After placing all four of its participating athletes in the top-seven of the men's and women's races at the USA 20K Championships held in conjunction with the Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race in Connecticut, Team USA Minnesota athletes are happy with their performances and eager for the upcoming competitions on their schedules.
Team USA veteran Jason Lehmkuhle led the team with a runner-up finish in the men's race, running 1:00:36 to winner Abdi Abdirahman's 1:00:12. Teammate Andrew Carlson was 6th in 1:02:03.
In women's competition, seven-time USA champion Katie McGregor finished 3rd in 1:09:56. Teammate Meghan Peyton was 7th in 1:10:28.
Lehmkuhle, who is pointing for the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston in January, entered the race hoping to improve his standing versus some of the athletes he competed against earlier in the season at the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts.
He succeeded, hitting the chute ahead of former Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champ Fernando Cabada, former Team USA Minnesota teammate Patrick Smyth, and Arizona-based Brett Gotcher, who had each bettered him on Cape Cod.
McGregor ran a largely solo race in New Haven.
“I was in no man’s land,” the University of Michigan alumnus said afterward, “but it was a good race. I’m just starting up after a couple of months of good training so I wanted to do this race to see where I was at. I still have a lot of work to do but I feel this was a step in the right direction.”
Lehmkuhle, McGregor, and Peyton are scheduled to compete at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile in October. The race will serve as the USA 10 Mile Championship for both men and women this year.
Carlson said training for his marathon debut at the Medtronic Twin Cities Maraton this fall impacted his performance.
“I have marathon legs right now and basically one gear,” the University of Minnesota alumnus said. “On a day like today, with the humidity, you race for place. I’ve run 59:26 in New Haven before so it was a slow day for everyone given the conditions."
Find complete results HERE. Watch race videos HERE.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
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