At a Cross (&) Roads

Bored?
INdoor T&F is sometimes slow getting started!
But action on the trails & roads act as connecting bridges--so to speak--between the end of OUTdoors and the start of INdoors--this fall a case in point!
Lots to report, so let's do it!

Fooled ya---a bit!
I'm actually going to begin with a TRACK result!!

Ever hear of National Postal races?
Back in the day, I remember some great battles and fast times run over the FULL 2 Miles on tracks across the US by HS'ers!
Coaches would mail in their kids' results, and at season's end, times were ranked, with a National Postal Champion being crowned!
Well, it continues to this day, except regrettably, they seem to be stopping at 3200 meters, leaving those "extra" 18-plus meters to wallow in some ignored abyss!

Rant aside, Rebecca Story's 3200 in 9:59.85 led the Hoka One One Postal Nationals held in Knoxville TN!
She ran 10:11.24 for the full deuce last spring, and is on my HS DDD with that!
But to whip out a PR of about 8 or 9 seconds (if conversion shit is factored in!!) in a race just before Thanksgiving is something to smile about!
Especially when she runs her last 400 in 69.6--with the other 7 laps averaging over 75 seconds!!
Second Woman finished in 10:58!!
She's just a Junior!!
Hopefully, she'll run something on a LEGAL track INdoors!

BTW, the Men's winner was Ben Verghere's 9:02.42.

The Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 5000 saw some good results--and big names!
Morgan Pearson---NOT a big name!!--won the Men's race in a quick 13:32.
Shadrack Kipchirchir took 2nd in 13:36.
Luis Vargas and German Fernandez followed 2 or 3 seconds later.
In 6th came Lopez Lomong's 13:44.
Drew Hunter ended 11th in 13:56 for his initial Pro Road race!

Caroline Chepkoech dominated the Women's race, winning in 15:18, a full 24 seconds ahead of Buze Diriba, and 26 seconds ahead of Alexi Pappas, who ran representing the United States!
Leah O'Connor was 4th, her 15:54 ending 9 seconds ahead of 5th placer Kate Grace!

But it was the 16th placer--Grace Ping--who got the most headline ink!
This 13 year old phenom apparently set an Age record for the distance with her 16:36!!
More headline news about Ping came with her challenge to run the NXN race upcoming!
She and her family moved to Utah, where the state's rules say only HS'ers are eligible for NXN!
Yet Ping ran the Regional race, despite the rule!
And qualified for NXN!
A day or so went by, with people arguing for or against Ping's racing against HS'ers, despite being an 8th grader!
(She ran NXN as a SEVENTH grader, although she was then living in another state, where the rules allowed her participation!!)
Anyway, they reversed their ruling, and we can now see how this youngster rates against girls 1 to 5 years older!!

In my previous post, I made noise about Galen Rupp and Mary Cain being entered in the "10K" Manchester Road Race!
Lots of "foot in mouth" mea culpas here!!

First, the distance was 4.748 (!!!) miles, NOT 10000 meters!!
Second, Rupp and Cain DID run!!
BUT!!!

Rupp ended in TENTH place after a severe asthma attack early in the race!
And Cain was an apologetic DNF after 2.5 miles!
I say "apologetic" because, according to Let's Run's Forum posters, she was seen on the side of the road at 2.5 miles, apparently crying and apologizing to a young kid!
Believe L-R at your own peril, but at least two people AT the race saw Cain doing the above!!

Whatever, the results were a bit more newsworthy--and less gossipy!!  LOL

Ben True eked out a miniscule win over Len Korir after a fierce kick, both timed in 21.31, but with True given the edge!
Chris Thompson ended 4 seconds back, with Paul Chelimo and Scott Fauble also sharing a time--21:39--in 4th and 5th!
Aaron Braun's 21:44 gave him 6th!
Donn Cabral ended in 8th with his 21:51.
Rupp--mask covering his nose and mouth!--was 10th, as noted, in 21:55.
Kyle Merber finished 14th in 22:02!

Emily Sisson continued her winning ways with a solid 11 second margin over Sarah Pagano--24:08 to 24:19!
Jordan Hasay overcame her grief over her mother's passing just weeks earlier to take 3rd in 24:27!
(So sorry to hear that, Jordan!!  Be strong!)
Edna Kiplagat--best at MUCH longer distances--finished 4th in 24:34!
Elish McColgan--daughter of Liz--came all the way from England to finish 5th in 24:39.
Ashley Higginson was 8th in 25:21.
Emma Bates was 9th one second behind Higginson.
Sarah Crouch was 11th in 25:53, while Ben True's wife Sarah was 14th in 26:10!!

The Atlanta 5K was won by Sam Chelanga's 14:21 over Kirubel Erassa's 14:25, while Natosha Rogers took the Women's race in 16:09 over Allie Bucharski's 16:12.

A track 10000 for Men took place in Hachioji Japan!
Ron Kwemboi--best known for an OUTdoor 3:28.81 1500 in 2014--for the OUTdoor Age 18 record--won the race in 27:33.94--apparently his first 10K!
Chris Derrick ran 27:38.69 in 3rd, while Andy Bumbalough ran 28:09.35 way back in 17th!
Sixteen ended under 28:00, with the first 10 under 27:50!

HS Regionals for both NXN and Footlocker--plus an important State Championship--were run today!

The FL Midwest races went to Anne Forsyth's 17:17 and Dylan Jacobs's 14:58.
Jack Aho was second in 15:00!

The FL South races went to Nevada Mareno's 17:21.
Heather Holt--Any relation to Hillary Holt??--was 2nd a couple of seconds back.
Remember my opening shot--about Rebecca Story's fast track 3200??
Well, here, Story ended in 6th--17 seconds behind the winner!
Either she's better on the track, or she was tired from her track effort!!
Highly ranked Julia Heymach was just 8th, in 17:44!
Sam Worley took the Men's race in 14:58.

The Northeast Women's race went to Alyssa Aldridge's 17:40.
The Affolder family "Band of Brothers" took 1st & 2nd in the Men's division, Noah's 15:28 beating Sam's 15:36!!
BTW, Noah is a Senior, while Sam--the Frosh Class 3000SC record holder--is just a Soph!

NX Northeast Regionals went to David Principe's 15:18--a full 33 seconds ahead of the runner-up!!
Aislinn Deolin's 18:09 also won by a big margin--25 seconds!!

The New York Regional was won by Ty Brownlow's 15:42 and by Katherine Lee in 17:44.
Kelsey Chmiel took 2nd in 17:56.
Another precocious youngster--Katelyn Tuohy--took 5th--but was far back, timed in 18:45!!
Olympic Trials 800 participant Sammy Watson was just 20th--in 19:04!!

The Southeast NX Regional saw Kate Murphy cross the line in 17:13--her arms forming a huge "O" above her head!!
(She's signed on to be a Duck next year!!)
Brody Hasty took the Men's race in 14:54.

Finally, in the CIF races, Luis Grivalja won in 14:50 over Michael Vernau's 14:56!
Claudia Lane, a Soph from Malibu, won the Women's division in 16:45--a full FORTY seconds ahead of Liz Chittenden's Silver!
Fiona O'Keefe's younger sister--Olivia--took 6th in 17:28.
Great Oak took both team races--natch!!

Faith Kipyegon will NOT race INdoors--concentrating on Cross Country!!

My next posts will be all about INdoor Class Records!!