerful sprint over the final climb to the tape adjacent to Tavern on the Green (the same iconic finish line as the TCS New York City Marathon).
(06/08/2019) Views: 1,088 ⚡AMPJoin us for the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a race just for women. This race was made for you! It’s the world’s original women-only road race, founded in 1972 and named for the miniskirt, and it empowers women of all ages and fitness levels to be active and to look and feel great on the run. Every woman who...
more...For the first time in its 48-year history, the NYRR Mini 10K, which takes place in New York’s Central Park on Saturday, will host the USATF 10K championships. Stephanie Bruce will step up to defend her national title, which she earned at last year’s Peachtree Road Race. (She was seventh at the Mini 10K last year.) If she wins, she will earn USD $20,000.
Bruce is also the reigning American half-marathon champion.
Americans Aliphine Tuliamuk, Emily Sisson and American marathon record-holder Deena Kastor, all past national 10K champions (Tuliamuk in 2017, Sisson in 2016, Kastor in 2007) will join Bruce on the start line, as will Jordan Hasay, Sara Hall and Laura Thweatt.
USATF.TV will broadcast the race live starting at 7:40 a.m. ET.
(06/07/2019) Views: 1,112 ⚡AMPJoin us for the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a race just for women. This race was made for you! It’s the world’s original women-only road race, founded in 1972 and named for the miniskirt, and it empowers women of all ages and fitness levels to be active and to look and feel great on the run. Every woman who...
more...If Sid Vaughn and Alice Wright want to know what it takes to win the Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon, they don't have to look too far for answers.
Their NAZ Elite teammate Scott Smith won it in 2016. He set his PR of 1:02:34 in the distance at the event that year, but hasn't returned since.
NAZ Elite has been back, but the two runners it sent in 2018 are no longer with the team. This time around Vaughn and Wright, both first-year members on the team, will join Smith in Sunday's race.
All three are trending upward heading into the race in their own way.
Smith showed he's getting back to full strength after coming back from an injury with a second-place showing at the USATF 25k Championships on Saturday, May 11, crossing the finish line in 1:15:05. For the runner-up spot, he edged out Kiya Dandena, who joined NAZ Elite in January but left after only a few months with the team.
It's the season finale for Smith, and he's getting married next week. For head coach Ben Rosario, Smith's got "nothing to lose."
"He'll probably go for broke, and I think a personal best is a real possibility," Rosario said Wednesday.
There's a real possibility that Vaughn will have the finish he and his team have been expecting him to produce since joining the roster.
The big race he had lined up, the national half marathon championship, ended up a bust as illness forced him to sit it out.
"So he's got something to prove for sure," Rosario said. Vaughn has had success at the distance in his recent past, however, winning the 2018 edition of the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Jose Half Marathon in 1:03:35 before joining NAZ Elite. It didn't take him long to improve in the half marathon once he came aboard. He set a PR at 1:03:30 in his second race for NAZ Elite, the United Airlines New York City half.
San Diego will be Vaughn's second half marathon with NAZ Elite, while Wright is on her third with the team.
Rosario said she's now prepared for the challenges a half marathon holds.
Wright seems to have been building for this outing. She set her PR of 1:13:17 for a 19th-place finish at the Houston Half Marathon in January. Then at the NYC half, she took 14th in 1:14:25.
It's what came after NYC that's really standing out. And NAZ Elite is not shy when it comes to racing hard in the half.
So far in 2019, NAZ Elite has won three half marathons. In February, Scott Fauble and Aliphine Tuliamuk both won the Gasparilla Half Marathon, and earlier this month, Stephanie Bruce won the USATF Half Marathon Championships with a PR time of 1:10:44.
(05/30/2019) Views: 956 ⚡AMP2020 race postponed and no new date has been set as of May 7. ROCK the streets where it all began. The Suja Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & 1/2 Marathon returns for its 23rd year in 2020. Run through historic neighborhoods including Balboa Park and Old Town. The Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay are packed with live entertainment on course...
more...Aliphine Tuliamuk and Stephanie Bruce have a neatly entangled relationship as NAZ Elite teammates.
It's the kind of relationship that's somewhat elusive to the sport of running, and it's been working for the two veterans.
“They are good friends, they respect one another, they have a lot of admiration for one another, and yet on race day they try to beat one another," NAZ Elite head coach Ben Rosario said Wednesday, "and then afterward they are friends still. It’s a pretty cool situation because they are raising the bar for one another it seems like constantly.”
Tuliamuk and Bruce are set to run the BOLDER Boulder 10K on Memorial Day, and then compete again on Saturday, June 8, when they take on the New York Mini 10K, which serves as this year's USATF national championship at the distance. Both toe the lines of the next couple races on a level of performance that's been demanding attention, with fans and opponents waiting to see what the two will do next.
