Read the Running USA story

Team USA California Sets the Pace
Deena Drossin Photo Below (ASICS), Team USA California star, lopped 57 seconds off the U.S. 15K record she established in last years race, and earned her fourth-straight national title at the distance (the first female or male to do so). Her time of 47:15 puts her over a minute ahead of the second-fastest American all- time, Lisa Weidenbach who clocked 48:28 in 1989. Only Elana Meyer has run faster for the distance; the South African ran 46:57 in 1991 (the world record).

Meb Keflezighi Photo Above (Nike), 27, also of Team USA California, won his third-straight men's 15K title by shaking Abdi Abdirahman two- thirds of the way into the race. Keflezighi clocked 43:31 to Abdirahman's 43:59. Race temperatures were in the mid-50s and skies were cloudy, but a rude wind met the runners on the open stretches of the course.

Gate River Run 15K website

Motivation
Coach Joe Vigil is an amazing man, one can learn so much from him in a short time. Setting goals is one area where his advice is crucial. He keeps people motivated and humble, his runners work hard.

This sport can be very lonely. Team USA California provides a social environment, a group of runners pushing back the boundaries and achieving a higher quality of performance.

The training facility at Mammoth is fabulous; it provides a variety of roads, flat or hilly.

Comments from Deena Drossin at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Risk Management
"That's my strongest way of running, riding on that line of complete exhaustion and comfort," the 14-time USA Champion in track, cross country and road racing explained. "It's a little faster than I thought I would run, actually, but it's nice to be able to surprise yourself like that. I guess it's what a year of hard and smart work will do."

The anticipated duel with Marla Runyan, who finished second in 48:43, never materialized as Drossin went through five miles in 25:11 and was under World Record pace until the foot of the River Run's signature feature, the high-arching Hart Bridge.

"The wind was tough," the Mammoth Lakes, Calif. resident allowed. "As if the bridge wasn't difficult enough, the wind had to come up and slap us around. It came from everywhere, it seemed to be exposed in-between buildings, it came from different directions."

Drossin's comments as reported by Charlie Maher in the Running USA wire story on the USA 15K Road Championship

Men and Women Run in Harmony
"I'm not fitter but I'm a lot stronger this year than last year," Meb Keflezighi explained. "The marathon training does help. I was pushing the pace. I wanted to have a strong pace before the bridge. You try to do everything before the bridge, if you can."

2000 Olympians Keflezighi and Abdirahman had turned the men's contest into a two-man race by the first of the race's two river- crossings - using a 9:29 first two miles to separate themselves from the rest of the field.

"At the elite level, it's my first three-peat. It's very exciting," the Eritrean-born UCLA graduate offered. "I'm trying to follow in Deena's footsteps, but she keeps raising the bar though, you know, breaking her own American record."

Comments of Keflezighi as reported by Charlie Maher in the Running USA wire

Team USA California is coached by Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen at the USOC Training Center (Chula Vista), Altitude center Mammoth CA. (8,000 feet)

Members placing in the 15K championship:
Deena Drossin, 1st
Meb Keflezighi, 1st
Nick Rogers, 4th
Amy Rudolph, 6th
Milena Glusac Photo Above, 7th
Ryan Shay, 8th
Jeanne Hennessy, 13th

Men's 15K Results

Place	Name, Age, Hometown             	Gun Time 	5K     10K Split 	
1	Meb Keflezighi, 27, Mammoth Lakes, CA 	43:31:00	14:33	29:00:00	
2	Abdi Abdirahman, 26, Tucson, AZ 	43:59:00	14:33	29:06:00	
3	Chad Johnson, 26, Portland, OR  	44:39:00		29:56:00	
4	Nick Rogers, 27, Eugene, OR     	44:39:00	14:53	29:56:00	
5	Dave Davis, 24, Portland, OR    	44:45:00		29:56:00	
6	Clint Wells, 27, Boulder, CO    	44:45:00		29:56:00	
7	Mike Donnelly, 28, Portland, OR 	44:50:00	14:48	29:56:00	
8	Zepherinus Joseph, 27, Jacksonville, FL	44:57:00	14:47	29:55:00	
9	Ryan Shay, 23, East Jordan, MI  	45:22:00	14:51	30:15:00	
10	Chris Seaton, 24, Raleigh, NC   	45:25:00	14:54	30:13:00	
11	Eddy Hellebuyck, 42, Alburquerque, NM 	45:45:00	14:51	30:13:00	
12	Matt Tull, 28, Wauwatosa, WI    	46:08:00	14:55	30:13:00	
13	Chris lundstrom, 26, Faribault, MN 	46:12:00	14:58	30:42:00	
14	Keith Dowling, 33, Reston, VA   	46:16:00	14:51	30:19:00	
15	David Morris, 31, Alburquerque, NM 	46:29:00	14:56	30:38:00	
16	Henry Dennis, 28, Cincinnati, OH 	46:39:00	15:18	31:09:00	
17	Dennis Simonaitis, 40, Draper, UT 	46:41:00	15:13	30:58:00	
18	Jim Jurcevich, 26, Columbus, OH 	46:47:00		30:45:00	
19	Mike Wisniewski, 23, St. Paul, MN 	46:59:00	15:02	31:04:00	
20	Alfredo Vigueras, 40, Woodland, CA 	47:10:00	15:25	31:24:00	

Women's 15K Results

Place 	Name, Age, Hometown               	Time     	5K 	10K Split 		
1	Deena Drossin, 30*, Mammoth Lakes, CA 	47:15:00	15:31	31:27:00		
2	Marla Runyan, 33*, Eugene, OR     	48:43:00	16:05	32:32:00		
3	Colleen De Reuck, 38*, Boulder, CO 	49:30:00	16:06	32:44:00		
4	Sara Wells, 23*, Edina, MN        	50:07:00	16:44	33:39:00		
5	Kim Fitchen, 34*, Palo Alto, CA 	50:39:00	16:34	33:46:00		
6	Amy Rudolph, 29*, Providence, RI 	50:40:00	16:25	33:27:00		
7	Milena Glusac, 27*, Fallbrook, CA 	51:28:00	16:21	33:54:00		
8	Sylvia Mosqueda, 36*, Los Angeles, CA 	51:31:00	16:33	34:05:00		
9	Jenny Crain, 35*, Eugene, OR      	51:37:00	16:52	34:18:00		
10	Magdalena Lewy, 29*, Berkley, CA 	51:46:00	16:45	34:29:00		
11	Tatyana Pozdnyakova, 48*,Gainesville,FL 51:54:00	17:21	34:43:00		
12	Nicole Jefferson, 27*, Arvada, CO 	52:27:00	16:59	34:29:00		
13	Turena Johnson-Lane, 27*,Statesboro,GA 	52:34:00	17:10	35:01:00		
14	Jeanne Hennessy, 25*, Mamopac, NY 	52:44:00		34:59:00		
15	Dana Coons, 24*, Charlottesville Va 	52:48:00	17:16	35:13:00		
16	Rachel Sauder, 28*, Alburn, AL  	53:00:00	17:10	35:05:00		
17	Carmen Ayala-Troncoso, 43*, Austin, TX 	53:53:00	17:17	35:25:00		
18	Ramilia Burnagulova, 41*,Gainesville,FL	54:09:00	17:45	35:54:00		
19	Kim Pawelek, 29*, Jacksonville, FL 	54:09:00	17:55	36:12:00		
20	Rosa Gutierrez, 39*, Glendale, OR 	54:38:00	17:51	36:13:00