Hoka NAZ Elite has bolstered its growing track roster on Tuesday when the group announced the signing of Australian middle-distance runner Jackson Sharp, who has just finished his eligibility at the University of Wisconsin.
Sharp, 24, last April placed third in the 2024 Australian Athletics Championship 5,000 meters, but was not selected for the Aussie Olympic team. Last June, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, he finished 10th in the 5,000 meters in 14:01.48.
More recently, he has been focusing on shorter distances. In Grand Prix pro races in July, he showed consistency in the 1,500 meters and the mile. His best time this summer was 3:38.03 , good for fourth place in Leuven, Belgium. He also ran 3:39.48 for the distance at the Flanders Cup and 3:39.04 at the Morton Games in Dublin.
Sharp is a former Wisconsin Badger teammate of NAZ Elite’s Olin Hacker.
In a press release, NAZ Elite coach Jack Mullaney said of Sharp: “Jackson is an athlete with the tools to be world class. He is someone we identified very early on because of his success across a range of events and his ability to consistently execute in championship races.”
NAZ Elite posted an internal Q-and-A with Sharp. Click here to read.
— Several local elite trail runners ventured to Mammoth, Calif., last weekend for the Mammoth Trail Fest, which drew an international field in distances ranging from a vertical ascent to the 50K.
In the marquee race, the 26K, pro runner Rachel Tomajczyk of Williams placed 11th among a strong women’s field in 2:25:36, despite missing a turn in the final two miles and having to add about a half mile to her race. She lost three spots after the wrong turn. Earlier this summer, Tomajczyk finished sixth in both at Broken Arrow Sky Race (Lake Tahoe) Vertical Climb and the 23K. Most recently, she placed second behind Lauren Gregory in the Loon Mountain Race (New Hampshire).
Flagstaff’s Heidi Nadeau, a Team BAA runner prepping for the New York City Marathon in November, decided to go off-road and compete at Mammoth. She finished as the 39th woman in 2:59:36.
In the 50K, Flagstaff’s Adam Sjolund, 23 and a member of the Verde Track Club, placed 11th in 4:58:1; Ben Cook finished 29th among men at 5:40:50.
— And, finally, results finally have been posted from the inaugural Elden Ridge Run (12.6 miles) held on Sept. 7. Ten of the 12 runners were from Flagstaff. The winner: Sjolund in 1:38:32, with Cordis Hall second in 1:46:14 and Travis Gibbons third in 1:53:59. The top masters was Rob Hall, 61, in fourth place overall in 2:20:38. Lauren Pierce was the top woman and fifth overall in 2:38.
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