Twin Cities in a Nutshell ...

Our other duties today will keep us from posting at length before Monday morning, but here's the scoop on the Sunday races at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon ... in 100 words or less (not that we have time to actually count):

TC Ten Mile ... Team USA Minnesota's Josh Moen gave three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman (pictured leading Moen) all he could handle in this morning's TC 10 Mile/USA Championship. Moen withstood Abdirahman's surges, surged on the six-time USA champion himself, and held the lead in the race's final mile ... but ultimately finished second -- 46:35 to 46:38 -- to the defending USA 10 Mile champ.

Kicking off a banner day for Team USA Minnesota, Patrick Smyth finished 3rd and Jason Lehmkuhle was 4th.

Rachel Booth of Mountain View, California won the women's TC-10 Mile (not a USA Championship for women) in 57:33.

Photo by Gene Niemi.

Men's Marathon ... At the 22-mile mark, 2004 Twin Cities Marathon Champion Augustus Kavutu of Kenya looked like he was in good position to win a second TCM title. But Jason Hartmann of Grand Rapids, Michigan (pictured) came off the pace to catch Kavutu and countryman John Njoroge, a Coon Rapids resident, and pull away for the win in 2:12:09.

Stillwater native Luke Watson finished 7th with a 2:15:29 debut; Team USA Minnesota's Antonio Vega was a place behind in 2:15:45.

Photo by Paul Phillips/Competitive Image.

Women's Marathon ... On a day many expected TCM to crown it's oldest champion -- 45-year-old Colleen De Reuck -- the race saw it's youngest winner ever as 20-year-old Ilsa Paulson (pictured) stole the show. De Reuck had a 1:40 lead on Paulson at 20 miles, but the elfin New York City resident motored by De Reuck on Summit Avenue and cruised to victory -- and a USA title -- in 2:31:49. De Reuck won the USA Masters title and finished second overall in 2:32:37.

Putting the exclamation point on the Team USA Minnesota effort was Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle who finished third with 2:35:06 debut..

Photo by Gene Niemi.