For the first time since the Olympic Marathon Trials 385 days ago On ZAP Endurance sent athletes to compete in a US Championship. The race the was the 15k National Championship at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, FL. And after a 385 day layoff the fields were stellar and the competitors were hungry to race.
In the women’s race the pace was fast from the beginning and the deep field was strung out relatively quickly. Tristin came through the opening 5k just under 17 minutes and followed that up with her 2nd 5k just over 17 minutes. The resulting 10k split was right at 34 minutes, just a couple of seconds faster than her track 10k personal best from her collegiate days. She finished strong up and over a windy Hart Bridge to take 16th place overall in a time of 51:46.
The men’s race played out quite differently despite starting 6 minutes behind the women and a $5,000 equalizer bonus on the line (awarded to the first finisher, male or female across the line). The men’s pack was tightly bunched until just before 10k, which Matt went through in 29:18. Matt had put himself in a large lead pack, doing his best to let others break the wind on the breezy Jacksonville morning. Just before 10k the pace picked up and the pack began to string out. With the big bridge in the final miles everyone’s final 5k was significantly slower than the flat opening 10k, but Matt finished in 14th place with a time of 44:41.
For full results click here.