CANTON, Ohio – It was a battle to the finish Saturday morning at the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships presented by Toyota in Canton, Ohio, as first-year pro Taylor Werner outkicked USATF Running Circuit standings leader Emily Durgin to claim her first USATF title. Race highlights and coverage of the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships, hosted by Run to You Racing and the Women’s 6K Festival, are available and can be viewed with a +PLUS subscription on USATF.TV. It was a beautiful morning for a race Saturday in downtown Canton, as the gun sounded and a tight-knit field of runners sprinted off the line, then settling into a pack following the lead of Lindsay Flanagan. Flanagan, flanked by Werner, Durgin, Fiona O’Keeffe, Allie Buchalski, and Katrina Coogan, pushed the pace early, crossing through the first mile in 4:51. That lead pack would remain intact as they hit the 2 km mark, with Anna Frisbie, Diane Nukuri, and Elly Henes rounding out the lead group of nine women. The pace maintained throughout much of the second mile, but Flanagan lost her grip on the lead, slipping off the back of the pack, with Durgin jumping to the front. The group of young pros in O’Keeffe, Henes and Werner ran right off Durgin’s shoulder, passing through the two-mile mark in 9:50. That lead group would stay in place until a half mile to go, when Durgin and Werner put in a surge that broke the rest of the field. The duo hit three miles in 14:48 and the race was on to the finish. Durgin put in another surge that Werner was able to cover, then the Puma-sponsored runner pushed past Durgin and started her own drive to the finish. Over the final quarter mile, Werner showed the superior closing speed, putting a gap on Durgin and pulling away to her first USATF title, crossing the line in 18:21. For Werner, after accomplishing so much while at the University of Arkansas, it was a defining moment in her first season as a professional, and she celebrated afterward draped in the American flag. Durgin hung on to finish second overall in 18:27, while adding another 12 points to her USATF Running Circuit standings lead. Durgin’s total of 34 points, puts her 19 points ahead of the second-place quintet of Emily Sisson, Sara Hall, Rachel Schneider, Werner, and Frisbie, who each have 15 points. Henes, competing for adidas after finishing her decorated collegiate career at NC State University, placed third overall in 18:35. Werner’s teammate O’Keeffe had a strong morning of racing, picking up fourth place in 18:41, just edging Katrina Coogan, who finished fifth in 18:42. USATF 15 km Championship runner-up Annie Frisbie showed her versatility to place sixth overall in 18:46, her sixth-place effort moving her up into a second-place tie in the USATF Running Circuit standings. Flanagan hung on over the final half mile to earn seventh place overall in 18:48, holding off Buchalski, who claimed eighth in 18:53. Diane Nukuri took home ninth place in 18:54, while Maddie Alm finished tenth in 19:10. The next stop on the USATF Running Circuit is the USATF 20 km Championships presented by Toyota, which take place on September 6 in Canton, Ohio, hosted by the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race.
The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $15,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships. The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series. The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners. Contributed by Scott Bush Photo credit: Chris Nickinson