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USA Track & Field
Shalane Flanagan Makes a Good First Impression, Antonio Vega Displays Confidence at USA Half Marathon Championships
From USA Track & Field; photos by Lance Phegley, Inside Texas Running
January 18, 2010
Houston, TX
2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan (photo above) of the Oregon Elite Track Club in Portland, OR smashed the course record (1:10:55, Colleen De Reuck, 2004) at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon to win the women's USA Half Marathon Championship on Sunday, January 17 in Houston, TX. Running 1:09:41, Flanagan broke the previous record by one minute, 14 seconds. Antonio Vega of Team USA Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN won the men's race in 1:01:54 to win the first U.S. title of his career.
Photo by Drew, right: USA Track & Field CEO Doug Logan congratulates Antonio Vega on his men's title.
Running her debut for the distance, Shalane Flanagan lived up to her status as pre-race favorite, taking control of the women's USA Half Marathon Championship race from the first mile with defending champion and 2008 Olympian Magdalena Lewy Boulet of Oakland, CA; Serena Burla of Ellisville, MO; Renee Metivier Baillie of Boulder, CO; and Kelly Jaske of Portland, OR joining her in the lead pack.
Just before four miles, Magdalena Lewy Boulet began to drop off the pack; Kelly Jaske and Renee Baillie began to fade just after four miles. Running a pair of 5:16 miles for the sixth and seventh miles, Shalane Flanagan and Serena Burla continued to pull away from the field. As Flanagan churned out a third 5:16 for mile eight, Burla missed a water bottle and faltered briefly, allowing Flanagan to gain a 15 meter advantage.
Over the final miles, Shalane Flanagan extended her lead to win the championship by 28 seconds; also surpassing the previous course record was runner-up Serena Burla (1:10:08). Amy Hastings of Flagstaff, AZ overtook Renee Baillie for third place (1:11:19); Baillie was fourth in 1:11:51, and defending champion Magdalena Lewy Boulet finished fifth (1:12:22).
Photo at left: Katherine Newberry (31) of Williamsburg, VA was the top local finisher in the USA Half Marathon Championships, finishing ninth (1:13:07) among females.
In the men's USA Half Marathon Championship race, a pack of about twenty men passed the first mile in a leisurely 4:53 before Antonio Vega and his Team USA Minnesota teammates, Matt Gabrielson (Apple Valley, MN), Josh Moen (Saint Louis Park, MN), and Patrick Smyth (Minneapolis, MN) pushed the pace to 4:38 for the second mile.
As Antonio Vega, Patrick Smyth, and Josh Moen continued to control the pace, Tim Nelson (Portland, OR), Stephan Shay (Flagstaff, AZ), and Brent Vaughn (Black Hawk, CO) began to open a gap on the field.
By eight miles, Antonio Vega and Patrick Smyth were running side by side with Brett Vaughn trailing by about five meters. Shortly after the eighth mile, Vega made his break and by ten miles, had a 20 meter lead as Vaughn rejoined Smyth and looked to close the gap slightly. Vega held on to win (1:01:54) the men's national title by seven seconds.
Patrick Smyth won the duel for second, running 1:02:01 to Brett Vaughn's 1:02:04. Tim Nelson rallied to take fourth in 1:02:11 as Stephan Shay rounded out the top-five in 1:02:26.
Photo at left: Samia Akbar (28) of Herndon, VA took advantage of milder weather conditions to run a fast-paced workout. She was disappointed with her race (28th female, 1:20:09), but refused to drop out.
About the USA Running Circuit
The Aramco Houston Half Marathon is the first stop on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC), and featured a total championship prize purse of $59,500 plus potential bonuses. Shalane Flanagan and Antonio Vega each earned $12,000 for their championship victories.
The 2010 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon, and attracting the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Kastor, Ryan Hall, Shalane Flanagan and Anthony Famiglietti. The 2010 USARC has ten events each for men and women.
The 2010 USARC will once again see a record amount of circuit prize money for a non-Olympic year with total prize purse of $623,850 offered by host events. U.S. athletes will also have the opportunity to qualify for various Team USA events, including the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the Chiba International Ekiden.
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.
The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners. See www.usatf.org for further information.