- Centerville's Annie Rodenfels won the USATF Women's 6K Championships in Canton.
- Rodenfels' winning time of 18:03 was 13 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
- Lake High School senior Daniela Scheffler finished fifth in the community division.
CANTON — There are no more wait till next years for Annie Rodenfels. The Centerville native can finally cross winning the Women's 6K Championships race off her list.
After a few close calls, Rodenfels took home gold Saturday morning in downtown Canton. She won the fourth annual USA Track & Field event in 18:03.
How close has Rodenfels come to being a three-time winner in Canton? She was runner-up in 2022 and finished third last year.
"I'm very happy," Rodenfels said. "I feel like this is something I've wanted for a long time. I've been second. I've been third. I'm very happy to have finally won it."
This time Rodenfels crushed it. She ran a 4:50 mile pace and beat the rest of the field by 13 seconds.
Amanda Vestri of Blowing Rock, N.C., came in second. Emma Grace Hurley of Zionsville, Ind., was third.
"You never know what's going to happen," Rodenfels said. "It was a hot pace at the beginning, but I felt better than I thought I would. I just tried to capitalize on that."
The 27-year-old Rodenfels is a member of the Boston Athletic Association's High Performance Team. She was coming off a personal-best 9:22.66 in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She led for four laps before eventually finishing eighth.
"I had to go for it at the trials and put myself in (the hunt)," Rodenfels said. "When you walk away there are no regrets. You know you tried and gave it your best."
Longtime Malone distance coach Jack Hazen was on hand to congratulate Rodenfels. He knows her well. Rodenfels' uncle, Tony Thaman, ran for Hazen at Malone in the 1980s.
"The Ohio community has definitely been a big factor in me coming back," Rodenfels said.
Hazen tried to recruit Rodenfels before she chose to attend Centre College in Kentucky. In 2019 she became one of two NCAA Division III runners to win national titles in the 3,000 steeplechase and 5,000 in the same meet.
Rodenfels is a great example of why runners from small colleges can still become elite.
"Obviously there's a reason people go DI, but the truth is you can make it from anywhere if you have the talent and work hard," Rodenfels said. "It was definitely a harder route coming from DIII. I didn't have the name recognition. Nobody wanted to sponsor me at first.
"If you're willing to work hard, keep putting yourself out there and keep taking big chances, you can make it happen."
Elite runners inspiration for others
Rodenfels was one of 22 elite runners in Saturday's race. While they compete among themselves for top honors, they are also an inspiration for the hundreds of other participants.
Lake High School senior Daniela Scheffler has raced in every Women's 6K Championships since the event started in 2021. Competing and interacting with some of the nation's top runners makes the whole experience fulfilling.
"I was able to meet Molly Seidel and Keira D'Amato, some really big names in running, right here in Canton," Scheffler said. "That was really cool."
This year's race was a smashing success for Scheffler, one of Ohio's top high school distance runners. She finished fifth in the community division in 21:48. Her time ranked 26th overall.
"It's a real fun environment where everybody is cheering each other on and supporting each other," Scheffler said. "It gives high school athletes a good opportunity. I really like it."
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP
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