Duluth native Kara Goucher out-ran Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor to win her first USA road racing title at this morning's USA Women's 10 Mile Championship, held in conjunction with the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile.
Goucher (pictured) broke McGregor's course record with her 53:19 clocking. The mark is also the fastest 10-mile ever run by a Minnesotan, eclipsing Janis Klecker's 53:35 run in 1992.
Five-time TC- 10 champion McGregor, who ran 53:51 in 2006 to establish the previous record, finished a distant second in 55:04.
Goucher, the World Championships bronze medalist for 10,000 meters in 2007, ran stride for stride with McGregor for the race's first three miles before pulling away -- inadvertently it seems -- from McGregor.
"We both took fluids at the first station and I moved out to the side of the road, thinking she would come back, but she didn't," Goucher explained. "So I was like, Well, now I'm here. I'm going to make my move three miles early."
Goucher's coach, Alberto Salazar, had counseled his change not to lead until the second half of the race. The Olympic Trials 5000 meter champ gradually built a lead that stretched to 600m meters as the race followed the long Summit Avenue straightaway for the race's final four-and-a-half miles.
Kelly Liljeblad of Boulder, Colorado finished third in the race in 57:06; Nicole Hagobain of Hadley, Massachusetts was 4th in 57:20.
Former Team USA Minnesota athlete Annie Bersagel, currently studying as a Fullbright scholar in Norway, was 5th in 57:34.
Another former Duluth resident, Brandy Erholz, finished 9th in 58:55.
TC-10 Men ... Josh Glaab of Colorado won the men's Medtronic TC-10 in 50:29. Minnesotans Chris Erichsen and Justin Grunewald were 2nd and 3rd in 51:16 and 51:20, respectively.
Goucher (pictured) broke McGregor's course record with her 53:19 clocking. The mark is also the fastest 10-mile ever run by a Minnesotan, eclipsing Janis Klecker's 53:35 run in 1992.
Five-time TC- 10 champion McGregor, who ran 53:51 in 2006 to establish the previous record, finished a distant second in 55:04.
Goucher, the World Championships bronze medalist for 10,000 meters in 2007, ran stride for stride with McGregor for the race's first three miles before pulling away -- inadvertently it seems -- from McGregor.
"We both took fluids at the first station and I moved out to the side of the road, thinking she would come back, but she didn't," Goucher explained. "So I was like, Well, now I'm here. I'm going to make my move three miles early."
Goucher's coach, Alberto Salazar, had counseled his change not to lead until the second half of the race. The Olympic Trials 5000 meter champ gradually built a lead that stretched to 600m meters as the race followed the long Summit Avenue straightaway for the race's final four-and-a-half miles.
Kelly Liljeblad of Boulder, Colorado finished third in the race in 57:06; Nicole Hagobain of Hadley, Massachusetts was 4th in 57:20.
Former Team USA Minnesota athlete Annie Bersagel, currently studying as a Fullbright scholar in Norway, was 5th in 57:34.
Another former Duluth resident, Brandy Erholz, finished 9th in 58:55.
TC-10 Men ... Josh Glaab of Colorado won the men's Medtronic TC-10 in 50:29. Minnesotans Chris Erichsen and Justin Grunewald were 2nd and 3rd in 51:16 and 51:20, respectively.
Bruce Brothers' Pioneer Press story on the race is HERE.
Kevin Pates' Duluth News-Tribune story is HERE.
Find full results HERE.
Photo by Kevin Coloton, Jacob Gibb/Competitive Image.
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