The last time Rachel Smith hit the roads, she won the USATF 15K Championship last month in Florida. The last time Stephanie Bruce hit the roads, it was the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
Both veteran Flagstaff pro runners — and, yes, new moms — will be competing this weekend.
Smith, sponsored by Hoka but part of husband Mike Smith’s training group, is on a hot streak. She had a promising indoor season before winning the 15K road title by overtaking Keira D’Amato in the final mile. Then, she raced only the third track 10K of her life at The Ten in mid-March and ran 31:04, an Olympic Trials standard, though not the Olympic standard, and a personal best.
Now, she heads back to the road to attempt the USATF distance double: 15K and 10-Mile. She won’t face D’Amato this time. Rather, she’ll line up next to fellow Flagstaff-based pro Emily Durgin, as well as the likes of Molly Huddle and Annie Frisbie.
In the men’s race at Cherry Blossom, Abbabiya Simbassa, who trains with Ryan Hall’s group in Flagstaff, will run, as well as Dark Sky’s Jacob Thomson and McKirdy Trained Nathan Martin. Hillary Bor is the defending champ and will seek a three-peat. Simbassa was the runnerup last year.
Bruce, who also gave birth less than a year ago, had a rough time at the US Olympic Marathon trials, finishing in 2:47. But it’s been reported that her training is going well, and she’ll test that at the Cooper River Bridge Run (10K) in Charleston, South Carolina. Bruce is also on the start list for the Night of 10,000 PBs in London on May 18, when she’ll try for either the U.S. Trials standard of 32 minutes or the Olympic Standard of 30:40 — or both.
NAZ Elite’s Alex Masai will run in the men’s field at Cooper River.
And at the Carlsbad 5,000, which features a new and (purportedly faster) course along the oceanfront, Flagstaff’s Kim Conley returns to the roads. She’ll be joined in the women’s elite race by McKirdy Trained’s Angie Nickerson and Dark Sky’s Alicia Cridebring.
The Carlsbad men’s race features Flagstaff’s Edwin Kurgat (Dark Sky) and Ben Veatch (Dark Sky) and Matt Baxter (NAZ Elite).
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