KINGSPORT — For the third year in a row, the USA Track and Field men’s 8-kilometer road national championship wasn’t fully decided until the front pack entered J. Fred Johnson Stadium.
In the final stages of the race, Ahmed Muhumed (Northern Arizona Elite) pulled away from Isai Rodriguez (Puma) to win Saturday’s 34th Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8K in a blazing-fast time of 22:26.0.
It was the fastest winning time since 2012, the 16th fastest ever and a course record.
“I had done some short races here in the last week, and I knew my speed was going to be there,” Muhumed said. “I wanted to stay with the leaders as long as possible. When it was time to go, I knew it was time to go. I knew I had the best speed out of all the guys I was racing, so I knew as long as I was there, I knew I could finish.”
Rodriguez and Muhumed entered the stadium neck and neck, but Muhumed used a superior finishing kick to edge his foe by one second. It was certainly a redemption race for Muhumed, who finished eighth in the 5,000 at last month’s U.S. Olympic Trials.
It was Muhumed’s fourth race in 10 days, having come from the European track circuit, and his first national title on the roads. He also earned a prize of $5,000.
“I was disappointed in the Trials, and I did a little stint in Europe where I did three races,” Muhumed said. “I came from Zurich (Switzerland), and I wanted to see how high I could finish. This is my first title and it’s been a long time coming.”
Smith uses strong move to pull away
In the women’s race, Rachel Smith — also from Flagstaff but not for Northern Arizona — dropped the hammer after the halfway point and ran a course-record time of 25:40. She separated from Emma Grace Hurley quickly going into the back part of the course and claimed her fourth USATF title along with $5,000.
“I thought Emma and Natosha (Rogers) kept the pace honest that first half and I tried to conserve energy in the first half,” Smith said. “On the hill, she fell back a bit and I was feeling good, and I kept pressing. Anytime you can win a national championship, it’s a huge honor and you can’t take any of this for granted.”
Smith, who went to Georgetown, used her superior strength to clock 13:04 over the last half of the race. Hurley finished second in 25:58 and Rogers third in 26:11.
“This was definitely a unique distance for the women, and it was actually my first time racing 8K,” Smith said. “I was excited about this because I think of myself as a 5K and 10K runner and the 8K is right in the middle.”
Continued progress
In all, 3,279 runners registered for the 8K, an increase of nearly 100 from last year. It’s the fourth straight year for an increase in attendance after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The winners of the Paul Codispoti Award — given to the top female and male Kingsport residents — were Kailee-Ann Conner and Drew Emmett.
The overall race and atmosphere got rave reviews from the elites, especially the women, who were running the 8K national title race in the Model City for the first time.
“The energy of this event was so spectacular, and it was such a great thing to be a part of,” Smith said. “The crowd definitely pulled me along in that last half-mile. I hope to be back next year because this is a very, very special event.”
Muhamed added, “It was incredible. There was not a single stretch the entire race that didn’t have someone cheering. … The people here are just so welcoming.”
34th Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital Crazy 8s 8K Run
Saturday, July 20
USATF Men’s National Championship
Event Record: Peter Githuka (Kenya) 22:03.0 (1996)
Course Record (since 2019): Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA) 22:41.1(2022)
American Record: Alberto Salazar (Oregon TC) 22:04.0 (1981)
World Best: Stephen Sambu (Kenya) 22:01 (2014)
Top 10 Individual Finishers
1 Ahmed Muhumed 22:26(course record), 2 Isai Rodriguez 22:27, 3 Hillary Bor 22:34, 4 Afewerki Zeru 22:42, 5 Aiden Reed 22:54, 6 Biya Simbassa 22:58, 7 Jack Mastandera 23:24, 8 Nathan Martin 23:28, 9 Jason Weitzel 23:39, 10 Anthony Raftis 23:44.
USATF Women’s National Championship
Event Record: Asmae Leghzaoui (Morocco) 24:27.8 (2002)
Course Record: Ednah Kurgat (USA) 25:53.0(2022)
American Record: Deena Kastor (ASICS) 24:36.0 (2005)
World Best: Mary Keitany (Kenya) 24:30.0 (2011)
Top 10 Individual Finishers
1 Rachel Smith 25:40(course record), 2 Emma Grace Hurley 25:58, 3 Natosha Rogers 26:11, 4 Katie Izzo 26:17, 5 Annie Frisbie 26:24, 6 Logan Jolly 26:25, 7 Stephanie Bruce 26:31, 8 Tristian Van Ord 26:41, 9 Kasandra Parker 27:06, 10 Stephanie Sherman 28:40.
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