BTC Pro Summer Racing Schedule
All the info you need to follow BTC Pros this summer!
We know that it can be difficult to follow your favorite track athletes throughout the summer with races in different countries and schedules changing often. We’ve made this Summer Racing Guide to give you some idea of when the big BTC events are. This schedule is incomplete as some races are still be sorting out (and if your favorite athlete is missing that’s probably why). To make sure you stay up to date on all BTC racing, follow @BowermanTC on Twitter and Instagram!
July 4th: Peachtree 10K, Gwen Jorgensen, Lopez Lomong, Chris Derrick
Huge crowds at the AJC Peachtree 10k
Held in Atlanta, GA, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10k in the world with around 60,000 participants every year! The last few years it has doubled as the USATF 10K Road Championships and will do so again this year. Lopez looks to make it a Track/Road double at 10K national championships, while CD will try and add another road title after winning the USATF Half Marathon title earlier this year. Gwen returns to familiar territory: she was dominant in the 10k road races that end Olympic Distance triathlons throughout her career.
How to Watch: Live on NBC Sports Gold (6:50am EDT), Replay on NBCSN (7:00pm EDT)
July 5th: Canadian Championships, Moh Ahmed (5,000m), Matt Hughes (Steeplechase)
Moh winning at the Canadian Championships
Both Matt and Moh look to defend their National titles from 2017 in Ottawa.
How to Watch: There should be a live stream here, along with heat sheets schedule and ticketing information.
July 5th: Lausanne Diamond League, Shelby Houlihan (1500m)
After winning the Pre Classic, Shelby will look to cement her status on the world stage at 1500m in Switzerland. Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 9: Lucerne Athletics Meeting, Kate Grace (800m)
Kate will drive down from the mountains of St. Moritz to run some under distance in Lucerne. This meet is on the smaller side, but has a great atmosphere and usually fairly decent conditions.
July 13th: Rabat Diamond League, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase), Ryan Hill (3,000m)
Diamond League points and fast times are the mission for Matt and Ryan in Morocco. Top 8 in each Diamond League race get points to qualify for the Diamond League final held later in the summer. Ryan is particularly well positioned to score points with this race being a 3,000m, the distance at which he is the 3rd fastest American of all time.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 14th: Kortrijk, Josh Thompson (Steeplechase), Vanessa Fraser (1500m)
Kortrijk is a part of the Flanders Cup, a series of races in Belgium that are popular with US athletes. Josh will spend the summer trying to lower his personal best in the steeplechase and gain valuable experience for the future. Vanessa will look to lower her 4:10 personal best at 1500 and tune up her speed ahead of the Huesden 5,00m (see below).
July 20th: Monaco Diamond League, Courtney Frerichs, Evan Jager, Matt Hughes (Steeplechase for all three)
Evan on his way to his first Diamond League win in Monaco, 2017.
One of the jewels of the Diamond League circuit, Monaco was the site of Evan’s first American Record in 2012 and his first Diamond League win (2017). The pace will hopefully be set up to offer a chance at a sub-8 minute clocking. Courtney and Matt will be both be hunting personal bests on own of the fastest tracks in the world.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21-22: London Diamond League, Moh Ahmed and Ryan Hill (5,000m), Kate Grace (mile)
Track returns to the Olympic Stadium in London, which has become one of the best venues in the sport since 2012. The European track circuit will take a break in early August for the European Championships, so this looks to be Moh, Ryan, and Kate's final race before returning to the US for a month of training. They will return in late August to hopefully compete in the Diamond League Final and the Continental Cup.
Schedule, start lists, and results (when available) will be here.
How to Watch: All Diamond League meets in the US are on NBC Sports Gold and either NBCSN or the Olympic Channel.
July 21st: Huesden KBC Nacht, Marielle Hall, Vanessa Fraser, and Shelby Houlihan (5,000m)
The top meet on the Belgian circuit of races, Huesden is known as the “Stanford of Europe” because conditions are often prime for fast distance racing. A smaller meet compared to the Diamond Leagues, it doesn’t lack for crowds and character. Marielle, Vanessa, and Shelby will all seek fast times at 5,000m and word is they may even have a famous pacemaker…
August 4th: Beach to Beacon 10k, Chris Derrick
Held in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and founded distance running legend, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Beach to Beacon is one of the classic US road races. It always features a world class field and a world class lobster boil.
