Cabada takes men's USA Marathon title, Goucher wins women's 10 mile championship at Twin Cities
By Jim Estes, USATF
Posted Monday, 6 October, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Fernando Cabada (Boulder, Colo.) topped a competitive men's field to win the USA Men's Marathon Championship in 2:16:32 at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Sunday in Minneapolis, Minn. The weekend's events also included the USA Women's 10 Mile Championship where 2008 Olympian and 2007 World Outdoor 10,000m bronze medalist Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) cruised to her first USA road title in 53:16.
The weather turned out to be a major factor in the race for Cabada and the field as light showers turned to a driving rain at eight miles to combine with light winds and 48 degree temperatures that quickly chilled the air in the middle miles of the race.
Nearly 30 men passed the first mile in a leisurely 5:30 when Chris Lundstrom (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Justin Young (Boulder, Colo.) took charge and pulled the field through the next two miles in 5:20 and 4:50.
At four miles Simon Sawe (Santa Fe, N.M.) and Celedonio Rodriguez (Flagstaff, Ariz.) joined the leaders to share the pacing duties in an attempt to keep the pace honest. However, the worsening conditions caused the leaders to maintain caution.
At 14 miles, Cabada, the American Record holder at 25 km moved to the front of the lead pack where he waited to make his move which came on a short uphill just before 18 miles. By 19 miles he had opened a 60 meter lead which would grow to 1:07 by the finish despite being on his own to battle the wind and rain.
Behind Cabada, Rodriguez and Sawe looked to be on their own to fight for second and third but Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) overtook the pair just past the 21 mile mark and although he seemed to have momentum on his side, Ed Torres (Boulder, Colo.) and Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis, Minn.) were on the move, steadily closing the gap to eventually pass Morgan during the last mile.
Gabrielson won the duel for second, running 2:17:38 to finish 16 seconds ahead of Torres. Morgan held on to finish fourth in 2:17:54 and Mike Sayenko (Bellevue, Wash.) moved up to finish fifth in 2:19:18. Additionally, the championship offered a one-day qualifying opportunity for the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon with the top-ten men meeting the qualifying standards.
Cabada and Gabrielson also earned berths on the U.S. team for the 2009 IAAF World Championships marathon in Berlin, Germany next August.
The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon offered a prize purse for the 2008 USA Men's Marathon Championship of $72,500 with Cabada earning $25,000 for the win, plus an additional $7,000 in incentives and bonuses.
Women's 10 Mile Championship
With a 7:05 a.m. start, the Medtronic TC 10 Mile field managed to stay ahead of the weather that would plague the marathon, providing more favorable conditions for the USA Women's 10 Mile Championship with an invitation-only women's wave start.
As anticipated Goucher and hometown favorite Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.) made their way to the front early. Going through an aid station near three miles, Goucher went to take water and unexpectedly found herself alone in the lead but maintained the tempo to carry on to a 1:48 win and a new course record.
McGregor easily took second in 55:04 and Kelly Liljeblad (Niwot, Colo.) rounded out the top-three in 57:06.
The championship offered a total of $25,000 in prize money with Goucher earning $10,000 for the win.
10th Medtronic TC 10 Mile: USA Women's Championship
Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN, Sunday, October 5, 2008
1) Kara Goucher (OR), 53:16*, $10,000
2) Katie McGregor (MN), 55:04, $6000
3) Kelly Liljeblad (CO), 57:06, $4000
4) Nicole Hagobain (MA), 57:20, $2000
5) Annie Bersagel (CO), 57:34, $1000
6) Sopagna Eap (OR), 58:17, $750
7) Melisa Christian (TX), 58:20, $500
8) Melissa Todd (MO), 58:50, $275
9) Brandy Erholtz (CO), 58:55, $250
10) Alissa McKaig (IN), 59:09, $225
*course record (previous record, 53:51, Katie McGregor, 2006)
Complete results at: www.MTCMarathon.org
Masters Marathon
For the 18th consecutive year, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon hosted the USA Masters Marathon Championship where Dennis Simonaitis (Draper, Utah) won his second masters marathon title in 2:27:23 over Carl Rundell (Birmingham, Mich.) by 44 seconds. Defending champion Tracy Lokken (Marquette, Mich.) finished third in 2:30:24.
The women's masters division was won by Susan Empey (Mercer Island, Wash.) in 2:50:05 with Meghan Arbogast (Corvallis, Ore.) taking second in 2:51:34 and Doreen McCourbrie (Malvern, Pa.), taking third in 2:53:29.
The USA Masters Marathon Championships offered over $50,000 in prize money with Simonaitis and Empey earning $7,500 each.
27th Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon: USA Men's and Masters Championships
Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN, Sunday, October 5, 2008
MEN
1) Fernando Cabada (CO), 2:16:32, $32,000
2) Matt Gabrielson (MN), 2:17:38, $20,750
3) Edwardo Torres (CO), 2:17:54, $13,750
4) Mike Morgan (MI), 2:17:58, $9750
5) Mike Sayenko (WA), 2:19:18, $5500
6) Trent Briney (AZ), 2:19:57, $4500
7) Chad Johnson (MI), 2:20:47, $3250
8) Fasil Bizuneh (CO), 2:20:52, $2250
9) Josh Eberly (CO), 2:21:41, $1125
10) Celedonio Rodriguez (AZ), 2:21:55, $625
11) Chris Lundstrom (MN), 2:22:09, $400
USA MASTERS Men (40+)
1) Dennis Simonaitis, 46, UT, 2:27:23, $7500
2) Carl Rundell, 40, MI, 2:28:09, $4800
3) Tracy Lokken, 43, MI, 2:30:24, $3500
WOMEN
1) Olga Glok (RUS), 2:32:28, $25,000
2) Silvia Skvortsova (RUS), 2:32:39, $15,000
3) Elza Kireeva (RUS), 2:39:49, $10,000
4) Mary Akor (USA / CA), 2:40:00, $7000
5) Stephanie Rothstein (USA / OR), 2:40:07, $5000
6) Zinaida Semenova, 45, RUS, 2:40:19, $5500
7) Irina Permitina, 40, RUS, 2:41:43, $4000
8) Camille Herron (USA / IN), 2:42:40, $2000
9) Kim Duclos, (USA / MA), 2:44:45, $1000
10) Zeddy Chepkoech (KEN), 2:47:08, $500
USA MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Susan Empey, 40, WA, 2:50:08, $7500
2) Meghan Arbogast, 47, OR, 2:51:36, $4800
3) Doreen McCourbrie, 46, PA, 2:53:32, $3500
Complete results at: www.MTCMarathon.org
About the USARC
The USA Men's Marathon Championship, hosted by the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon was the final stop for men, and the USA Women's 10 Mile Championships was the eighth stop for women on the 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC). Cabada's win in the marathon moved him from third to take the circuit title with 65 points. Deena Kastor currently leads the women with 45 points.
The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series that features USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The thirteenth edition for the men and twelfth for the women, the 2008 circuit has nine events for men and seven events for women.
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. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.
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 $4 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.
For more information on the 2008 USARC visit www.usatf.org.
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