Gene Niemi's 10 Mile Race photo Album

Defending 10 Mile and US champion Shadrack Kipchirchir (#20001)checks to see  who might be a threat

Sarah Hall(#20101) defends her US and TC 10 Mile titles, outkicking  runner up Molly Huddle(#20103)
and Minnesota native Emma Bates(#20106), who finished third.

 Kipchirchir(20001) begins his kick as he and runner up Leonard Korir (20002)
sprint downhill toward the finish

Timing Error

USATF 10 Mile women’s champion Sara Hall will receive a $10,000 bonus matching the one awarded to men’s champ Shadrack Kipchirchir, after race officials discovered a mistake in the timing of the staggered starts of the women’s and men’s fields at the USATF 10 Mile Championships on Sunday.

At the race, held in conjunction with the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, the women’s field is given a head start and the first USATF champion to cross the finish line – female or male --  is awarded the $10,000 “Equalizer Bonus” in addition the championship’s other prize money.

Twin Cities In Motion race officials discovered today that the men’s race started only six minutes and 10 seconds after the women, rather than the 6:18 announced before the competition. The race-within-a-race received increased attention this year, when the men caught the women just before the finish line and Kipchichir finished first.

“I hold the stopwatch that counts down the time between the start of the women and the start of the men, and I called for the starting gun at 6:18 on the watch,” Twin Cities In Motion executive director Virginia Brophy Achman said.  “The timing computers show only a 6:10 gap between the starts, so there was clearly a mistake in the process.”

“We think it’s only fair to award both Sara and Shadrack $10,000 equalizer bonuses, since the execution of the equalizer was in error,“ Brophy Achman added. “We regret the error and will review our process for the future.”

Gene Niemi's TC 10 Mile Photo Album

Natosha Rogers(Left) and  and Sara Hall(Right) near the halfway point of the TC 10 Mile
Photo by Gene Niemi

                            Emma Bates solo along the River Road.  Bates finished 6th in the 10 Mile.
                           Bates said that she would probably try the marathon next, possibly next year.
                                                                  Photo by Gene Niemi

NDSU Grad Maddie Van Beek finished 9th.  Said she never felt comfortable.  Just didn't have it.
                                                              Photo by Gene Niemi

Aliphine Tuliamuk(20101) joins the leaders.
Tuliamuk was the current leader in the USATF Road Racing Circuit series going into the TC race.
Photo by Gene Niemi

The men's chase pack. 2nd place finisher Leonard Korir(20001) is near the front of the pack.  Jonathan Grey, who would finish 9th, is  in the middle of the pack(20004).6th place finisher Biya Simbassa (20011)is next to and slightly behind Grey(20004)Grey is moving back to Minnesota in December.  Simbassa is running his first race in two months.He had a foot injury.
Photo by Gene Niemi

Side View.  Korir up front, Grey and Simbassa in the middle. Shadrack Kipchirchir(#20006)
near the back.
Photo by Gene Niemi

The Equalizer

The TC 10 Mile offers more than prize money($12,000 for finishing first, $10,000 for second) A bonus called  the "Equalizer" pays an additional $10,000 for the man or woman who is the first to break the tape at the finish.  It's called the equalizer because the winner can be either a man or a woman.

The women are given a six plus minute head start and the men chase them in an effort to be the first to the finish and the overall champion of this "handicap" race.  (It's called a handicap as one gender(the women) has an advantage from the start that the men must overcome to collect the "winner take all" prize.

The photos below, were taken during the downhill stretch from the Cathedral to the finish, and illustrate the narrow margin of victory in the battle for the bonus.

The top three women heading toward the finish
Photo by Gene Niemi

Aliphine Tuliamuk(3rd place woman, bib # 20101). Woman's 10-mile champion Sara Hall(#2010). And Women's 10 mile runner up, Natosha Rogers(#20103) battle to get to the finish to be crowned the USATF 10-Mile female champion and, if they beat the men a "pot of gold" at the end of the "rainbow."

The men's lead pack sprint down the hill in an attempt to catch the women
Photo by Gene Niemi

The top two men catch the top two women.

Copyrighted Photo by Mike Scott

Shadrack Kipchirchir(#200006) edges Leonard Korir at the finish

Copyrighted Photo by Mike Scott

Plan Ahead for MedtronicTC Marathon Events Transportation

Twin Cities In Motion Urges Motorists to Plan Ahead on Race Day
METRO Blue & Green Lines Free for Runners on Sept. 30 & Oct. 1

St. Paul, Minn. – September 26, 2017 – Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon organizer Twin Cities In Motion advises Minneapolis and St. Paul residents on the move on Sunday morning to plan travel ahead of time due to street closures for the 36th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 1.