August 11st European Championships, Marc Scott (5,000m)
The European Championships will be held in Berlin’s famous stadium, a fantastic setting for the peak of the 2018 season for European athletes. With Mo Farah departed from the track, the door is open for a new Briton to seize the European title.
August 10th-12th NACAC Championships, Lopez Lomong and Marielle Hall (10,000m), Kate Grace (1500m)
The NACAC Championships are a regional championships for the North and Central American countries. This year they will be held in Toronto, Canada.
USATF Championships Viewing Guide
All the info you need to watch BTC at the 2018 USATF Track and Field Championships
The USATF Track and Field Championships are in Des Moines, IA from Thursday June 21st to Sunday June 24th. We will have 10 athletes competing over the 4 days of competitions. This year we are hoping to step up our social media game and provide you with more updates, photos, and video from Des Moines. Follow us at @BowermanTC on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the action. Below you can find event by event viewing information so you don’t miss a single race! All times are in the central time zone.
You can find a complete schedule and list of entries here.
Women’s 10,000m: Marielle Hall, Gwen Jorgensen, Carrie Dimoff
Date/Time/Where To Watch: Thursday, June 21st, 7:00pm CDT (NBC Sports Gold)
Carrie and Gwen at the 2017 Payton Jordan Invite. Photo: Talbot Cox
The Women’s 10k field is deep this year, with 9 women who have broken 32 minutes, including defending champion and American Record holder, Molly Huddle. 3 of those women are BTC athletes. Marielle was an Olympian at this distance in 2016, but opted for the 5,000m last year. Her 31:37 personal best is the third fastest in the field. Gwen and Carrie each had big personal bests at the Payton Jordan Invitational in May, running 31:55 and 31:57 respectively. The two #RunnersWhoMom have both taken unorthodox paths to the starting line in Des Moines. Gwen is the reigning Olympic Champion in the Triathlon who now trains with our professional group and will be appearing at her first USATF Track Championships. Carrie, a shoe designer at Nike, finished top 10 at the Olympic Trials in 2008 and 2012 in the Steeplechase, but has blossomed at the longer distances over the past year. In addition to her 49 second 10,000m personal best this year, she ran a 2:30 marathon and was second at the USATF Championships at that distance in 2017.
Mercifully it seems like only the pace will be hot in this race, as the current weather forecast is for cooler temps and rain.
Men’s 10,000m: Lopez Lomong
Date/Time/Where to Watch: Thursday, June 21st, 7:40pm CDT (NBC Sports Gold)
Lopez has made Olympic and World teams at 1,500m and 5,000m and will now finally try his hand at the 10,000m. He debuted at the distance earlier this year in 28:21. There are a lot of new names in the field this year, but the most experienced is Shadrack Kipchirchir who ran 27:07 at the World Championships last year.
Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase: Courtney Frerichs
Date/Time/Where To Watch:
Prelim: Thursday, June 21st, 1:50pm CDT (NBC Sports Gold)
Final: Saturday, June 23rd, 3:20pm CDT (NBC)
Courtney and Emma Coburn at the 2017 World Championships where they went 1-2.
An unfortunate foot injury will keep Olympian Colleen Quigley from competing in this event, but BTC will be well represented by 2017 World Championships Silver Medalist, Courtney Frerichs. Courtney has kept a relatively low profile this year, running just two track races in preparation for a long outdoor season. She ran a personal best of 4:14 in the 1500m in April and finished 4th in Oslo Diamond League Steeplechase in 9:20. Reigning World Champion Emma Coburn has dominated this event, winning six national titles in the past seven years. Can Courtney challenge her for supremacy? We hope.
Women’s 1500m: Shelby Houlihan and Kate Grace
Date/Time/Where to Watch:
Prelim: Thursday, June 21st, 3:35pm CDT (NBC Sports Gold)
Final: Saturday, June 23rd, 3:46pm CDT (NBC)
Shelby celebrating her victory at the 2018 Prefontaine Classic.
