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Thursday Night Lights at HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic

Published by
DyeStatPRO.com   May 13th 2015, 4:34pm
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Simpson, Rupp, Manzano and Price Lead the Action

By Scott Bush

The HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic gets underway Thursday, once again showcasing some of the best middle distance and distance talent in the United States. Along with some top tier competitors from Canada, Great Britain and Japan, top Americans take to the track, looking to either jump start their 2015 racing seasons or improve on seasonal bests.

Men’s 800m

Five of the top ten ranked two-lappers from 2014 are entered in this one. Ryan Martin, Cas Loxsom, HOKA ONE ONE athlete Mike Rutt, Charles Jock and Matthew Centrowitz make this one to watch.

Martin had a nice turnaround season last year, finishing US#5, continuing his climb among the top 800m specialists. Similarly, Loxsom seeks to build on a strong start to his season, including a gold medal as part of the victorious men’s 4x800m relay squad at last week’s IAAF World Relays.

Meanwhile, Jock and Rutt look to put their stamp on the 2015 season, as both have plenty of promise to contend for the win. Rutt hasn’t raced since indoors, while Jock focused on early season speed development. Both enter as wild cards, but neither can be overlooked.

For Centrowitz, Thursday’s race offers a great chance to lower his 800m personal best of 1:45.86, which he set in 2013. He’s coming off a tightly contested winning 800m performance last weekend at the Oregon Twilight.

While Loxsom won gold in the 4x800m relay last week, Brandon Johnson also won gold, helping Team USA set the world record in the distance medlay relay. Johnson is entered in Thursday’s contest and looks to regain one of the top spots in the 800m event after having an up and down 2014 season.

Not to be overlooked, especially after his winning effort at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Boris Berian seeks to continue building momentum on his season. Coming seemingly out of nowhere two weeks ago in Palo Alto, Berian ran a top U.S. mark of 1:45.30, which currently ranks him third best in the world. Mark Wieczorek, who finished third in that race, is also entered.

And just when you think the field couldn’t get any stronger, World Championship silver medalist Nick Symmonds finds himself looking to get back to the top of American middle distance running. Symmonds struggled with injury much of 2014 and continues to work himself back into shape. He won’t be the favorite, but as usual he can never be overlooked.

Other notable contenders: Declan Murray, Eric Avila, Aaron Evans and Richard Jones

Women’s 800m

If there is one race that is “must watch” it’s the women’s 800m. This event is loaded with a ridiculous amount of talent. Six of the top ten ranked Americans in the event from 2014 are entered and that doesn’t include a few notable Canadians, two rising American stars and a few very established veterans.

Leading the charge is Chanelle Price. The 2014 World Indoor champion in the 800m discipline seeks to build on a strong start to her season, which included a leadoff leg in the victorious 4x800m relay at the IAAF World Relays. Price also threw down a 2:00.62 effort in early April, clearly showing early season fitness.

Price is joined by fellow IAAF World Relays gold medalist Maggie Vessey, who Price handed off to in The Bahamas. Vessey currently ranks sixth in the world, having run an early season best of 2:01.58 back in early April.

Number four in the world currently, Charlene Lipsey, is poised for another big performance, as she seeks to build off her 2:01.04 effort last month. She’s joined by LaTavia Thomas and Geena Lara, the two other top ten ranked 800m athletes from 2014.

The best of the rest is equally as exciting. Leading the way is Jenny Simpson, who opens up her 2015 outdoor racing season with quite the challenge in front of her. Her personal best for 800m is 2:00.45. She rarely runs the two-lap race, so it’ll be an interesting watch to see how she handles such a furious early pace.

Nike Oregon Project teammates Shannon Rowbury and Treniere Moser, who bookended Team USA’s world record setting effort last week at the IAAF World Relays in the distance medlay relay, both seek to run fast, with an opportunity to really challenge their personal bests.

Equally as able to win Thursday, Canadians Jessica Smith and Karine Belleau-Beliveau are entered and seek to build on strong starts to their seasons.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, teen phenoms Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson are also entered. The two look to prove themselves against one of the strongest fields they’ll see this season. Neither is a two-lap star, but both can be very competitive and challenge the two-minute mark if they stay within themselves early on in the race.

