A Morning For Professional Cross Country In Austin
Professional runners captured fast times and nostalgic feelings at the Cross Champs on Thursday
AUSTIN – Emily Venters said her return to the grass on Thursday for the Cross Champs, two years after her final cross country race for the University of Utah, brought her back to the good ol’ days.
“I feel like it kind of felt nostalgic a little bit,” Venters said, “like just putting on the spikes and doing strides in the grass.”
That feeling served the former NCAA All-American well, because it led to a dominant win in the women’s 8,000 professional race as the Nike athlete clocked a 24-second win in a time of 26:02.30 on the five-looped course.
The men’s championship, meanwhile, played out with some intrigue late as Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky’s Edwin Kurgat surged into the lead on the final lap and secured a win over 8K in 22:51, finding redemption a year after he finished second in this same race a year ago.
With most professional athletes representing groups, the Cross Champs also tallied team scores, with REP Utah winning the team competition with 22 points while Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky nabbed the men’s title with 19.
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“I really wanted this win,” said Kurgat, 28, who finished seventh in the men’s 5,000m at the Paris Olympics in August representing Kenya. “I’m so happy at the moment for winning the race and I feel like I can just keep building on this.”
The professional races at the Cross Champs – a race produced by Sound Running – came at the tail-end of The Running Event, a three-day convention bringing in the running industry’s special realty sector and the globe’s top running brands.
The 25-year-old Venters, who signed with Nike in 2023, said she was still building toward more races in December, with plans on attacking a 5,000 meter race indoors in Boston.
Emily Venters’ YouTube interview:
“I’m not quite sure if I want to move up to the half (marathon) yet, but we’ll see,” she said.
Venters’ performance on Thursday was about as dominant as they come. The Utah-based athlete, who trains with the Run Elite Program, flew out to an early lead on the flat course and continued to build over the course of five laps.
HOKA Naz Elite’s Mercy Chelangat was second in 26:26.10, while adidas’ Katie Izzo was third in 26:31.70. Austin-based Allie Kieffer, 37, competing for Railroad Athletics, was 14th overall in 27:25.20.
In the men’s race, On’s Athanas Kioko, a 29-year-old Kenyan, held the lead early after digging into a fast start before ultimately falling to second in 22:55.80.
UA Dark Sky runner Eduard Herrera followed his teammate Kurgat in third in 23:13.10, while fellow UA Dark Sky athlete Matt Wilkinson, a U.S. Olympian in the steeplechase in August, was sixth in 23:70.
Austin-based Cruz Gomez, the unsponsored University Texas graduate with hopes of turning professional this year, accounted for himself well on Thursday, finishing fifth overall in 23:18.90.
Gomez said it was an 8K personal record.
“I’m very happy with how the race went out,” Gomez said. “Just because, all the training I’ve been doing, it kind of just shows that we’re in a good part, it’s a good state.”
Gomez said he feels like the race can create momentum going into December, where he hopes to tap into his fitness and secure some big efforts on indoor tracks.
“It’s pretty significant,” he said. “I think it’s a good indicator that maybe this upcoming race that I have in December is going to go pretty well.”
Women’s 8K Results:
- Emily Venters, REP Utah, 26:02.30
- Mercy Chelangat, HOKA Naz Elite, 26:26.10
- Katie Izzo, adidas, 26:31.70
- Amy Cashin, HOKA, 26:40.70
- Everlyn Kemboi, Brothers Athletics, 26:46.30
- Makena Morley, Asics, 26:47.70
- Jessie Cardin, Hansons-Brooks ODP, 26:48.00
- Kassie Parker, Crown Running, 26:50.80
- Savannah Shaw, Tinman Elite, 26:57.80
- Aubrey Frentheway, REP Utah, 27:08.80
Brooks’ Men’s 8K Results:
- Edwin Kurgat, UA Dark Sky, 22:51
- Athanas Kioko, On, 22:55.80
- Eduard Herrera, UA Dark Sky, 23:13.10
- Damien Dilcher, UA Baltimore Distance, 23:17.00
- Cruz Gomez, Unattached, 23:18.90
- Matt Wilkinson, UA Dark Sky, 23:23.70
- Arturs Medveds, Performance Elite, 23:25.770
- John Reniewicki, UA Baltimore Distance, 23:27.10
- Bradley Makuvire, Unattached, 23:30.10
- Adam Fogg, UA Baltimore Distance, 23:33.90
