Kenyan Edwin Kimutai left the American field behind to fend for itself at the rescheduled Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, pulling away in the third mile and cruising to a 32-second win in 45:45.
Behind him, Abbabiya Simbassa and Augustus Maiyo battled for the U.S. 10 mile championship, with Simbassa gapping Maiyo, the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon champion, by five seconds, finishing second overall in 46:18.
Nell Rojas (52:13) held off Jenny Simpson (52:16) in a kick to the finish between the two Boulder, Colo. residents racing their first Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, which doubled as the USATF 10 Mile Championships. Both athletes competed in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June, as did Sara Hall of Flagstaff, Ariz. who finished fourth for American women today in 52:43. Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai (52:23) and Caroline Rotich (52:25) placed third and fourth overall, respectively.
Simpson’s entry into the race marked the long distance road racing debut for the three-time Olympian and three-time World Championship medalist.
Apparently finishing second at the state meet at the end of an abbreviated freshman season didn’t give Sailor Eastman much confidence.
It wasn’t until she was battling Olympic Trials 800 meter runner Juliette Whittaker in the last mile of the Oatlands Invitational that she realized she belonged in the race.
It takes a few glances to notice what’s different about this year’s Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile t-shirt.
There’s no date to be found. Just recognition that it’s the race’s 48th running.
Trail meetings, new college coaching hires, a film about solo ultrarunners and A-10 honors for a GW runner.
You may recognize Courtney Carter. Perhaps you’ve seen her running around the Anacostia Trail or the National Mall — two of her favorite local running routes; you may know her from Instagram, where her handle @eatprayrundc has more than 11,500 followers; or you may know her through her work with diversity, equity and inclusion and her posts about it on sites like Women’s Running, Oiselle’s blog or her own website.
She’s using her social media presence to show runners and people of color that they can accomplish amazing things. And Carter, who lives in D.C.’s Trinidad neighborhood, also wants the D.C.-area running community to do better when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion.