Torrence Three Time Winner at USA Road Mile Champion
David Torrence Road Mile King
MINNEAPOLIS – (May 12, 2011) – David Torrence won his third straight USA 1 Mile Road title, while Sara Hall won the USA Women’s 1 Mile Road title that eluded her two years ago at Thursday night’s Medtronic TC 1 Mile. Both runners broke course records and earned $10,000 time bonuses in addition to their $4000 champions’ checks.
Torrence, of Oakland, Calif., clocked 3 minutes, 58.4 seconds in victory, bettering the course record of 3:59.3 he set at his first TC 1 Mile in 2009. As he did in both of his previous triumphs, Torrence, 25, kicked to victory after the race made its final bend on downtown Minneapolis’ Nicollet Mall.
Team USA Arizona’s Aaron Braun of Flagstaff, Ariz. finished second in 4:01.2; Craig Miller of Madison, Wisc. was third in 4:01.3. Ryan Hall, Sara’s husband, a surprise entrant in the race held only 24 days after he ran the fastest marathon ever run by an American at Boston, finished 13th in 4:17.2.
Torrence was content to follow the brisk early pace of Hall and James Hatch in the race’s early-going. On the course’s lazy, mostly downhill meander to the finish, he marked a late-race surge by Miller and withstood a final charge by Braun before kicking to the win.
“They got out hard. We came through the quarter in 58 seconds, and going uphill, that’s pretty fast,” Torrence said. “I was pretty shocked, to be honest. Everyone was right there in a big group. I was in second or third most of the race. I bided my time, bided my time and when we took that turn I put the hammer down and I guess no one could respond.”
Torrence has won every USA Men’s Road Mile Championship contested. He is the only athlete to have broken 4:00 on the TC 1 Mile course, doing it twice and earning the $10,000 bonus for the feat each time.
“I feel like I just cemented myself in history a little bit,” an elated Torrence added. “Three in a row, that’s awesome. It’s just a great feeling to win three titles in a row and get the bonus.”
Sara Hall, 28, who finished runner-up at the event in 2009 behind Shannon Rowbury, caught and passed early break-away leader Amy Mortimer in the race’s late-going for an emphatic win in 4:30.8. The mark trumped Rowbury’s course record of 4:33.4. Hall earned her $10,000 bonus for breaking 4:32 on the course.
Mortimer, of Johnson City, Tenn., who had finished runner-up to Hall at a road mile Des Moines, Iowa last month, made a bold attempt to turn the tables in Minneapolis that started with a 65-second opening quarter-mile. At the half-way mark, it looked like the Kansas State alumnus might have stolen the race, until Hall bridged the gap to a slowing Mortimer.
“I tried to go right by, because when you are leading it is hard mentally when somebody catches you,” Hall explained. “She ran a great race. The crowd was so loud. I thought maybe there was someone catching me. I think they were just excited I was close to breaking the record. It was a relief to cross that finish line.”
A pair of Minnesotans claimed the next finishing spots: Heather Kampf of Minneapolis was second in 4:35.9; Gabriele Anderson of Perham was third with 4:36.9. Mortimer ended up 5th in 4:37.3, one place and two tenths of a second behind Lauren Bonds of Durham, N.C.
“It was so exciting,” Hall said. “It was the most exciting atmosphere out there. I’m really thankful of everyone who came out in the cold. I feel extremely blessed by the opportunity I’ve had this season.”
Despite drizzly weather and temperature in the low 50s, nearly 2,800 runners participated in the 7th Medtronic TC 1 Mile, which included races waves dedicated to corporate teams, Masters runners and families.
7th Medtronic TC 1 Mile: USA Men’s & Women’s Championships
Minneapolis, MN, Thursday, May 12, 2011
MEN
1) David Torrence(CA), 3:58.4*, $4000
2) Aaron Braun (AZ), 4:01.2, $2500
3) Craig Miller (WI), 4:01.3, $1500
4) MacKlin Chaffee (VA), 4:03.2, $800
5) James Hatch (CO), 4:04.0, $500
6) Jordan McNamara (TN), 4:04.4, $325
7) Chris Rombough (MN), 4:04.4, $150
8) Mark Matusak (CA), 4:06.7, $100
9) Jordan Horn (AZ), 4:07.2, $75
10) Matthew Elliott (SC), 4:07.3, $50
WOMEN
1) Sara Hall (CA), 4:30.8*, $4000
2) Heather Kampf (MN), 4:36.3, $2500
3) Gabriele Anderson (MN), 4:36.9, $1500
4) Lauren Bonds (NC), 4:37.1, $800
5) Amy Mortimer (TN), 4:37.3, $500
6) Allie Kieffer (AZ), 4:40.9, $325
7) Meghan Peyton (MN), 4:41.2, $150
8) Sara Vaughn (CO), 4:44.7, $100
9) Jamie Cheever (MN), 4:47.2, $75
10) Lauren Johnson (OR), 4:48.7, $50
*$10,000 bonus for sub-4 and sub-4:32 course records (winner-only)
