Ben Blankenship and Sean Donnley are Among the 45 Elite Athletes Receiving USATF Foundation Development grants for 2018

Ben Blankenship and Sean Donnley are among the 45  Elite Athletes Receiving  Development grants for 2018

The full list for the second round of 2018 grants HERE.

Bia Simbassa, Ben Blankenship, and Mason Ferlic among the 65 who earned USATF T& F Foundation Elite Athlete Development Grants

Bia Simbassa, Ben Blankenship, and Mason Ferlic among the 65 who earned USATF T& F Foundation Elite Athlete Development Grants HERE

Video of the Alaska Miles Seeking a Sub-Four

Video of the Alaska Miles HERE

Ben Blankenship Features

Ben Blankenship Features from the Alaska Dispatch News HERE and HERE

My man @benfblankenship with the Ak Soil record in Kodiak!! This one was special. #GreatAlaskaMileSeries pic.twitter.com/f1UStQljtt

— trevor dunbar (@DunbarTrevor) September 17, 2017

Ben Blankenship 3rd, Mason Ferlic 19th in 5th Avenue Mile

Ben Blankenship 3rd, Mason Ferlic 19th in 5th Avenue Mile
Results HERE.

Updated:Grandma's Minnesota Mile Results

Grandma's Minnesota Mile HERE
Women's results HERE
Men's HERE

Finish of the men's race

Finish of the women's race

Duluth NewsTribune coverage focuses on the Men's and Women's race winners HERE

Ben Blankenship 8th in 3K at IWG Zagreb Meet

Ben Blankenship 8th in 3K at IWG Zagreb Meet
3K Results 
    1 Barega , Selemon                 ETH    7:38.90          
    2 Kiplangat , Davis                KEN    7:39.97          
    3 Ahmed , Mohammed                 CAN    7:40.49          
    4 Tiernan , Patrick                AUS    7:41.43          
    5 Kiplagat , Silas                 KEN    7:43.39          
    6 Birgen , Bethwell Kiprotich      KEN    7:44.20          
    7 True , Ben                       USA    7:44.36          
    8 Blankenship  , Ben               USA    7:44.43          
    9 Mekhissi , Mahiedine             FRA    7:57.12          
   10 Bošnjak , Dino                   CRO    7:57.57          
   11 Gregson , Ryan                   AUS    7:58.57          
   12 Juzunovic , Osman                BIH    8:12.08          
   13 Zerrifi , Abdelhamid             ALG    8:12.55          
      Kivuva , Jackson Mumbwa          KEN        DNF

Blankenship 3rd in Mile, Mead 7th in 3K at Birmingham

Ben Blankenship 3rd in Mile. Hassan Mead 7th in 3K at Birmingham. Results HERE

USATF Minnesota June and July AOM

June and July Athletes of the Month

8/9/2017

Hassan Mead

MENDOTA HEIGHTS – Minneapolis native and former Gopher Track & Field/Cross Country star Hassan Mead won the U.S. title in the men’s 10,000 meters at June’s USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento California, earning him the honor of USATF Minnesota’s June Athlete of the Month. Mead, an 8x All-American and 9x Big Ten Champion for the Gophers, won the race with a time of 29:01.44 breaking Galen Rupp’s streak of eight consecutive USA 10,000 meter titles and in the process earned his ticket to represent the United States at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London this summer.

A 2007 graduate of Minneapolis South High School, Mead was the 2006 Minnesota State Cross Country Champion, as well as the 2006 Foot Locker Midwest Regional Champion, eventually going on to finish 4th at the Foot Locker National meet only 8 seconds behind the winner.

Gabriele Grunewald, a native of Perham, Minnesota and another University of Minnesota alumna, has had an inspiring and eventful summer. In March, only seven months after she had surgery to remove half of her liver, she was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time in eight years. Choosing to put the cancer on hold and continue with her racing schedule this summer, Grunewald has garnered national attention and provided inspiration to thousands of runners across the U.S— and for that, she is USATF Minnesota’s June Athlete of the Month. Despite her recent diagnosis, Gabe qualified for and competed at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento in the 1500 meters in June.

While at the University of Minnesota, Grunewald got 2nd place in the 1500 meters at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning her All-American status. During her time at Perham High School, Grunewald was a four time All-State performer in cross country and was the 2004 Minnesota State Champion in the 800 meters.