On race day, motorists will notice traffic restrictions in downtown Minneapolis starting in the early morning hours on Sunday. An area near the U.S. Bank Stadium from 5th Avenue to 11th Avenue and from 6th Street to 3rd Street will be closed at 5:00 a.m. for start line setup, reopening at approximately 9:00 a.m., ahead of the noon Vikings home game.

Participants and spectators are reminded that northbound I-35W will be closed on Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend for Franklin Ave. overpass demolition, so those driving into downtown Minneapolis are urged to allow extra time to reach the start line or other destinations downtown.

Along the marathon course which runs from downtown Minneapolis, along the chain of lakes to Minnehaha Parkway, up West River Road to the Franklin Bridge, down East River Road to Summit Avenue, and to the finish at the state capitol will prompt rolling road closures on the course itself and limit traffic across it to selected crossing points. The crossing points are listed on the Twin Cities In Motion website at tcmevents.org/transportation.

At the finish area on the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul, following closures are scheduled:

• Summit Avenue between Ramsey Street and Portland Ave. will be closed from Saturday, September 30, at noon through Sunday, October 1, at 6:00 p.m. Traffic will be detoured on Portland Ave to Arundel Street.
• John Ireland Blvd. between 12th Street and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. will be closed Thursday, September 28, at 9:00 a.m. through Sunday, October 1, at 5:00 p.m.
• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Aurora Avenue will be closed Friday, September 29, at 9:00 a.m. through Sunday, October 1, at 6:00 p.m.

• 12th Street from Wabasha to John Ireland Blvd. will be closed Saturday, September 30, from 5:00 a.m. to noon and on Sunday, October 1, from 5:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Franklin Avenue Bridge crossing the Mississippi River in Minneapolis will be closed to motor vehicle traffic while the 10 mile and marathon use the bridge. The motor vehicle closure is expected to last from roughly 5:45 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Parking: Motorists are reminded to take note of hooded meters and no parking signs along and near the course. Near the start line, event parking rates will apply on Sunday morning due to the Minnesota Vikings game later in the day. Finish line parking is available on the streets and in various lots around the Capitol grounds in Saint Paul. The Sears store west of the Capitol offers limited Event Parking near the finish line on a first-come first-served basis for $20.

METRO Lines: Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and Medtronic TC 10 Mile runners can ride the METRO Green and Blue Lines for free on Saturday, September 30, and Sunday, October 1, if they display their race bib. Event volunteers can ride METRO Red Line buses or METRO Green and Blue Line trains when they display a date-specific downloadable free ride pass for various times Thursday, September 28 , through Sunday, October 1.

More than 30,000 runners are expected for the 36th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend which includes events on Saturday, September 30, on and near the State Capitol grounds. For more information about the events, visit the Twin Cities In Motion website, tcmevents.org

TC 10 Mile Champ Hasay Runs 1:08:40

Reigning Medtronic TC 10 Mile champion Jordan Hasay clocked a 1:08:40 debut half marathon in sticky Houston on Sunday.

Read David Monti's feature on the former Oregon Duck HERE.

TC 10 Mile is USATF Running Circuit 10 Mile Championship Again in 2017

Gene Niemi's TC 10 Mile Photo Gallery, Results

Men's lead pack. Photo by Gene Niemi

Top Three Women. Photo by Gene niemi

Maddie Van Beek. Photo by Gene Niemi

Meghan Peyton headed for the finish. Photo by Gene Niemi

TC 10 Mile Women's Results HERE. Men HERE.

Medtronic TC 10-Mile(US Championships) Preview

Medtronic TC 10-Mile(US Championships) Preview HERE

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend Begins on Friday

St. Paul resident Gwen Jorgensen, who won the Olympic women's triathlon gold medal in Rio this summer, headlines the 35^th anniversary Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend kicking off Friday morning with the opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at the Saint Paul RiverCentre

Jorgensen, who plans to make her marathon debut later this fall in New York, will compete in the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, which hosts the USATF Men’s & Women’s 10 Mile Championships for the second straight year.

Other notable elite athletes competing on marathon weekend include defending Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon men’s and women’s champions Dominic Ondoro of Kenya and Serkalem Abrha of Ethiopia.  