They have each other to thank for the attention they deserve, whether it be on the big stage such as a championship race in New York City, or a race that's part of their buildup for more major events.
When Tuliamuk joined NAZ Elite in January of 2018, she brought plenty of past success along with her aggressor mentality that surfaces, according to Rosario, on race day and during practices. Meanwhile, Bruce makes sure she and others are hitting their paces while training, bringing a practical approach to training and racing.
Together, they create a balance and a drive to get better.
Bruce enters BOLDER Boulder and the Mini 10K riding arguably the best run of success of her career. She's also arguably in the best shape of her life.
The last time Bruce ran BOLDER Boulder was in 2017 and she took eighth place in 34:35. Tuliamuk took second place last year at the event with a time of 32:48 while not far removed from her back-to-back national titles.
(05/23/2019) Views: 895 ⚡AMPIn 1979 we dreamt of attracting a few hundred of our friends to race though the streets of Boulder, Colorado to celebrate Memorial Day with our families. Fast forward almost 40 years and the Bolder BOULDER has grown to become one of the largest and most highly acclaimed 10K’s in the world. Almost 1.2 million runners, joggers, walkers and spectators...
more...This year’s NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, will serve as the USATF 10 km Championships for the first time in the event’s 47-year history on Saturday, June 8 and feature one of the best professional athlete fields ever assembled for the event.
The professional open division will include four U.S. 10K champions – Stephanie Bruce (2018), Aliphine Tuliamuk (2017), Emily Sisson (2016), and Deena Kastor (2007) – while the professional wheelchair division will return for the second year with defending champion Susannah Scaroni.
“The Mini is one of road racing’s crown jewels and has been a showcase for many of the world’s greatest runners for decades,” said Chris Weiller, NYRR’s head of professional athletics. “With the national championship on the line for the first time, we’re excited to welcome one of the greatest collections of American women in event history. This year will be special.”
The 2019 USATF 10 km Championships will offer a $75,000 prize purse – the most-ever for a single gender USATF 10 km Championships – including $20,000 for the first-place finisher and will be streamed live on USATF.TV. The women’s 10 km Championships have taken place every year since 1978 and since 2002 have been a part of the USATF Running Circuit, which features championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners.
Sisson, who won the USATF 5 km title in Central Park last year and was the top American woman in April’s London Marathon in her 26.2-mile debut, will be going for her second national title in the distance. In Central Park, she will be challenged by defending USATF 10 km and Half-Marathon champion Bruce, nine-time U.S. champion Tuliamuk, and U.S. champions Jordan Hasay, Sara Hall and Laura Thweatt, along with Kastor, the American marathon record-holder and 2004 NYRR New York Mini 10K champion.
“I’m excited to be lining up for one of the greatest American women’s fields ever assembled at the country’s most historic all-women’s race,” Sisson said. “I’ve had success in winning the USATF 10 km Championships before and will look to repeat that at this year’s NYRR New York Mini 10K, which is a great showcase of how far women’s running has come in our country.”
(05/23/2019) Views: 1,101 ⚡AMPJoin us for the NYRR New York Mini 10K, a race just for women. This race was made for you! It’s the world’s original women-only road race, founded in 1972 and named for the miniskirt, and it empowers women of all ages and fitness levels to be active and to look and feel great on the run. Every woman who...
more...The women’s team will feature former Colorado Buffaloes star Aliphine Tiliamuk along with Shalaya Kipp, Tiliamuk finished second at last year’s women’s International Team Challenge.
Tuliamuk finished 11 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Mamita Daska, who won the elite 10-kilometer race for a record sixth time in 2018.
Rounding out the women’s squad will be Lindsey Scherf, who finished sixth last year on a USA women’s red team finished second behind Daska’s Ethiopian team; Taylor Ward, who finished third at the FORTitude pro 10K in Fort Collins last year; 2017 women’s citizen’s race winner Lauren Martin Masterson; a Deanna Ardrey, Stephanie Bruce, Melissa Dock, and Kaitlin Goodmen.
The remainder of the men’s team will be comprised of Parker Stinson, Haron Lagat, Reid Buchanan, Reed Fischer, Tim Rackers, Jake Riley, and Diego Estrada, who finished eighth last year and is the top returning American in the professional field.
The remainder of the international field will be announced at a later date.
“We’re ready for a super competitive international event thanks to the athlete’s continuing commitment to the race, “ Bolder Boulder race director Cliff Bosley said in a statement.