Ben Blankenship, from Stillwater, Minnesota, has had a series of great performances in the month of July, making him our July Athlete of the Month. During the TrackTown Summer Series, Blankenship placed 1st in the 1500 meters at the Portland meet and 3rd in the New York City Championship meet in the 1500 meters in a time of 3:35.29. Blankenship was also 10th in the London Diamond League 1500 meters and more recently won the 2017 GNC Live Well Liberty Mile Championship for the second year in a row.

Ben Blankenship
Photo by Gene Niemi

While in college at the University of Minnesota, Blankenship was the first Golden Gopher to break the 4-minute-mile barrier when he ran 3:57.83 at the University of Washington’s in 2010. Blankenship was also a 2x Big Ten Indoor Champion in the Mile and 1x Champion in the Distance Medley Relay, as well as the 2011 NCAA Indoor Runner-Up in the 3,000 meters and a 3x All-American during his collegiate career. Additionally, Blankenship was a 2x Minnesota State Champion at 1600 meters for Stillwater High School and led the Ponies to a 2nd place finish at the 2006 Minnesota State Cross Country Championships as well.

Heather Kampf, a 2009 graduate of the University of Minnesota, was injured and unable to compete in the early stages of the 2017 track & field season, but since then has been on quite the upswing with several notable performances in the month of July, making her the USATF Minnesota July Athlete of the Month. Kampf was 1st at the Ryan Shay Women’s Mile in a time of 4:30.83 on July 22nd, and later went on to place 4th in the 2017 GNC Live Well Liberty Mile on July 28th in a very deep field.

Heather Kampf

Kampf graduated from the University of Minnesota as the most decorated women’s track athlete in Gopher history as she was a 9x All-American. She is also the only Gopher to compete at every NCAA Championship meet in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track during their time at the University. Additionally, she was the 2006 NCAA Indoor Champion over 800 meters and holds nine Gopher school records. Originally from Inver Grove Heights, Kampf was a Minnesota State Champion in both the 800 meters and 400 meters while attending Rosemount High School.

We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Minnesota’s Athlete of the Month award, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to mskuzara@csbsju.edu with the subject line “Athlete of the Month Nomination”.

Fans can follow along with USATF Minnesota on Facebook, Twitter, and online at www.usatfmn.org


Maxwell Kuzara
Athlete of the Month Committee Chair
USA Track & Field Minnesota
e-mail

Ben Blankenship 1st, Heather Kampf 4th in Liberty Mile

Ben Blankenship 1st, Heather Kampf 4th in Liberty Mile. Results HERE.

A little pain is good for you.@Buck65 #LibertyMile pic.twitter.com/JPMpvtWEeM

— Benjamin Blankenship (@benfblankenship) July 29, 2017

London Diamond League Meet Results

London Diamond League Meet Results HERE

Barbora Špotáková 1st in javelin
Hassan Mead 7th in 3K
Ben Blankenship 10th in 1500

TrackTown Summer Series: NYC Results

TrackTown Summer Series: NYC Results HERE

Ben Blankenship 3rd in 1500
Sean Donnelly 4th in the hammer throw
Harun Abda 7rh in 800

Finish of the 1500: Ben Blankenship, Robby Andrews, Johnny Gregorek

TrackTown Summer Series-Portland Results

Finish of the 1500. LtoR Kyle Merber,
 Benjamin Blankenship, Craig Engels and 2 others

                                    TrackTown Summer Series-Portland Results HERE

It's @benfblankenship over @TheRealMerb in a thrilling 1500 at TrackTown Summer Series meet #2. IAAF standard will have to wait for Andrews. pic.twitter.com/1JLFUHReoy

— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) July 2, 2017

Ben Blankenship 1st in 1500.
Harun Abda 7th in 800

Gophers Go for the USATF Gold, Silver, or Bronze

6️⃣ men's competitors with ties to the #Gophers will be in action at USATF Championships this weekend. https://t.co/AGbq16E5h4 pic.twitter.com/vwq2WSXjxJ

— Minnesota M CC/TF (@GopherMCCTF) June 21, 2017

3⃣ current #Gophers and 4⃣ alumnae are headed to the @usatf Championships this week.