Other notable contenders: Violah Lagat, McKayla Fricker, Megan Malasarte and Manami Mashita 

Men’s 1,500m

Olympic medalist Leo Manzano leads the way Thursday evening in the men’s 1,500m event. The HOKA ONE ONE athlete is coming off a strong winning performance over Matthew Centrowitz in the mile at the Drake Relays and seeks to continue building momentum heading into the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Entering with just as much momentum, Mac Fleet continues to show why he’s a rising star among the American middle distance running ranks. The former NCAA 1,500m champion has shown bright in a couple contests in Eugene, now looking to move that success to California.

His OTC Elite teammates, Jordan McNamara, Andrew Wheating and Patrick Casey, continue to build strong 2015 racing resumes. Wheating and McNamara, who are healthy and ready to own the year, have high hopes for Thursday’s race, while Casey continues to establish himself as a top contender as the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships approach.

Internationally, this meet is just as loaded, as headliners include Tom Lancashire, Nate Brannen and Ciaran O’Lionaird. All three men have shown at various points they are capable of winning this race. Each bring a wealth of experience and instinct to the field, which should create even more theatrics in the bell lap.

HOKA ONE ONE and NJNY Track Club teammates Kyle Merber and Ford Palmer are two other top contenders. Merber led off the world record setting U.S. squad in the men’s DMR at the IAAF World Relays, while Palmer continues to show he’s a top ten American threat over the 1,500m distance. Similarly, fellow HOKA ONE ONE athlete David Torrence is entered and ready to show he can once again compete among America’s best in the event.

Merber’s IAAF World Relays teammate, Robby Andrews, is having a tremendous year. Andrews anchored the victorious U.S. squad in the men’s 4x800m relay in The Bahamas, which built upon his 1,000 national title at the USATF Indoor Track and Field Championships, where he narrowly edged Merber for the win.

Other notable contenders: Chris O'Hare, Cory Leslie, Michael Atchoo and Matt Hillenbrand

Women’s 1,500m

The women’s 1,500m is loaded with a deep field of talent. Realistically, there are 12-15 individuals all capable of running sub-4:10, meaning one good day could see a surprise victor.

Olympian Emma Coburn opens up her racing season. Coburn, who’s a world-class steepler, might not be the fastest in the field when it comes to 1,500m and mile bests, but her strength and growing speed could propel her to the win.

Similarly, Olympic and World Championship medalist Sally Kipyego looks to lower her 1,500m best of 4:06.23. The OTC Elite athlete ran a tremendous winning effort of 14:57.44 for 5k at the Payton Jordan Invitational and looks to take some of that fitness and apply it to the shorter event this time around.

Nike Oregon Project teammates Shannon Rowbury, Treniere Moser and Mary Cain are all entered, and as noted are also running the 800m event. If they do indeed run a middle distance double effort, it remains to be seen how effective they will be, but all three are clearly strong and capable of winning. Rowbury especially continues to show amazing form in 2015 and a win Thursday could very well make her the odds-on-favorite heading into the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Arguably the most interesting athlete in the field to keep an eye on is Nicole Tully. The HOKA ONE ONE athlete ran to a surprise third place, 15:05.58 over 5,000m at Payton Jordan. Not only was the 5K her debut at the distance on the track, but also ranks her third in the world early on in the 2015 season. Tully’s 4:06.87 1,500m best could very well be in jeopardy.

Notable veterans Gabriele Grunewald, Olympian Morgan Uceny and Katie Mackey are all in the field. Each has shown time and again that they can never be overlooked, each possessing tremendous leg speed and solid racing tactics. Uceny is perhaps the most sharp of the bunch, but Mackey comes off a fine finish over 5,000m at Payton Jordan.

Two other top runners in the field are Sarah Brown and Stephanie Brown. The elder Brown bested the younger a month ago, narrowly winning 4:08.15-4:08.51. Both are experienced and have great racing instinct, making them legitimate threats to win.