“Some of the top-ranked teams are trained in both altitude and marathon running and bring a competitive edge that keeps the event exhilarating to watch each and every year.”
(05/21/2019) Views: 859 ⚡AMPIn 1979 we dreamt of attracting a few hundred of our friends to race though the streets of Boulder, Colorado to celebrate Memorial Day with our families. Fast forward almost 40 years and the Bolder BOULDER has grown to become one of the largest and most highly acclaimed 10K’s in the world. Almost 1.2 million runners, joggers, walkers and spectators...
more...Returning to race this year is Jared Ward who was the first American in the New York Marathon and finished 8th overall at the Boston Marathon and Tyler McCandless who won the 2018 Bolder Boulder citizen’s race.
“We feel that with the strong pool of runners this year that Team USA could possibly take first place,” said pro athlete coordinator, Don Janicki. “With three returning champions in the men’s field it will be a really great competitive race.”
Members of the Men’s Team USA also include national title winner Parker Stinson who shattered 25K American record at the USATF 25K in May 2019 by 30 seconds, Haron Lagat who placed second at the 2017 Fortitude 10K Pro Race Chase; Diego Estrada who has a 10K personal best of 27:57; Reid Buchanan who has a 27:58 10K PR; Eagle Scout Reed Fischer who has a 10K PR of 28:38; Boulder Track Club member Tim Rackers; and Boulder based professional runner Jake Riley who has a 10K PR of 27:59.
The Women’s Team USA include Taylor Ward; a rising star in American women’s distance running who placed third at the 2018 Fortitude 10K Pro Race Chase.
Lindsey Scherf who broke the indoor marathon world record at the Armory NYC Indoor Marathon World Record Challenge in 2018 by nearly two minutes; Lauren Martin Masterson who was the first female finisher of the 2017 Bolder Boulder citizen’s race; Kaitlin Goodmen who has a 10K PR of 33:18; and Stephanie Bruce who set a PR at the 5,000 meters indoors (15:44) at the New Balance Boston Indoor Games; Former Colorado Buffaloes star Shalaya Kipp.
In addition to the Americans competing at this year’s race, the Bolder Boulder will be welcoming teams from all over the world including Ethiopia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Tanzania, Bahrain, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Pan South America.
“We’re ready for a super competitive international event thanks to the athlete’s continuing commitment to the race, “said Race Director, Cliff Bosley. “Some of the top ranked teams are trained in both altitude and marathon running and bring a competitive edge that keeps the event exhilarating to watch each and every year.”
(05/17/2019) Views: 1,067 ⚡AMPIn 1979 we dreamt of attracting a few hundred of our friends to race though the streets of Boulder, Colorado to celebrate Memorial Day with our families. Fast forward almost 40 years and the Bolder BOULDER has grown to become one of the largest and most highly acclaimed 10K’s in the world. Almost 1.2 million runners, joggers, walkers and spectators...
more...Emma Bates crossed the finish line with a smile and arms outstretched, while Parker Stinson (photo) roared in with tears of joy.
Both had reason to celebrate with record-setting performances Saturday at the Amway River Bank Run 25K in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Under cool race conditions that began and finished under temperatures in the low to mid 40s and clouds, the two smashed previous records with dominating performances in the 42nd edition of the race.
Bates, runner-up at last year's race, pulled away from Sara Hall and finished in one hour, 23 minutes and 50 seconds to break the 2012 record by 34 seconds, while Stinson, who was third in 2017, finished in 1:13.46 to better a twice-reached mark of 1:14.18 from 2013 and 2014.
Each won $10,000 for first and an additional $5,000 for the record. Bates added another $2,500 for crossing the finish line first in the race-within-a-race against the men.
Stinson was emotional after the race. The 27-year-old from Boulder, Colorado, pulled away from the field within the first four miles, routinely doing 4:40 miles and was never threatened.
"I've run that way so many times and just been mocked and made fun of for running out front and believing in myself," he said. "So today, to break the record and running every single step by myself - I just killed a lot of demons today."
The knock on Stinson has been a tendency to get overly excited and burn too much energy, leaving little for the end.
"Even Mile 12, I came out of those hills running 4:20 pace and I dialed it back a bit," he said. "I told myself, 'Don't make this hard on yourself. You're in a good spot and stay in the zone.'"
Stinson also benefitted from training with Dathan Ritzenhein, a three-time Olympian who lives in Rockford and trains Stinson. Stinson has stayed with the Ritzenhein family the past 10 days.
"I guess now I owe him some money for room and board now that I actually have some," Stinson said with a laugh.
For Ritzenhein, his first significant win as a coach was also nerve wrecking as Stinson jumped out fast.