〽️📋: https://t.co/dpI2T4gGIf pic.twitter.com/M15k0kuLjg

— Minnesota W TrackCC (@GopherWCCTF) June 20, 2017

Blankenship 7th in 1500, Mead 16th in 5K at Prefontaine Classic

Blankenship 7th in Mile, Mead 16th in 5K at Prefontaine Classic. 16-year-old runs sub-four minute mile HERE

Mile-Men
    1 Kwemoi , Ronald                  KEN    3:49.04          8
    2 Manangoi , Elijah Motonei        KEN    3:49.08          7
    3 Cheruiyot , Timothy              KEN    3:49.64          6
    4 Kibet , Vincent                  KEN    3:51.17          5
    5 Murphy , Clayton                 USA    3:51.99          4
    6 Iguider , Abdalaati              MAR    3:52.77          3
    7 Blankenship  , Ben               USA    3:53.04          2
    8 Ingebrigtsen , Filip             NOR    3:53.23          1
    9 Birgen , Bethwell Kiprotich      KEN    3:53.50        
   10 Grice , Charlie                  GBR    3:53.62        
   11 Gregson , Ryan                   AUS    3:56.90        
   12 Kiplagat , Silas                 KEN    3:57.59        
   13 Kiprop , Asbel                   KEN    3:58.24        
      Kiptoo , Elijah Kipchirchir      KEN        DNF        
      Rotich , Andrew Kiptoo           KEN        DNF        
      Souleiman , Ayanleh              DJI        DNF        
                                                             
5000 Metres - Men       
    1 Farah , Mohamed                  GBR   13:00.70          8
    2 Kejelcha , Yomif                 ETH   13:01.21          7
    3 Kamworor , Geoffrey Kipsang      KEN   13:01.35          6
    4 Cheptegei , Joshua Kiprui        UGA   13:02.84          5
    5 Rop , Albert Kibichii            BRN   13:04.82          4
    6 Ahmed , Mohammed                 CAN   13:08.16          3
    7 Chelimo , Paul Kipkemoi          USA   13:10.11          2
    8 Butchart , Andrew                GBR   13:11.45          1
    9 Jenkins , Eric                   USA   13:13.30        
   10 Kifle , Aron                     ERI   13:13.31        
   11 Tiernan , Patrick                AUS   13:13.44        
   12 Kiplimo , Jacob                  UGA   13:13.64        
   13 Tanui , Paul Kipngetich          KEN   13:14.09        
   14 Abdi , Bashir                    BEL   13:16.74        
   15 Barsoton , Leonard Kiplimo       KEN   13:17.38        
   16 Mead , Hassan                    USA   13:19.16        
   17 Sitonik , William Malel          KEN   13:20.02        
   18 Molla , Getaneh                  ETH   13:21.78        
   19 Korir , Leonard Essau            USA   13:22.04        
   20 Kosimbei , Nicholas Mboroto      KEN   13:22.68        
   21 Sambu , Stephen                  KEN   13:23.79        
   22 True , Ben                       USA   13:28.24        
   23 Ndiku , Caleb Mwangangi          KEN   13:31.45        
   24 Derrick , Chris                  USA   13:33.39        
      Direh , Djamal A.                DJI        DNF        
      Hill , Ryan                      USA        DNF        
      Jeilan , Ibrahim                 ETH        DNF        
      Koech , Isiah Kiplangat          KEN        DNF        
      Masters , Riley

USATF Championships Men's Form Charts

USATF Championships Men's Form Charts HERE

Ben Blankenship, Hassan Mead, Mason Ferlic, Garrett Heath, Bia Symbassa are ranked among the top 10. Mead in two events.

Do Not Go Gentle

A gusting North wind, some injuries, and a lack of fitness turned the Medtronic TC 1 Mile into a tactical game with the top contenders feeling each other out early and throwing in mid and late race surges in a race to win, rather than an attempt at breaking course records.

The men's field that had three champions and two course record holders was a group that could have threatened defending champion Ben Blankenship's course record, but a twisted ankle and slow recovery knocked out 2015 TC 1 champ Garrett Heath.  Heath had "rolled his left ankle" several weeks ago, he said, and, unlike before when this has happened, Heath did not recovery quickly.
Still he held out hope that his powers of healing would return and he'd be able to give it a go.

