Top Five Performances of the U.S. T&F Championships
Wrapping up our coverage of the U.S. T&F Championships, we point out the top five performances of the long weekend. From the women’s 10,000m race, to the men’s 1,500m final, all the races produced some amazing highlights. See who caps our list of most notable achievements at this year’s U.S. T&F Championships.
5. Lopez Lomong - Heart and soul is what it takes to be national champion at the professional level. Everyone works hard, everyone is world-class, but few ever win races. Lomong showed why a big season could be in store, as he won the men’s 1,500m run on the final day of the U.S. T&F Championships. Lomong made his move to the finish with 200 meters to go, but frontrunner Leo Manzano stayed right with him, both athletes pushing each other time and again over the final 100 meters. In the end, Lomong outlasted Manzano (which is rare), winning his first outdoor track title in 3:41.68.
4. Dathan Ritzenhein - While Galen Rupp stole all the headlines in the men’s 10,000m race, Ritzenhein showed that he’s going to continue to be a force on the track, despite spending much of the past two years focusing on the marathon. Ritzenhein led for much Thursday evening’s race, pushing the pace. While he didn’t win the race (Rupp won in the final 400 meters), Ritz showed he still has his leg speed, winning in 27:58.59. Also over the weekend, Ritzenhein stated that he chose Alberto Salazar as his coach. Ritz had been training by himself over the past six weeks after dropping Brad Hudson after his London Marathon performance.
3. Shannon Rowbury - the women’s 1,500m/mile event has easily been the top event in U.S. distance running this year. Last year, Rowbury proved she was the top American at the distance, winning the Olympic Trials 1,500m event, then finishing seventh at the Olympics. While getting a slower start to her season, Rowbury was constantly overlooked all season, as athletes like Jenny Barringer, Anna Willard and Christin Wurth-Thomas ran remarkable times. Rowbury came into the final completely overlooked, but came away in the end as a champion once again. Rowbury ran a gutsy race, bridging an incredibly large gap to front runner Wurth-Thomas over the final 250 meters, kicking home to win in 4:05.07.
2. The Schumacher Gang - On the second evening of the championships, the men’s 5,000m race took place, with many of the most notable U.S. distance runners in the field. With Anthony Famiglietti setting the tone early, the pace was quick, stringing out the field, but proving that a pack of nine athletes had what it took to be in contention for a top three finish. Heading into the final lap, six athletes remained, all looking strong. However, with 200 meters to go, it seemed that coach Jerry Schumacher was going to pull off a miraculous trifecta, and when his athletes Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Evan Jager crossed the line, Schumacher proved once again why he’s a world class coach. Schumacher and his crew pulled a 1-2-3 finish, showing that group training does indeed work at the highest levels.
1. Amy Yoder-Begley - The first evening of the championships is always a special time, especially in Eugene, Oregon. This year, the talked about race of day one was easily the women’s 10,000m run, which saw Amy Yoder-Begley capture her first U.S. track title, while beating Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan in the process. Yoder-Begley ran a smart race, trading leads with Flanagan for much of the race, as the two were easily the best in the field. However, heading into the bell lap, many though Flanagan would simply cruise to a win, but Yoder-Begley had other thoughts. She pushed the pace, pulling away from Flanagan over the final lap, winning in 31:22.69. Yoder-Begley’s performance was cheered on by the Oregon faithful, who’ve adopted the Alberto Salazar-coached runner. Her mark also set a Hayward Field record.