"When he jumped out so fast early he was pushing the extreme of what we said," Ritzenhein said. "He stuck with it and knew where he was (in the field). I was a wreck, but he was great."
Stinson wiped the field. Second place went to Scott Smith in 1:15:05, more than 80 seconds behind, while Kiya Dandena was third (1:15.37).
Meanwhile, on the women's side, Bates was locked in a duel with Hall - just as the two did along with Stephanie Bruce last week at the USATF Half Marathon in Pittsburgh.
While Hall outlasted Bates to finish second a week ago behind Bruce, Bates pulled away this time at about the nine-mile mark to win by 1:42 ahead of Hall.
Molly Bookmyer was third (1:27:26).
(05/12/2019) Views: 1,172 ⚡AMP2020 race was moved to October 24 from May 9. The Amway River Bank Run presented by Fifth Third Bank with Spectrum Health the Official Health Partner will celebrate 43 years of road running on Saturday, May 9, 2020. More than 16,000 people are expected to compete in the event which features the largest 25K road race in the country...
more...On a cool, damp Sunday morning in the City of Champions, Leonard Korir, 32, from Colorado Springs, CO and Stephanie Bruce, 35, from Flagstaff, AZ won the USATF Half Marathon titles, clocking 1 hour, one minute, 53 seconds and 1:10:44, respectively. Against top U.S. fields, Korir earned his 9th national title and second USATF Half Marathon title, and Bruce earned her second national title.
In the men’s 32nd national half marathon championship, Stanley Kebenei, Korir and Andrew Colley took an early lead with fast mile splits of 4:41 and 4:42 at Miles 3 and 4. At nine miles, Korir made his move and took a lead, followed slightly behind by Kebenei.
Korir kept a 4:45 minute per mile pace until the end, breaking the tape four seconds ahead of Kebenei at 1:01:53 and securing the 10th fastest half marathon championship performance of all time. Colley finished in third at 1:03:11.
“I like how Stanley pushed the pace early on and kept the race honest,” said Korir, a 2016 U.S Olympian. “I knew I had a good push at the end. We are teammates, so I was glad to help him get a personal best.”
In the women’s 23rd national half marathon championship, the leading pack of six runners included Sara Hall, Bruce, Katy Jermann, Bethany Sachtleben, Samantha Palmer and Emma Bates.
At mile 5, Bruce, Hall and Bates pushed the pace and broke from the pack. At Mile 12, Bruce made her move and with her final push was able to finish in 1:10:44, the 9th fastest female half marathon championship performance of all time. Hall finished in second with a time of 1:11:04, and Bates took third with a time of 1:11:13.
“Running with Sara and Emma today, we made it like a boxing match,” Bruce said. “Everyone took turns at the lead, and we were pushing each other.”
(05/06/2019) Views: 926 ⚡AMPThis race is your game - however you decide to play it. As a competitor. A fund raiser. An enthusiast. A veteran. A team player. It's whatever you want it to be. It's whatever you make it. It's YOUR game..... Run it. Play it. Own it. Love it. Runners will race on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, cross each of...
more...The NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, will serve as this year’s USATF 10 km Championships for women on Saturday, June 8, New York Road Runners announced today. More than 200,000 women have finished the race since it began in 1972, making it one of the most impactful women’s races in running history, and it will be the first time it plays host to a national championship race.
“The Mini is one of road running’s crown jewels, and by adding the USATF 10 km Championships to the mix, the 2019 race will be one for the books,” said Chris Weiller, who heads up professional athletics for NYRR. “New York Road Runners has a proud history of supporting women’s athletics. To host what is sure to be an amazing group of American athletes, led by Stephanie Bruce, is an honor for us and a privilege for New York City.”
Taking part in this year’s USATF 10 km Championships will be Stephanie Bruce, who won her first national title in her decade-long career in 2018 when the USATF 10 km Championships was hosted by the AJC Peachtree Road Race; she also finished seventh at the NYRR New York Mini 10K last year.
“The NYRR New York Mini 10K has a storied tradition and I’ve been racing it since 2009,” Bruce said. “It has long been one of my favorite events as a professional. I was thrilled to hear NYRR received the bid to host the USATF 10 km Championships in 2019. I look forward to lining up against a stellar field, as I look to defend my 10K road title from 2018.”
The 2019 USATF 10 km Championships will offer a $75,000 prize purse – the most-ever for a single gender USATF 10 km Championships – including $20,000 for the first-place finisher and will be streamed live on USATF.TV. The women’s 10 km Championships have taken place every year since 1978 and since 2002 have been a part of the USATF Running Circuit, which features championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners.
(01/17/2019) Views: 904 ⚡AMP