Kate was second at this distance last year, in the best 1500m season of her career. This will be her first outdoor championships with BTC. Shelby, perhaps better known as 5,000m runner before this year, has been on fire over 1500m in 2018. This indoor season, she won the US title and took 4th at the World Championships. At the Prefontaine Classic she stunned a world class field over the final 150 meters to win in her first sub-4 performance. The star BTC pair will face off against an always deep field headed by Jenny Simpson, whose 4 World/Olympic Medals make her one of the most accomplished US middle distance runners of all time. Expect a lot of buzz around this race!
Women’s 5,000m: Shelby Houlihan and Marielle Hall
Date/Time/Where to Watch: Sunday, June 24th, 3:20pm CDT (NBC)
Marielle at the 2018 Portland Track Festival. Picture: Jordan Beckett
Both BTC athletes will be doubling back in this event, which could prove extra grueling by virtue of being in the middle of the afternoon (temperatures are currently forecast at around 80 degrees for Sunday). Shelby will be attempting to defend her title as US Champion, while Marielle will be looking to improve on her 5th place finish from a year ago. Shelby has not competed at this distance in 2018. Marielle recently won the Portland Track Festival in 15:16 as a final tune up for USA’s. The field is missing usual stars Molly Huddle and Shannon Rowbury, but still features 7 women who have run 15:20 or better.
Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase: Evan Jager and Josh Thompson
Date/Time/Where To Watch:
Prelim: Friday, June 22nd, 3:15pm CDT (NBC Sports Gold)
Final: Sunday, June 24th, 3:55pm CDT (NBC)
Evan on the way to winning his 6th consecutive US title in 2017.
The Master and the young Padawan: Evan has won more steeplechases national titles than Josh has run steeplechases in his life. Twice as many, to be precise. Evan goes for his seventh consecutive title against four other athletes who have gone under 8:15 in their careers. Coming off a narrow third place finish in 8:11 at the Prefontaine Classic, he is well positioned to defend his title, but winning at this level is never easy or guaranteed. Josh struggled with injury in his first year as a pro but opened up his season 10 days ago at the Portland Track Festival by winning the Steeplechase in 8:35. The prelim will be just the 4th Steeple of his career and these championships will be an excellent chance to build his experience in the event.
Men’s 5,000m: Ryan Hill
Date/Time/Where To Watch: Sunday, June 24th, 4:30pm CDT (NBC)
This race figures to come down to the 4 men who have run under 13:10 in their careers. Ryan is one of them. The favorite is defending champ and Olympic Silver medalist Paul Chelimo who ran very aggressively at the front last year. Will he adopt similar tactics this year or will it be a slow race like the last time the championships were held in Des Moines in 2013? That race favored Ryan’s 3,000m prowess, as he closed in under 4 minutes for his final mile and surprisingly made the World Championship team while still representing North Carolina State University. In either scenario, expect Ryan to be hanging out near the front, waiting to use his big finishing kick.
Road to Worlds
Six athletes take the track this weekend at the USATF Indoor Track Championships in hopes of representing team USA at the World Indoor Track Championships.
What could be more exciting than watching hours worth of curlers sweep the ice at the Pyeongchang Olympics? Seeing BTC sweep the USATF Indoor Track Championships this weekend! Our athletes agreed (somewhat reluctantly) to exchange their curling brooms for track spikes as they seek National titles and spots on the World Team travelling to the UK in March.
This Saturday and Sunday, BTC athletes will be chasing US titles and for the opportunity to represent team USA at the World Indoor Track Championships in Birmingham, UK (March 1-4). Although not all six athletes can be named US Champions, as they will be racing against each other, there is a possibility all six will be seen dawning the USA team kit in two weeks.
In the Women’s 3,000m, Shelby--fresh off running a 15 second PR and the second fastest 3k time in US history--looks to defend her 2017 title. Marielle, who also set a 14 second PR in the same meet as Shelby, looks to continue her hot start as one of the newest members of BTC. Both women enter with the two fastest seed times, but will have to face reigning World Champion Steeplechaser, Emma Coburn.
