Minnesotans Shine at Club Cross Nationals

A handful of Minnesota teams and individuals ran with distinction at last Saturday's USA Track and Field Club Cross Country Championships in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Former University of Minnesota All-American Megan Duwell finished 15th in the 6K women's open race in 20:26 and was instrumental in leading the Flagstaff, Arizona-based McMillan Elite team to its first-ever women's title at the meet.


In the men's open race, also won by McMillan Elite, Run N Fun's team (pictured above) finished 16th in the team standings. Justin Grunewald led the effort with a 22nd-place, 30:11 clocking over the 10K course.

Run N Fun's 72-year-old masters star Thom Weddle finished 3rd in M70 division of the 10K masters race in 46:57.

TC Running Company's grand masters team (pictured below) finished 11th in 50+ team category. Doug Keller led the squad with an 11th-place finish in the age division in 35:27.


Results from all the Club Cross races can be found HERE.

Keller on Club Cross ... We chatted briefly with TCRC's Keller this week to get his take on the event.

DtB: When did you and the team decide to travel to Charlotte for the race?

Keller: Bill Langhout started talking it up in September and with Rob Class, Paul Giannobile and I all having a good fall, we decided it would be a good year to give it a try. To fill out the team, Bill convinced Chip Cheney and Pat Richards it would be fun to see how we stacked up against the rest of the country even before we knew it was a great excuse to shirk our snow removal duties for the weekend.

DtB: Did you have any sense of where you might fit into the mix at Club Cross?

Keller: We had hoped for a top 5 finish but our prospects were hurt with a hip injury limiting Rob's training and Paul pulling out because of a work commitment.

DtB: How did you guys feel about the race afterward?

Keller: We were concerned going into the race because we only had 5 runners and we need all 5 to score a complete team. Post race, we were satisfied with our middle of the pack finish considering our conditioning but we walked away from the meet with the knowledge that Minnesota can compete on the national level. The guys are already talking about how to improve on that finish next year.

DtB: How did you feel about your own individual race, Doug?

Keller: With my normal racing season usually ending in October, it was hard to stay motivated for a December race so my conditioning and race readiness weren't at the level I would have liked. As a result, I went into the race without clear goals and was satisfied with my time and place. As you know, being satisfied doesn't lead to great race results but it was encouraging to see that the front runners weren't that far ahead and I want another shot at them next year.

Photos by Thom Weddle. Top, from left, Ben Kampf, Kelly Mortenson, Eric Hartmark, Jeremy Polson, Cory Hayden, Patrick Parish, Timothy Branigan, Phil Richert, and Justin Grunewald. Bottom, from left, Pat Richard, Doug Keller, Rob Class, Bill Langhout, and Chip Cheney.