USA Cross Country Championships presented by Gleukos
Flatirons Golf Course (Boulder, CO)
February 10, 2007

When it was announced that the 2007 USATF Cross Country Championships would be held in Boulder, CO, many believed that it would be a disaster with snow and cold temperatures as well as altitude playing factors in the event. Those naysayer's could not have been more wrong as the course was in fine shape, the temperatures were comfortable for not only the runners but also the spectators who turned out to line just about every inch of the 2,000 meter (1.25 miles) loop.

Yes, the altitude was going to effect the runners and, yes, there was some snow on the ground which made the course muddy in some places, and, yes, even a few of the U.S. stars did stay away, but the quality of racing and meet management easily overshadowed those negatives. With this year's race in Boulder and last year's race that was held in New York have set a very high bar for all future staging of this event which also acts as the qualifier for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (this year to be held in Mombasa, Kenya).

Junior Girls 6000 meter Championship
Back during the 2005 scholastic cross country season it appeared that Jordan Hasay (San Luis Obispo, CA) was untouchable as she romped to easy wins in invitational, state and national titles. This past year was a different story for the sophomore who was winning races, but did not have the same zip in her legs. This year, her plan was to alter her training and point for this weekend and hopefully qualify for the World Championships, but a 10th place finish at the 2006 Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals put a question in her mind if she would even run in Boulder. In the end her plan and training past paid off as Hasay would lead every step of the way to earn the national title and a trip to the World Championships.

In the days building up to these championships, Hasay had run a 10:02 3,200 meter time trial, which gave her some confidence that the old zip was back in the legs. Firing off the line and building up a lead of over 30 meters through the first mile it looked like the Hasay of old, but behind her was a field that included other former national champions like Aislinn Ryan (University of Colorado) who had won the 2004 Foot Locker title and Mel Lawrence of Reno HS who had qualified for the World meet in 2005. For the first 2 laps of the 3 lap race Hasay was out in front alone while behind her a pack of four runners formed that included Bona Jones (NC State), Aislinn Ryan (University of Colorado), Aurora Scott (home schooled in Chesapeake, VA), and Kari Hardt (Arizona State University) and they looked like they had little interest in going after the early leader as team slots had been pretty much assured (6 runners qualify for the World meet on the junior level and 9 on the senior level). As the chase pack started the final 2000 meter loop Jones seemed to start to apply pressure on the group which would now begin to split up. Meanwhile, upfront Hasay was admittedly suffering, but well on her way to victory. It was behind her where the fireworks were happening. Jones would pull away from the pack to grab runner-up honors while Ryan, the one many felt would dominate this race having now lived at altitude, would start to suffer most. Hardt and Scott would come home in 3rd and 4th safely earning trips to Kenya, but Ryan was struggling while Jocelyn Burke (University of Iowa) was moving through the field. Coming down the final straight Ryan was laboring even looking back to check to see if she was going to be able to hold onto her qualifying position and with 100 meters to go was caught by Burke, but there was to be no others close and a ticket to Kenya was in Ryan's hand.

Hasay: "I had a little problem with the altitude and took it out a bit too hard . . . at 1 lap to go I was really starting to feel it . . . my legs are a lot better now that we went back to my old routine l . . . I tried not to let the pressure get to me like it had a Foot Locker Nationals . . . the 10:02 time trial gave me lots of confidence for today's race."

Junior Men's 8000 meter Championship
The junior men's race would play out much different than any other race this weekend as a true pack would form and remain together until the later stages of the race. With no clear cut favorite and with many running their first ever race over 5,000 meters and/or at altitude the junior men's race went out at a more controlled manner with as many as 30 runners near the front through the early stages.