The Men’s 3,000m, Ryan and Woody square off against reigning US Champion, Paul Chelimo, and his training partner Shadrack Kipchirchir. Ryan is considered a 3,000m specialist, and looks to return to Worlds after winning the silver medal in 2016. Woody is seeking a strong encore performance after finishing second to Chelimo in 2017.
To close out the weekend, Colleen, Kate, and Shelby will race the 1500m. Colleen and Kate will be fresh and looking to replicate their 1-2 finish from the Millrose Games two weeks ago. Shelby, the reigning US Champion, will be doubling back after racing in the 3k the day before. This race is a sure can’t miss event.
Below is a list of race days and times. All events will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network and can be streamed online with an NBC Sports Gold subscription.
Saturday:
Women’s 3,000m -- 6:28pm ET
Men’s 3,000m -- 6:45pm ET
Sunday:
Women’s 1500 -- 5:42pm ET
Super Saturday Recap
BTC had a huge weekend of racing on the dirt and track led by victories from the Women's Squad in Tallahassee, New York and Boston. Read more for the full recap of all the BTC results from this weekend.
USATF Cross Country Championships -- Tallahassee, FL
The USATF XC Championships in Tallahassee kicked off a Super Saturday of performances for BTC. Emily Infeld, Courtney Frerichs, and Evan Jager all finished in the top 4, with Emily taking home her first USATF national title.
Emily and Courtney entertained pre-race dreams of holding hands across the line, but those were foiled by the stiff competition in Tallahassee. Emily would need both hands to break the tape. The early pace was controlled by our two BTC athletes and former NCAA XC champion, Molly Siedel. The pack was slowly whittled down to 5 by 7k, when Courtney and Emily Durgin started to come under pressure and lost contact. Those two settled into their own private battle, which Courtney would go on to win, duplicating her 4th place finish from last year’s event.
Meanwhile, Emily pressed on at the front, trading surges with Siedel as the pair broke away from the field. With a kilometer to go Emily threw in another big move. At first Siedel appeared able to respond, but up a steep hill with 500 meters to go she eked out a 10 meter advantage. As she crested the hill and sprinted towards the finish line her margin widened. Five years after running her last cross country race, she claimed the national title. She has been on a bit of a different training cycle while at altitude camp, “focusing more on speed but keeping my miles at the highest they have ever been.” Clearly the new training plan worked.
On the men’s side, Evan proved that some Ferrari’s are able to drive on grass. In his first cross country race since high school (more than 10 years ago), Evan was in contention for the win nearly the whole race. He was in the lead pack through about 9k. Even with 1000 meters to go he was still only three seconds back of the two leaders. Although unable to close the gap, Evan closed hard, relying on his strength he has built up through years of steeplechasing, to finish fourth in 29:31.
For more coverage on the USATF XC Championships follow these links:
NYRR Millrose Games -- New York, NY
It may have been freezing outside in New York, but a heat wave swept through the Armory on Saturday. Ryan and Woody got the meet started for BTC by running in the Dr. Sanders 3k. The early pace was fast but settled into a tactical affair once the rabbit dropped off. Ryan ran aggressively for the win, coming up a couple of gears short in the sprint and finished third place in 7:46.65. Woody, in his first race in nearly a year, ran conservatively near the back until one lap to go. Always confident in his finish (some teammates have dared to call him a Sandbagger), he swung way wide to move around nearly the whole field and finish fourth in 7:47.19. Both men are excited to get back to training after hitting the World Indoor Qualifying mark.
The best was still to come at Millrose in the form of the Women’s Wanamaker Mile. It was a day of firsts. It was Colleen’s first time running in the Armory and Kate’s first time wearing a BTC kit. The race was well bunched and tactical until 400 meters to go. With a lap remaining Colleen, perfectly positioned, took the lead and did not look back, although perhaps she should have. Having never broken tape before Colleen said she “just got so excited that I did the one thing I know I’m not supposed to do,” which is to celebrate early. Colleen threw up her arms in celebration which nearly allowed Kate to claim victory. In the end Colleen broke the tape in 4:30.05 with Kate finishing second in 4:30.08.