He went back and forth on race day.  One moment contemplating putting on his racing flats and letting it rip.  The next deciding that it wasn't worth the risk of the possibility of making the injury worse and losing more than a few weeks of training and racing.  He settled for helping out with the announcing of the races, rather than being a major player in rhe event.

Nick Willis, who was hoping to regain his course record and the $10,000 bonus that goes with that feat,  found that his lack of fitness, racing sharpness, did him in.  He and defending champion and new men's course record holder Blankenship assessed each others fitness over the early part of the race with Blankenship taking control for the last half  as he not only wanted to win, but to dominate the competition.

Blankenship said that last year's Olympics probably took its toll as everybody tends to put a lot of effort into getting ready for being at their best at the Games.  They take some down time in a post Olympic year and, instead, build toward being ready to qualify for and compete in this year's London !AAF World Championships in August.

The gusting North wind was not a great impediment, but induced a bit more caution that when the air is still.  Nobody wants to be a windbreaker for the rest of the field.  The women's race turned out to be the tight finish as the eventual winner Emily Lipari and runner up Sarah Vaughn battled down the last half mile and were only separated at the finish by one tenth of a second.  At one point their hands and arms were connected as if they they were going to  com across the line together, hand in hand. "Sorry for the confusion!" said Lipari.  "We were just battling down the stretch and ended up bumping arms."

Christy Cazzola, who finished third last year, was coming back from an injury sustained in a fall.  Her fitness was not at the same level as last year and she profusely thanked race organizers for inviting her to come and, in essence, begin her racing season.  She ended up in ninth but was happy to have the chance to get a "rust burner" done and be ready for the rest of the season with some momentum rather than wondering where she could find a race with a strong field to test herself against.

Copyright Paul Phillips, Competitive Image

Much of the attention, however, was on Gabe Grunewald, who is fighting a more debilitating opponent, her forth battle with cancer.  Looking lean and sporting a the scar from her operation to get rid of tumors in her liver, Gabe was at the front of the pack for the early part of the race.  She finished sixth and was upbeat when talking to everyone after the race.  Running is her outlet to help her cope with her disease.  She admitted to shedding tears every day, and bouncing back from that to train and consult with medical experts on her options to try and vanquish her opponent in this "race."

In many ways she personifies the attitude in the Dylan Thomas poem:
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, Rage against the dying of the night."

Gene Niemi's Medtronic TC1 Mile Photo Gallery

Ben Blankenship celebrates with the Stillwater JV squad.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Two in a row for Ben Blankenship
Photo by Gene Niemi

The chase pack: from (L to R) 3rd place Chad Noelle, 4th place Travis Burkstrand,
and runner-up Daniel Herrer. Photo by Gene Niemi

Women's winner Emily Lipari(26) and runner up Sarah Vaughn.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Sprinting to the finish.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Danny Docherty(2163) and Ben Sathre(2205) sprinting to the finish.
Photo by Gene Niemi

And Then There Were Two...

1. Garrett Heath‏Verified account @_garrettheath  7m7 minutes ago

   Very disappointed to have to pull out of the #tc1mile after hoping to be ready to race tonight. Always one of my favorites with @tcmarathon

   1 reply1 retweet0 likes

    

    
2. Garrett Heath‏Verified account @_garrettheath  3m3 minutes ago

   Gonna be some great conditions and stellar fields though so will still be out there going wild course side! Hope to see you there!

It will be the battle of the two recordholders(Ben Blankenship and Nick Willis) for the Medtronic TC Mile Men's Title Tonight...

Minnesota Olympians

On making the 2016 Olympics: "It's the highest stage for any track & field athlete." -@HassyHass35 joined on stage by @benfblankenship pic.twitter.com/DnKrVp4eXW

— TrackTown USA (@GoTrackTownUSA) March 8, 2017

"I said, If I don't make it in 2016, I'm going to go be a coal miner." @benfblankenship prior to the 2016 US Olympic Trials

— TrackTown USA (@GoTrackTownUSA) March 8, 2017

"My first outdoor meet of the year will be the Pre Classic in May." -@benfblankenship

— TrackTown USA (@GoTrackTownUSA) March 8, 2017