EETC Field Notes: USATF Championships Day Three
There was a buzz around the team coming into Saturday. A double-finals day for our metric milers Helen and Eric stood ahead of us and the excitement and nerves were palpable. Entering the finals, they stood in the hunt for the front of the race.
Helen was first to take to the track for the women’s 1500m, marked by many fans and commentators as one of the premier races of the championship. Six women in the field held the World Standard and only three of them could make the team - add to the mix the 800m World Champion (who doesn’t have the WCS) in Athing Mu, then it would be a cutthroat race.
From the gun, Helen slotted in near the back of the field as the majority of the contenders were happy to meander around the first quarter-mile at a steady 66 and leaving youngster Laurie Barton out 2-seconds ahead.
Running evenly through the next lap EETC and Nike’s athlete slid up through the field into fifth, anticipating the break at the front. From 800m to a KM, the field slowed further, the adrenaline clearly flowing through the field as they waited for someone to balk and show their hand. It came 500m out from the finish when Nikki Hiltz hit the gas into the bell and stringing the field out in their wake.
Positioned well, Helen was ready to strike in 6th. It was a frantic last lap as everyone accelerated to the limit - it was a case of waiting to see who could hold it and who would fade. Positions changed down the back with Helen dropping a spot before a strong final 200 saw her reclaim 6th over the line in a 4:04.99 and a 60.5s final lap.
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Following an exciting women’s race, the men had a lot to live up to, but with an equally loaded field it was likely to do just that. Eric has steadily improved through his racing this year and was full of confidence to take on the field with his never-say-die attitude. The men seemed to be taking a play from the women’s race, going out steadily, covering the first half-mile in 1:58. Eric had found himself mid-pack, extracting himself from the rail and sitting off of the leaders’ shoulders in 4th.
The pace was slowly building as Yared Nuguse tried to hold his pole position. Eric held his spot on the outer portion of lane one into the bell as the pace had picked up significantly but much like the women’s race, no one had been disposed of and the field were all still in contention. To this point Eric had done everything right to this point, making a strong move into the back stretch to position himself to close hard. As the field continued to press, Eric held his pace and fought for everything, just coming apart in the last 100 as the field stretched out. We know he’d be devastated in 12th, but another 3:37 and closing in 55 seconds shows how much he has come on in the last few years and how much left he has for the future.
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With that, EETC’s USATF Championships came to a conclusion. Six athletes, two PBs, two National Finallists. It wasn’t everything we hoped for but we’re ready to learn, build and grow to even bigger things. As an unsponsored group with many of our athletes working alongside their training, we shall continue to Paint it Black this year.
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EETC