Colleen, Kate, Ryan, and Woody will all be at the USATF Indoor Championships in two weeks time looking for spots on the World Indoor team.
For more coverage on the Millrose Games follow these links:
Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invite -- Boston, MA
Not too far away from the Armory in New York City, Shelby and Marielle had a record day…literally. Both women ran a 3k with the goal of getting the World Indoor qualifying standard. They ran the majority of the race behind a pacer at 8:45 pace, well below the 8:50 Worlds standard. After the pacer stepped off, Shelby put the pressed on with the pace and pulled away from the field to claim victory in 8:36.01, setting a 15 second personal best and becoming the second fastest American 3k runner in history (only behind teammate Shalane Flanagan). Marielle, dawning the BTC kit for the first time, finished second in 8:40.20, and also set a massive second personal best by 14 seconds.
After making the World Indoor time standard look like a walk in the park, both women will head back up to altitude to prepare for USA Indoor Nationals in two weeks. While Shelby claims “defending my Indoor National titles from last year and make the Indoor World Championship team” are the main goals for the remainder of the season, she admits that “seeing my name at the top of the American [3k] record board would be amazing; and I hope to get another chance to possibly go for that this season.”
With most athletes competing for the first time in 2018, this weekend was hopefully only a sneak peek of what is to come from BTC the remainder of the year. The athletes will do their best to catch their breath before heading back into thin air and altitude camp in preparation for USA Indoor Championships, February 16-18 in Albuquerque.
Weekend Action
The BU crew doing a tuneup workout on Tuesday.
It’s a promising and international weekend of racing for the Bowerman Track Club with marathon debuts in Tokyo and fast track races in Boston. We’ve got the details for your viewing pleasure.
Tokyo Marathon
Andrew Bumbalough and Betsy Saina will both run their debut marathons in Tokyo on Sunday (Saturday in the US). Betsy is coming off of a career year in which she ran 30:05 to place 5th in the Olympic 10,000m and ran 67 minutes for the half marathon. ‘Bumbi’ is returning to form after an 18 month struggle with two major injuries, hernia surgery and a sacral stress fracture. He has been rebuilding his fitness slowly since the summer of 2016 and ran 28:06 for 10,000m in November in Tokyo, a solid stepping stone to his marathon buildup. First marathons are unpredictable, but both Betsy and Bumbi have had a good block of training to prepare them for the challenge.
When: Saturday February 25th, 7:10 ET
Where to Watch: NBC Sports
BU Last Chance Invitational
Most of the professional men of BTC will be taking to the track in Boston on Sunday evening. Steeplers and rivals Dan Huling and Matt Hughes are in the mile along with a big portion of the deep NJ/NY Track Club middle distance squad. Watch this one with attention as there is a burrito bet* on the line between Matt and Dan. The remainder of the squad (Ryan Hill, Moh Ahmed, Evan Jager, Lopez Lomong, Chris Derrick, and Woody Kincaid) will be in the 5,000m which has the makings of a cracking race. Word on the street is that the race will be rabbited at around 8:00 for 3,000m (13:20 pace). The very solid field also includes sub-13:10 performers Ben True, who edged Ryan and Moh at the Millrose Games two mile, and Eric Jenkins, who won the Millrose mile.
After the Boston meet, Lopez, Evan, Ryan, and Woody will head to Albuquerque for the US Indoor Championships next weekend.
*Burritos are the preferred form of currency for wagers amongst BTC professionals.
When: Sunday February 26th, 3:10 ET (mile) and 4:55 ET (5,000m)
Where to Watch: Flotrack
Everything You Need to Know For The 2017 Millrose Games
Preview most exciting events to watch at the Millrose Games this Saturday, most importantly the Paavo Nurmi Men's 2 Miles featuring Ryan Hill and Mo Ahmed.
Preview the most exciting events to watch, most importantly the Paavo Nurmi Men's 2 Miles featuring Ryan Hill and Mo Ahmed.