Many-time U.S. national champion Maria Michta-Coffey added another trophy to her case Sunday at the USATF 5km Race Walk Championships in Whiting, New Jersey, going to the lead from the start and holding on to win in 22:45, 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Robyn Stevens. Jason Cherng won his first U.S. title, taking the men's victory in 22:19, 40 seconds in front of silver medalist Carson Johnson. In the men's U20 race, Clayton Stoil won in 23:19, while Angelica Harris was the women's U20 winner in 24:19. Michta-Coffey was the overall women's masters champion, and Michael Mannozzi topped the men's masters race in 23:56.
Running in muddy conditions Sunday near Cable, Wisconsin, Garrett Heath and Anna Dalton won USATF Hal Marathon Trail titles. The race was run on the American Birkebeiner course that is normally used for cross country skiers and mountain bikers, and was familiar to Heath, who had previous experience skiing the course and was a Minnesota state high school champion in Nordic skiing. Heath, an Olympic Trials finalist at 5,000m last summer and seventh in the 1,500m at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, was an easy winner of the men's race, clocking 1:13:44 to win by more than two minutes over Andy Wacker. Alaska native Dalton was also a clear winner of the women's race with her 1:30:17 effort, finishing 2:17 ahead of runner-up Megan Lacy. It was the first national title for the 2020 Olympic Trials marathon competitor.
Keira D'Amato, who bettered the women's American record in the marathon at Houston in January, clocked the 10th-fastest time ever by an American with her 2:21:48 to place sixth at Sunday's Berlin Marathon. D'Amato went past 10km in 32:43 in 14th place and hit the halfway point in 69:27, moving up to 13th. Going through 30km in 1:39:35, she was steadily moving up, andby 40km she was in eighth. A strong finish elevated her two more places. Behind D'Amato, Andrea Pomaranski clipped 28 seconds off her lifetime best to finish 23rd in 2:33:10, while Kaitlyn Peale lowered her PB by 1:32 to take 25th in 2:35:40. American record holder Deena Kastor, age 49, was 42nd in 2:45:12 and, according to David Monti of Race Results Weekly, became only the fourth woman ever to be a World Marathon Majors 8-star finisher. Kastor, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, has completed all six of the World Marathon Majors races in addition to the Olympic Games and World Championships. Mike Sayenko was the top American men's finisher, taking 32nd in 2:15:33. Photo Credit: Garrett Heath