The 27 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Charter Club members – 26 runners and one wheeler who have finished all 34 Twin Cities Marathons since 1982 will attempt to continue their streaks. 1992 Olympic men’s figure skating silver medalist Paul Wylie, as the honorary captain, will join the 2016 Global Hero team.  

Marathon Weekend kicks off at 11:00 a.m. on Friday with opening of the Health & Fitness Expo at Saint Paul RiverCentre. The expo, which runs through Saturday evening features more than 100 exhibitors, a full schedule of free presentations, and packet pick up for the weekend’s races.

30,000 people are expected to participate in running events held Saturday and Sunday. Saturday events at the Capitol grounds in St. Paul include a 10K and 5K.    

The Medtronic TC 10 Mile, known as the Shortcut to the Capitol^®, starts in downtown Minneapolis and kicks off the Sunday races at 6:53 a.m. The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon follows at 7:55 a.m.
.

Olympic Gold Medalist @gwenjorgensen will run the #tc10mile this weekend. We look forward to watching her compete on Sunday morning! pic.twitter.com/HeJLQ1mBK6

— TwinCities In Motion (@tcmarathon) October 3, 2016

Welcome to Brother USATF's Travelling Show...

Last Sunday's men's race of the Medtronic TC 10 Mile had a little bit  of everything. It had the deepest, most competitive elite field of the TC Marathon weekend.   Wearing numer 20001 was an Olympian hoping to use the race as a part of his preparation for making his third US Olympic team, Michigan native Dathan Ritzenhein.

The TC 10 Mile course recordholder Abdi Abdiraham was given #2000.  Number 2003 was worn by Jared Ward, the 2015 US Marathon and 25K champion who is also a Griak Initational Gold race champion when he ran for BYU. He's also the current leader of the USATF Running Circuit otherwise known to this current crop of elites as "Brother USATF's Traveling Salvation Show."

At the end of each race when the runners are leaving to catch their planes, said Sam Chelanga: "We say: 'See you next week.'"  They've each chosen the USATF Circuit to work on their perparation for the Olympic Marathon Trials.

Newly minted US citizen Chelanga, the 2015 USATF XC Champion, two time NCAA XC champ, NCAA 10K recordholder who had post collegiate setbacks with stress ffractures in both 2013 and 2014.  Now training under Bernard Lagat's coach James Li, Chelenga has been healthy and said after the race that he was not planning on running track.  His goal in 2016 was the US Olympic Trials in the marathon. To get ready for the marathon Chelenga took to the roads.

At almost every USATF Running Circuit event he encountered some of the Traveling Show members.  Dean of the squad for the Fall being Tyler Pennel. Pennel ran every circuit race  from the USATF 10K Champs at the Peachtree Road race in Atlanta on July 4 to the New Haven 20K on September 7, and the CVS in Providence, RI on September 20.

As the the 2014 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion, Pennel was hoping to add another Twin Cities race title to his resume in last Sunday.  He'd spent most of 2014 racing a sub four minute mile on the track and a summer track season.  That transitioned  to the 10K, 20K, and 5K US Road Champs events leading up to the TC 10.  The top six from the race in the New Haven 20K were entered in the TC 10. Six out of the top seven made it to the starting line, as Luke Puskedra passed to compete in today's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where he was first American in fifth place in a PR of 2:10:24.

The New Haven Six were left to battle each other for the top spots at Twin Cities. Battle they did. The lead pack of a dozen or so going through halfway in 23:47, thinning out to four men left with a mile to go.

Lead pack crests last hill at 9m in #tcm10 mile - @SamChelanga @TylerPennel Jim Spisak @djritzenhein - @tcmarathon pic.twitter.com/CeCGlzbD0e

— Scott A. Schneider (@sasphoto) October 9, 2015

Ritzenhein made a move with about two miles to go,  but it didn't break up the pack.  Pennel, who is confident of his prowess on hills took off near nine miles where the last "uphill" is.  It's just a slight incline, but Pennel put the hammer down and the race for first was on.  The top three gapped Spisak, the tallest of the four, who was the first to be unable to hold Pennel's surge.  Next to drop back was Ritzenhein.

Laying on the massage table after the race, Ritz was smiling, but said he had hoped to be in the mix when the race entered the final downhill drop at the St. Paul Cathedral, but he wasn't able to match Pennel and Chelanga as the foursome turned past Ramsey Hill and headed for the finish. Pennel said the move in the last mile had been what he planned, and it seemed to be working, if only he could shake Chelanga, get a piece of daylight between he and Sam before the big drop.

