March 29 – April 4

The first big meet weekend of the outdoor season took place this past weekend, with large meets in Texas, Alabama and Florida.  Some of the nation’s best distance runners unleashed their talents, piling up some tremendous results.  See what took place in this week’s Distance Gala Weekly.

The Top Five

There are some athletes, who every time out, seem to put up a noteworthy performance.  This past weekend saw four of those individuals come up big, showing why they’re the best in the country.

5.  Blacksburg (VA) – Running the top 4x800m relay time in the country over the weekend, Blacksburg (VA) showed why they will be a force come New Balance Nationals later this season.  At the Bradford Relays (VA), Blacksburg won the girls 4x800m relay in 9:09.39, while also winning the 4x1,600m relay in 20:52.06.

4. Craig Lutz (Jr., Marcus, TX) – It was only a matter of time before Craig Lutz put up an eye catching performance this season.  On Friday evening, Lutz did just that, winning the 3,200m run at the Texas Relays in a US#2 time of 8:58.71.  Lutz outkicked Texas rival Ryan Dohner (Sr., Klein Oak, TX), as Dohner ran a US#3 mark of 8:59.14.  Showing how deep the state of Texas is in distance running, a total of five athletes dipped under 9:10 in the race.

3. Cory McGee (Sr., Pass Christian, MS) – After a strong indoor season, Cory McGee kicked off her final outdoor track and field season, winning the mile at the Mobile Challenge of Champions (AL) in a US#1 time of 4:49.76.  Using her patented final kick, McGee pulled away from the strong field, showing once again why she is one of the best middle-distance runners in the country.  Emma Brink (Jr., Sacred Heart, KY) earned a new personal best of 4:52.51 to place second.

2. Tyler Anyan (Sr., Brookwood, GA) – The improvement Tyler Anyan has made this season is inspiring.  The Brookwood H.S. senior put up another great performance this past weekend at the Florida Relays, besting his teammate Carter Hewitt (Sr., Brookwood, GA) in the final strides of the 1,600m, crossing the finish 4:12.43-4:12.50.3,200m earlier in the week 8:57.73 at the Gwinnett County Championships, Florida Relays 1,600m 4:12.43, beat teammate Carter Hewitt 4:12.50.

Not to be forgotten, Anyan ran a US#1 time earlier in the week (on Monday), running 8:57.73 at the Gwinnett County Championships, becoming the first runner to dip under the 9-minute barrier this season for 3,200m.

1. Chelsey Sveinsson (Jr., Greenhill, TX) – Well, Chelsey Sveinsson was at it again, this time putting up some tremendous performance marks at the Texas Relays.  A week after running a US#1 mark for 1,600m, Sveinsson came back to the annual showcase of talent at the University of Texas, putting up a US#1 mark for 3,200m, winning the event by over 30 seconds in 10:07.75.  Leading from start to finish, Sveinsson dominated and put on quite the show.  On Saturday, the Texas junior doubled back to win the 1,600m event, crossing the finish line in 4:51.33.

Midwest Distance Gala – “Bringing the Best to the Midwest”

On Saturday, June 12, the sixth annual Midwest Distance Gala will take place at Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.  With registration opening in less than two weeks, things are starting to heat up for this annual showcase of talent. 

In 2009, runners from across the country took part, with some amazing results occurring.  Rhode Island’s Andrew Springer won the boy’s mile in 4:02.70, a time that ranked him US#1 for the season, while earning the second fastest mile time in event history (#1 being Rob Finnerty’s 4:01.09 from 2008).

Also of note, Illinois’ Lukas Verzbicas ran a gutsy race, outkicking Foot Locker champion Solomon Haile in the two mile, running a new national freshman record of 8:53.98.

While last year’s event was the best collection of talent in Gala history, 2010 is shaping up to be even better, with many nationally ranked athletes already showing interest.   With just over two months to the Gala, make sure to check out the event website, Twitter and Facebook accounts, as news and information starts to be released.  See you in June!

Distance Gala Website / Distance Gala Twitter / Distance Gala Facebook

Articles of Interest

World XC: Emily Sisson’s Daily Blog (MileSplit)

World XC: Walter Schafer’s Daily Blog (MileSplit)

Interval Session with Chloe Curtis (Dyestat)

Would it Benefit You to Eat Like a Kenyan (Running Times)

Rising Expectations: An Interview with Dorian Ulrey (Windy City Running)

A Brief Chat with Garrett Heath (Runner’s World)