Sandwiched by the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the afternoon, Saturday morning and evening belonged to the pros, and Under Armour Dark Sky Distance’s Sharon Lokedi started the day with a strong second place finish in the Mastercard Mini 10K in New York City.
Lokedi, racing for the first time since the Boston Marathon, ran 31:04 for the runner-up spot behind Senbere Teferi, a three-time champ, in 30:47. Lokedi and Teferi were nearly stride-for-stride at the 5K mark before Teferi took control.
Emily Durgin, a part time Flagstaff resident, finished sixth in 31:49. Flagstaff’s Sara Hall was 11th in 32:14.
Then, Saturday night began the two-day Portland Track Festival.
Most of the big races will be contested Sunday night, with Flagstaffians Rachel Smith, Regan Yee, Theo Quaz, Wesley Kiptoo, Futsum Zienasellassie, Elly Henes, Ben Veatch, Matt Wilkinson and Kasey Knevelbaard participating. As well, familiar college names are making the drive up from Eugene, after the NCAA meet. NAU’s Colin Sahlman is running in the fast heat of the 1,500 meters, and Maggi Congdon is sscheduled for the third heat of the 1,500.
Hoka NAZ Elite’s Kellyn Taylor, who hasn’t raced since a stress fracture just before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials this spring, raced the 10,000 meters Saturday night in hopes of achieving the Trials standard of 31:30. She did not achieve that, but she did finish second in the race and, more importantly, log a time of 32:23.95.
The qualification period ends this weekend, so it appears Taylor, who ran a 70-second final lap, may have dipped into the field for the Trials. Nothing is official as of yet. Dani Polerecky and Flagstaff’s Makenna Myler both DNF’d.
NAU’s Odessa Zentz, running unattached in the open 800 earlier in Portland, finished first in 2:08.39.
In elite trail running earlier this weekend, Flagstaff’s Ben Cook placed fourth in the blistering hot San Diego 100 Mile ultra in 21 hours 4 minutes 57 seconds in a race won impressively by Californian Jesus Topete, Jr. in 17:58:20.
On Sunday, Dark Sky’s Vincent Ciattei will compete in the 1,500 meters at the New York Grand Prix track meet, and Hoka NAZ Elite’s Nick Hauger and Dark Sky’s Matt Llano and Jacob Thomson will compete in the Chicago 13.1.
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