A Record Falls Among Tight Races at the Masters 4 Mile Championships in Peoria

Thunderstorms stayed away but the morning stayed sultry for the Saturday, June 6 USATF Masters 4 Mile Championships. That did not phase Sacramento’s Jacob Nur. He blazed to a top-20 overall finish, won his division, and set a new American Record for the 70-7 age group; Nur’s 24:22 (net) was nearly a minute under the old record.  

OVERALL MEN

Nicholas Kipruto ran the first mile in 4:54 and never looked back. Enjoying a twenty second lead at that point; Kipruto won by over a minute in 20:04. The chase pack of Andrew Carlson, Dickson Mercer and Artur Mueller held together through 5K; Mueller claimed second place in 21:22, with Mercer third in 21:30.

OVERALL WOMEN

Jenelle Deatherage IL, a four-time qualifier for the Olympic Trials, left nothing to chance. Deatherage moved to the front early, assumed the lead and gradually pulled away to win in 23:16, with fifty-six seconds to spare. Karen Dos Santos was second in 24:12, with Sarah Kasabian third at 24:45.

AGE GRADING (net time)

The age grading Performance Level Percentage (PLP) indicates how a runner’s time compares to the fastest possible time run by an athlete of that age. The higher the percentage, the better the performance.

WOMEN

Suzanne La Burt, 63, who runs for New Jersey’s Shore AC, raced to 26:34 for a 92.29 PLP. Patrice Combs, 68 claimed second; her 29:14 earned 89.82%. Deatherage earned the bronze medal with her 88.00 percent.

MEN

Nur, 70, scored the top PLP at 93.12%! Nat Larson, 63, finished second; his 23:26 scored 90.42%. John Van Danacker, 63, claimed bronze with 89.92% from 23:34.

AGE DIVISION (gun time)

MEN

40-44 Kipruto
45-49 David Angell 22:38
50-54 Peter Christopher 23:12
55-59 Gregory Putnam 22:37
60-64 Mark Hixson 23:23
65-69 Sayre 24:54
70-74 Nur 24:24
75-79 Doug Bell 29:11
80-84 Przemyslaw Nowicki 38:00
85-89 Roland Cormier 49:07

WOMEN

40-44 Deatherage
45-49 Dana Hayden 25:24
50-54 Alysia Puma 30:35
55-59 Alexandra Marzulla 29:07
60-64 La Burt 26:37
65-69 Combs 29:18
70-74 Donna May 33:54
75-79 Kathleen Allen 44:23
80-84 Susan Sajdak 52:222
85-89 Joyce Hodges-Hite 1:22:02.

Team results were not available when we went to press.

The 10K Road Race, at the 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Geneva, OH, on Saturday, July 18^th counts for Individual Masters Grand Prix points. Details and a link to registration are at: 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships | USA Track & Field

On Time Registration ends June 16. Late registration ends June 23.

Submitted by Paul Carlin