Andrew Colley, Tristin Van Ord and Josh Izewski took to the streets of Washington D.C. for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on April 7. For Tristin it was her first race back since the Olympic Marathon Trials while Josh and Andrew had both run the 5,000m at the Raleigh Relays the week before. The race also served as the US 10 Mile Championships.
From the onset, Andrew did was he has become accustomed to doing over the last 2 years, run with the leaders. Andrew remained with lead pack through a swift opening 5k in 14:12. They group slowed from 5k to 10k, but still hit 10k in swift 28:37, a lead pack of 8 in tact. Between 10k and 15k Hilary Bor – the defending US 10 Mile Champ and American Record Holder – made a strong move and strung the field out.
With a mile to go Andrew was in 8th place and would use a strong finish to move up to 7th overall – 5th among US finishers. His time of 46:38 (4:40 per mile pace) set a new personal best and ZAP club record, breaking his own mark of 46:47 from the 2022 US 10 Mile Championships.
On the women’s side the race was out fast and Tristin established herself in the top handful of American women from the start. She passed 5k in 16:35, 4th among US women. She remained in 4th position through 10k and would go on to finish 6th in 54:31. It was a bit off her best of 53:13, but as she ramps into fitness looking ahead toward spring and summer racing, it was a good place to start her season.
Unfortunately, Josh suffered a toe / calf injury early in the race and was forced to withdraw after 5k. Update: He took 3 days rest and has resumed a full training load less than a week after the race.
You can view full results of the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler here.