Little would occur through the first 2 laps of the 4 lap race, but just past the half way mark two runners whose names were thrown out as possible qualifiers, AJ Acosta (University of Oregon) and Brian Rhodes-Devey (Guilderland HS, NY) would drop out. Acosta, the 2005 Foot Locker National Champion, would stop as a result of a side stitch and Rhodes-Devey would have almost all of his shoe torn off when another runner stepped on his foot. Even without these two runners the pack would stay together until just before 1 lap to go (2000 meters) Elliot Heath a high schooler from Winona, MN would go on the attack and fracture the field. Only Kenny Klotz (University of Oregon) would chase Heath while the rest would be forced to battle for the remaining team spots. Over the final loop Heath would pull away from Klotz who in turn would hold on for a comfortable 2nd place finish. Behind the two leaders a group of four runners would pull away from the rest of the field to claim the final team positions. 2006 Foot Locker West Regional winner Matt Tebo (Albuquerque, NM), Ryan McNiff (Adams State), Noel Bateman (Iona College) and Joshua Edmonds (Liberty University) would all finish within two seconds of each other to earn tickets to Kenya. Early leader Dustin Martin (Albuquerque, NM), who headed the field through the first 2-1/2 laps would fade to 8th. For the winner, who was on no pre-meet form charts as a possible title contender, weeks of cross country skiing since the end of the high school cross country season had helped him prepare for his first race at the 8,000 meter distance and handle the 5,000' altitude better than most.

Heath: " Making the team was on my mind coming into the race I just wanted to go out and be in position and see what happened . . . Over the last half of the race I did not know what to expect and was surprised I pulled away, but once I did I simply tried to fight right to the end"

Senior Women's 8000 meter Championship
Two weeks go Shalane Flanagan had rocked the U.S. distance community by smashing the U.S. indoor 3000 meter record. Coming into Boulder many thought she would be the woman to beat. Had everyone forgotten about Deena Kastor? Right trom the gun there was little question that Kastor was going out to prove to everyone that there is only one queen of USA women's distance running. By the finish Kastor would build up a winning margin of just over a minute on a field that many called the best women's field of U.S. distance running ever assembled. Early on Flanagan and Elva Dryer would attempt to match strides with the 2004 Olympic marathon Bronze medal winner and both would pay for their actions. Flanagan would admit to suffering more than she ever had in a race and even worried about being able to finish but she did come home in 2nd place while Dryer would struggle home in 6th place.

Kastor: "It felt good to get back to cross country, I haven't run a cross country race since 2003... I was a little scared because of my lack of cross country racing, but as soon as we got to the starting line, I felt that excitement once again from years back . . . It's a different burn that I felt today versus the marathon . . . I put my heart and soul out there, and I didn't have much left at the end . . . It was challenging . . . I never felt comfortable any part of the way."

Flanagan: "It was the hardest race I have ever run . . . On the second lap I thought there was no way I was going to finish . . . I think I was a little naive thinking I could run with Deena."

Senior Men's 12,000 meter Championship
In the days building up to the weekends races University of Colorado cross country coach Mark Wetmore called the event "The Super Bowl of Running." As it turned out it looked more like a University of Colorado alumni race as former Buffalo runners claimed the top 4 places with 5 in the top 10 as Alan Culpepper, Adam Goucher, Dathan Ritzenhein, Jorge Torres and Eduardo Torres dominated the field.

Ritzenhein would attempt to follow the example of Hasay and Kastor and power away from the field early and cruise to victory ----and, early on it look like he would do exactly that. Throughout the first 4 laps of the 6 lap race Goucher would constantly try to bridge the gap to the leader, but never seemed to really be able to make up any ground. Culpepper, meanwhile, was picking off those who had gone out too fast. As the race approached 9,000 meters, he was not only able to catch Goucher, but make his way up to Ritzenhein. Once in front Culpepper seemed to gather strength from the crowd that took pleasure in cheering on the former University of Colorado runners, calling to each by their first names. Behind the new leader Goucher was able to reel in Ritzenhein who would later admit to going out a bit too fast.

For the University of Colorado it was a fitting tribute that former runners would dominate this race as each had either won individual NCAA championships or had been part of teams that had won championships while at the Boulder school. It was also a chance for a community that obviously is very much a running town to honor these runners and the University of Colorado program.

Culpepper: "This is really special . . . I almost came to tears down the last straight seeing all the fans . . . This is where Shayne and I started our marriage, and this is where my running made a big step forward . . . I felt like I owed it to Boulder to run well today-they've been so supportive of Shayne and I . . . The way this community supports us is truly amazing."

Goucher : " He [Culpepper] ran away smarter race than we did . . . That is the way altitude is, I was on oxygen debt way too fast."

Ritzenhein: "I was in shock when I was up there by myself . . . After about 4 laps oxygen debt was starting to get real bad . . . Alan ran such a smart race."