The drop came and so did Chelanga.  Sam was hanging on, hoping that Pennel had spent his energy too early, but the closer the finish came the more he knew he had to put on a spurt of his own to come away with a win.  Pennel tied up slightly. Chelanga gave one last spurt to win by one second.  Ritz finished five seconds bak of Pennel.

All three will probably meet at least one more time in the USATF final event, the USATF 12K Championships in Alexandria, VA on November 15.  Then they'll take a break before going into the final training cycle leading up to the February Olympic trials in LA.  Ritzenhein says he'll be going South where the weather is warm instead of heading to altitude.  The weather in LA is likely to be warm, he said.  So, it's more important to be acclimated to the heat than any boost altitude training might provide.

If the trio can duplicate their top three finish for the TC Ten at the Trials, they'll be overjoyed. All three still have the track Trials 10K to fall back on as Ritz did in 2012 when he finished fourth in the marathon trials in Houston.  He'd rather book his spot on the first try this time.

Goucher not ready to Challenge Course Record; TC 10 the beginning of OT build up

Twin Cities 10 Miler with @karagoucher next Sunday! @duluthnews: https://t.co/3cs8R4P7VD #TC10mile #startinglines

— oiselle (@oiselle) October 1, 2015

Medtronic TC 10 Mile is US Championship

This @tcmarathon @usatf 10 Mile Champs is stacked to the maxxx! Things will be HOT here in Minneapolis on Oct. 4! 🔥💪 pic.twitter.com/t2rYJpeenq

— Josh Dedering (@jDedering) September 8, 2015

TC 10 Mile Familiar Faces: Photo Album by Gene Niemi

New Team USA Minnesota member Emily Gordon finished third in the
TC 10 Mile in 59:04.  Photo by Gene Niemi

Eric Finan(200) and Joe Moore(010) placed 3rd in 48:46 and 2nd in 48:40,
respectively, in the TC 10 Mile men's race. Photo by Gene Niemi

New Team USA Minnesota team member  Gina Valgoi(20002) finished 4th
in 59:13 and former Team USA Minnesota team member Katie McGregor, who was
2nd in 57:46. Photo by Gene Niemi

Peterson and Mendez Win TC 10 Titles

Jon Peterson and his bike escort. Photo by Gene Niemi

Team USA's Jon Peterson defended his title in the Medtronic TC 10 Mile in 48:12 and Rogue Athletic Club's(Austin, TX) Allison Mendez won the women's title in 56:27.  Peterson took the lead at about two and a half miles after the second hill, he said, and kept rolling to the finish. The goal going in wasn't to run fast, Peterson added, just to win.  He still came within six seconds of his PR for the distance.

Allison Mendez on Summit Avenue. Photo by Gene Niemi

Mendez came to the race at the urging of her RAC teammate Scott MacPherson, who is running the marathon, and "the weather," she said.  Start time temps in the mid 30s with a minimal tail wind made for near perfect conditions, Mendez said.  She cruised to the win more than a minute in front of former Team USA Minnesota runner Katie McGregor, who finished second in 57:46.  Current Team USA "newbies," Emily Gordon(59:05) and Gina Valgoi(59:13) debuted in third and fourth, respectively.

Mendez is in her second year as a pro, still trains under her college coach Steve Sisson, who used to be the women's coach at the University of Texas.  She also works as a nanny to three boys aged 10, 8, and 5 and as a medical technician.  She plans to debut in the marathon at the US Olympic trials in LA in 2016 having qualified by running 1:13:47 at the Philadelphia Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon in 2013.

TCM and TC 10 Mile Info

For the latest info on race times, etc. go to the Medtronic TCM website HERE.

USATF live TV and Internet coverage will be HERE.

ESPN Radio 1500 will have radio coverage of the marathon

KARE 11 will have a live stream of the marathon finish at KARE11.com

News: Medtronic Renews TCM Sponsorship; NCAA Weekend Summary/AOW/Rankings; College Results; Mile in My Shoes; Transgender Athletes

Medtronic extends sponsorship of  Twin Cities in Motion events, which include  the Twin Cities Marathon, the TC Family Events, and TC 10 Mile this weekend, for five more years. News release HERE.

NCAA weekend recap from USTFCCCA is HERE.

Three Griak winners selected NCAA Athletes of the Week HERE.

NCAA Regional DI rankings HERE

St. Mary's No Limits Invitational results are HERE.

MPR on the Mile in My Shoes Program HERE.

MPR on the looming and, increasingly politicized, debate over transgender athletes is HERE.