Team USA Minnesota's Jon Grey is getting his professional career off to a nice start.
The 2011 William and Mary graduate who joined Team USA Minnesota in September won the individual title at the USATF Club Cross County Championships in Seattle on Saturday. Grey went to the front of the field early and was pulling away before the halfway mark of the 10K event which he won in 29:38.
“Initially I planned to sit and kick, but during the race I was just running an even pace and slowly pulled away after 4K,” Grey said. “So I kept on the hammer until I crossed the finish line. I was definitely surprised to run away from a field like that."
Grey (pictured) finished ten seconds ahead of runner-up Aaron Braun, the event's defending champ. Brainerd native Justin Tyner, a recent Air Force Academy graduate, finished 9th in the race in 30:02. Grey's Team USA Minnesota teammate Matt Llano finished 18th in 30:18.
Run N Fun's Justin Grunewald finished 23rd in 30:33, leading the St. Paul-based club to an 11th-place team finish in the race.
Grey's victory earned him a spot on the USA team competing at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country International Challenge, which will be contested in Scotland on January 7.
“Overall, I can not believe I actually won and it shows how well I have progressed in a very short time under Coach [Dennis] Barker,” Grey said. “I am very honored to be able to get my first USA win as a Team USA Minnesota athlete."
"I am also extremely excited for Edinburgh," he added. "That was the whole reason I made this trip, and it means so much to me to earn my first USA team trip which will hopefully be the first of many.”
Find complete USATF Club Cross Country results HERE.
Photo: (c) Mike Scott http://miscottrunningphoto.shutterfly.com/ 2011
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