SAN DIEGO, California – Perfect racing weather and a beautiful cross country course made for an exceptional day of racing in San Diego, as Olympians Alicia Monson and Shadrack Kipchirchir each took home the win at the USATF Cross Country Championships presented by Toyota.
The USATF Cross Country Championships are the first stop on the 2022 USATF
From the first moments of the race Saturday, the women’s lead pack quickly dwindled down to five runners, with Monson, Weini Kelati, Emily Infeld, Natosha Rogers, and Emily Durgin pacing the rest of the field.
The five women would pack together for much of the first half of the race in San Diego, with Monson and Kelati setting the tone, but the other three hanging off their shoulders, pushing the pace forward.
As the women passed through the second loop, crossing the four kilometer mark, Rogers started to drop off the back of the lead pack, leaving Monson and Kelati up front, with Infeld and Durgin right behind. The pace of the two leaders was too much for Infeld and Durgin to keep pace, with the duo ultimately falling back into a battle for third and fourth, while Monson and Kelati charged ahead.
Just past seven kilometers, Monson put in a surge, gapping Kelati ever so slightly, then charging ahead to put a fair amount of space on her challenger. Over the next half mile, Monson would put 14 seconds on Kelati, clearly establishing herself in the lead, never looking back.
With a single two kilometer loop to go, Kelati ran alone in second, with Infeld alone in third. A battle for fourth was brewing, as Durgin continued to run an even pace, but Stephanie Bruce was continuing to move up, showing grit and determination through the back half of the race.
Over the final two kilometers, Monson showed why she’s quickly become one of America’s top distance runners, with her smooth stride coasting over the course in San Diego. Monson crossed the finish tape, arms raised, in 34:01, dominating the field in the final stages of the race, while winning her first USATF title.
Kelati kept poised despite falling off from Monson over the final two kilometers, continuing her impressive racing over the past six months to claim second in 34:18. Infeld ran a strong back half of the race to claim third in 34:36, while Durgin edged Bruce over the final strides of the race, to finish fourth to Bruce’s fifth, both owning a mark of 34:50.
Reigning champion Rogers hung on over the final half of the race, maintaining her form to place sixth in 35:24. The Air Force’s Jaci Smith kicked off her 2022 racing season with a fine performance, placing seventh in 35:48, edging Olympic medalist Molly Seidel, who cruised to an eighth-place finish in 35:58.
Veteran Carrie Verdon took home ninth in 36:01, while USATF Running Circuit veteran Susanna Sullivan took home tenth in 36:11.
The men’s race got off to a conservative start, with 13 men forming the lead back through the first two kilometer loop. As expected, the pace would soon pick up, as Sam Chelanga started to push the pace, with training mates Benard Keter and Leonard Korir on his shoulder. The shift in pace caused the men’s lead pack to quickly fall to seven runners.
Chelanga would throw in surges throughout the next five kilometers of the race, with 2019 USATF Cross Country champion Shadrack Kipchirchir running off his shoulder throughout, and former Utah State All-American Dillon Maggard right in the middle of the lead pack.
Chelanga would put in another big surge as the runners finished loop three, coming through 6 km. Chelanga’s shift in pace would form a pack of five, a group that would stick together with Chelanga, Maggard, and Keter taking turns leading for much of the rest of the race.
Little changed until there was one kilometer to go, as Keter was dropped off the pace, and it was a battle to the finish. Maggard and Chelanga took turns pushing the pace, with Kipchirchir and Korir just behind. The foursome kept rolling along, pushing the small undulations on the course.
With 100 meters to go, Kipchirchir and Maggard separated themselves just enough from Chelanga and Korir to make it a two-man race to the finish. Just when it looked like Maggard might pull away, Kipchirchir used one final push to slip past Maggard and claim his second USATF Cross Country Championship title, finishing in 30:32.
Maggard, who placed fourth at the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships, surprised the field by claiming second in 30:34, holding off Chelanga by a stride, as the U.S. Army runner took third in the same 30:34 time. Chelanga’s U.S. Army teammate Korir placed fourth in 30:37, with Keter falling off over the final mile to place fifth in 30:49.
Benjamin Eidenschink was the next finisher, taking sixth in 31:07. Eidenschink ran with the lead group for the first six kilometers, then hung on to claim a fantastic finish for the former University of Wisconsin standout.
Ben Blankenship ran an even race from start to finish, as the middle-distance star stepped up distance to take home seventh in 31:37. Flagstaff-based Caleb Webb finished a few seconds back in eighth with a time of 31:44, while Futsum Zienasellassie continued his impressive performances of late to claim ninth in 32:03. Theodorakis Medrano rounded out the top ten in 32:06.
About the USATF Running Circuit
The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $13,200 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Cross Country Championships
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Cross Country Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.
The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.
Contributed by Scott Bush
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