Other notable contenders: Hilary Stellingwerff, Cory McGee, Sheila Reid, Stephanie Charnigo and Emily Lipari

Men’s Steeplechase

Leading the way in the men’s steeplechase is Canadian contender Matt Hughes.  Hughes, who owns a personal best of 8:11.64 from the 2013 season, looks to build upon his 2014 season where he ran a season best of 8:12.81, good enough to end the season ranked #11 in the world.

Hughes top challengers are fellow Canadians Chris Winter and Taylor Milne, with Milne having already run 8:25.46 this season, along with American Ben Bruce, Mexican Luis Ibarra and American Travis Mahoney.

Women’s Steeplechase

Three of the top four ranked American steeplechasers are entered in Thursday’s field, making this race extremely competitive and an early test to see just who will challenge for a Team USA spot later this season at the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Stephanie Garcia, Nicole Bush and Ashley Higginson, each going sub-8:30 last year, are the cream of the crop in American steeplechase competition. All three are evenly matched. Throw in 2012 Olympian Shalaya Kipp and fellow sub-8:30 steeplechaser Jamie Cheever and this field has five legitimate contenders.

Men’s 5,000m

Galen Rupp is back. After struggling with illness during the indoor season, causing him to cut his early season campaign short, the Portland-based Nike Oregon Project star is entered and ready to race Thursday. While expectations are low, considering this is the first time he’s raced since late January, Rupp is clearly the main focal point for fans in this race.

Rupp finds instant competition from Canadian teammate Cam Levins and Japanese teammate Suguru Osako. Levins, who ran very well indoors, including a new mile personal best of 3:54, has the closing speed to put himself in position for the win. Similarly, Osako looks not only to win, but challenge his 5,000m best. He ran sub-13:30 indoors and his 13:20 personal best looks within reason to go down.

13-flat 5k standout Lawi Lalang clearly enters in great shape. Coming off a fifth place finish over 1,500m at the Payton Jordan Invitational, Lalang looks to dominate an event he’s been so strong in over the years. OTC Elite’s Tom Farrell had his own success at Payton Jordan two weeks ago, with a fourth place finish over 5,000m. Both former collegiate standouts are looking to make their mark yet again this season.

Olympians Donn Cabral and David McNeill are two other top runners in the field. Cabral blitzed a sub-13:30 clocking indoors in mid-February, while McNeill finished fourth over 10,000m at Payton Jordan.

Other notable contenders: Abdi Bashir, Reed Connor, Dorian Ulrey and Tildrek Nurme

Women’s 5,000m

Ethiopia’s Buze Diriba and Great Britain’s Stephanie Twell lead a stacked field of talent in the women’s 5,000m Thursday night. Diriba, who owns the top PR in the field, with a 14:50 clocking back in 2013, enters off a runner-up 10,000m effort at the Payton Jordan Invitational. For Twell, she looks to build off her 15:13 eighth place effort in the 5k at Payton Jordan. Both are clearly in shape and ready to run fast.

For American distance running fans, Thursday’s race also sees the emergence of Kara Goucher, who’s been very quiet in 2015., having not raced yet. Goucher, who trains with Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn, found herself injured last year and made the long road back to competition this week .

Olympian Jen Rhines seeks to continue her impressive season, having qualified for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she finished 51st overall. She’s joined by fellow Team USA member Brie Felnagle, who placed 45th at World Cross. Felnagle csomes off a seventh place showing at Payton Jordan in the top heat of the 1,500m.

The trio of Kelly Taylor, Amy Van Alstine and Alexi Pappas are all underdogs clearly capable of pulling an upset. Taylor ranked US#10 in 2014 with a best of 15:21.93, while HOKA Northern Arizona Elite teammate Van Alstine ran 15:22.98 and Pappas 15:28.38 on the season. Taylor ran a tremendous debut marathon effort of 2:28:40 back in January, while Pappas placed 16th in the 10k at Payton Jordan.

Other notable contenders: Katie Matthews, Sarah Pagano, Natasha LaBeaud and Christine Babcock

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