Bawcom, Braun, Landry win USA Running Circuit
Posted Wednesday, 10 October, 2012
Janet Bawcom (Rome, Ga.) won the overall standings, while Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Christo Landry (Ann Arbor, Mich.) tied for the men’s top spot at the conclusion of the 2012 USA Running Circuit.
The USA Running Circuit is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2012 circuit featured nine events for men and ten for women.
Bawcom won the overall title for the second year in a row after winning three national titles in 2011 and duplicating the same effort in 2012 with national titles at the 15 km, 25 km and 10 mile distances. Bawcom amassed a total of 57 points, with Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) second with 47 points and Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) third with 39 points.
“I didn’t think I had a chance to win it since I had to exclude the 20 km Championships when I made the Olympic Team,” Bawcom said. “But it worked out well since I picked up a few points in the marathon. I am excited and I am thrilled to have another win.”
The men’s race was extremely close with four athletes finishing within two points of one another. Braun and Landry tied for first with 36 points apiece, and Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) was third with 35 points.
In the battle for first place, Braun and Landry both recorded two runner-up finishes during the year. Braun finished second at the USA Cross Country Championships and 1 mile Championships and added 4th and 6th place finishes at the 5 km and 10 mile distances. Landry took second in both the 15 km and 25 km Championships and also picked up points at the USA Cross Country Championships, 20 km, 5 km and 10 mile.
“I knew that I was four points down from Abdi [Abdirahman] and two points down from Christo [Landry], and I couldn’t control how they would do,” Braun said. “But I knew that I had a chance if I could beat both both of them; that was one of my goals going into the race.”
The 2012 USARC featured more than $900,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. Braun and Landry will receive $5,000 each due to the tie.
The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.
For more information on the USA Running Circuit, visit www.usatf.org
