Bowerman Women’s Team Throwdown at US XC Championships
What do you get when you take a Marathoner, a Steepler, a “1500m runner”, and two 10k specialists out on some grass? Something special.
Photo by Justin Britton
What do you get when you take a Marathoner, a Steepler, a “1500m runner”, and two 10k specialists out on some grass? Though this sounds like the setup to a comedic punchline, the reality is a dominating expression of Bowerman TC’s belief in finding depth and strength in the team.
BTC fielded a full scoring team of five athletes at the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee Florida. Shelby Houlihan, Marielle Hall, Amy Cragg, Courtney Frerichs, and Karissa Schweizer proved to be a formidable quintet of talent against what many called one of the most stacked fields of American distance runners ever assembled at a US XC Championship.
Working together early, the BTC women found strength in numbers.
Photo by Justin Britton
Photo by Justin Britton
With Amy Cragg taking charge, the lead pack broke away and laid down an extremely quick pace over the rolling grass hills in Apalachee Regional Park. Coming down to the final hill however, Shelby Houlihan threw in a dominant move and pulled away with 700m to go, crossing the tape as the National Champion and solidifying her 8th US title in total.
Shelby Houlihan took first in 32:46.8.
What happened next is indicative of the truly special team environment that coach Jerry Schumacher instills at Bowerman Track Club. BTC took five of the top seven spots.
Marielle Hall 3rd in 32:56.5,
Amy Cragg 5th in 33:17.5,
Courtney Frerichs 6th in 33:24.5,
Karissa Schweizer 7th in 33:28.2.
With Molly Huddle (2nd) planning on declining her spot at Worlds, all five are in line to make the team to Aarhus for the World XC Championships. Depending on Jerry’s race plan for the team, BTC has some serious potential to lead the United States to medaling at Worlds.
BTC’s Masters team also had a good showing coming in 4th overall as a team, featuring long-time club talent Mile Blackmore in 8th, Matt Farley in 14th, Michael Gorriaran in 51st, and Steve Kollars in 54th.
High 5’s all around!
Photo by Justin Britton
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.
Dan Huling Announces Retirement From Professional Running
After 12 years of professional running, BTC Steeplechase veteran Dan Huling announces his retirement from the sport.
After 12 years of professional running, Bowerman Track Club steeplechase veteran Dan Huling, has announced his retirement from professional running.
Dan retires as one of the country’s longest-running and most-accomplished steeplechasers. Between 2006 and 2017, he made four global outdoor track teams, finishing a career high fifth at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
"[2015 World Championships in] Beijing was probably my proudest moment of my career. It felt satisfying to finally put something together after eight years of pro running that I thought I had been capable of for some time.”
Dan began his professional career in 2006 after graduating from Miami University of Ohio and immediately elevated himself to the top of the national scene with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. What followed was a string of national podium finishes, claiming a top three spot seven times in his 12-year career, including a US Championship title in 2010. Dan retires with personal bests of 3:37.53 (1500), 3:57.99 (Mile), 8:13.29 (3000SC), and 13:18.42 (5000).
"My entire career I worked as hard as I could to be the best I could. The steeple morphed quite a bit from when I started to when I finished, so to be top 3, to be expected to make each team for so long is kind of cool. I'm extremely proud of my record at USA's and how I hung in after [missing the Olympic Team in] 2012, which was pretty devastating for me."
Since 2013, Dan has been a member of the Bowerman Track Club, providing a veteran voice and experience to the team that included fellow steeplechasers Evan Jager, Matt Hughes and former BTC member Andy Bayer.
Dan and Evan at 2015 US Championships where they went 1-3 in the 3000m Steeplechase to qualify for World Championships in Beijing, China.
“Being part of the Bowerman Track Club was an unforgettable experience. I'll be forever grateful to Nike for giving me an opportunity to represent the best professional club in the world. The guys on the team are truly some of my best friends, and the camaraderie and rapport we have is something special. I don't miss racing or training at all, but "running with the guys" is something I think about almost every day and I miss it a lot.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Jager,
“Dan was an incredible teammate to have for the last 5 years. He joined the group and was able to have an immediate impact on my steeple career. Dan and I did almost every bit of training together and there was never a dull moment spent with him and I think every other BTC member would attest to that. At the end of the day, I wanted Dan to have success in the sport just as badly as I wanted to be successful and I think that says a lot about Dan's character. He is most definitely missed during the day to day grind.”
In his retirement, Dan looks forward to navigating the conventional 9 to 5 at his new career and spending more time at home in Portland, Ore. with his wife Kelly and their two young sons, Miller (3) and Adrian (6 mo.).
"The best thing about retirement is going to be spending time with Kelly, Miller and Adrian. Kelly put up with a lot for 12 years, especially in 2015 taking care of Miller while I was barely ever in Portland. I look forward to doing activities in which I'll have an over 60% chance of tearing my ACL."
Dan holds newborn son Adrian with wife Kelly and son Miller (3)
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.
Bowerman 5k Registration Open
2018 Bowerman 5k Registration Now Open! Bring your friends and family and come join us on July 28th.
Get Ready For Boston
The Boston Marathon is right around the corner. Shalane is coming off a thrilling victory in New York and is returning home to race the 2018 Boston Marathon. Check out the Boston page to follow Shalane's journey and all things Boston.
Shelby and Colleen Advance to 1500m World Indoor Final
Shelby and Colleen Advance to 1500m World Indoor Final