BOSTON- It was a great day for Massachusetts at the BAA Invitational Mile, with Bay State native Johnny Gregorek and Annie Rodenfels, who competes for the BAA High Performance Team, picking up victories in the pro race after dozens of youngsters local athletes excited about the opportunity to cross the Boston Marathon finish line in races of their own.
In the men’s pro mile, Gregorek, 30 – state 2-mile champion while competing for Seekonk High School – came from behind to triumph in 4:08.16.
“It was awesome,” said Gregorek, who knows how to put on a show for Boston fans – in 2019 he became the second-fastest American indoor miler in history by running 3:49.98 on the Boston University trail. “The crowd was great, the energy is awesome here… couldn’t be better, really. The goal was to win and that’s what I did.
Hosting the event for the first time, Gregorek described the three-lap Back Bay course as “fun, with lots of tight turns. It was pretty exciting, like roller derby. Americans Kasey Knevelbaard (4:08.88) and Shane Streich (4:09.28) placed second and third.
When asked if breaking the tape at the Boston Marathon finish line might inspire him to one day run the 26.2 mile, he didn’t hesitate: “I really see myself doing it as a funny thing.
On the women’s side, Rodenfels (4:35.51) edged Taryn Rawlings (4:35.59) to the line, with Emily Lipari, who previously raced for Team BAA, in third (4:36.98). Heather MacLean, a native of Peabody, MA, a 2020 1,500 meter Olympian who on Friday night helped break the world’s best in the distance medley relay.
A three-time NCAA Division III champion from Center College in Kentucky, the 25-year-old Rodenfels raced through the middle of the 11-woman field until she closed in on the leaders on the penultimate turn. . “At first I was going to settle for third place,” said the distance specialist, “but then I was like ‘no. I came here to test my speed against them to improve.
When asked if she surprised herself a bit with the win, Rodenfels laughed. “I surprised myself a lot,” she admitted. “I love the BAA. They took a chance on me when a lot of people wouldn’t, and I feel as much as I want to succeed for myself, I want to succeed for them as well.”
In the Scholastic Mile, which features two high school athletes from each of the eight cities and towns – Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline and Boston – along the marathon route, Sam Burgess of Framingham broke the tape for the boys and Camille Jordan won for the girls.
For his victory, Burgess had to fight Newton’s Tyler Tubman on the boards, Burgess (4:25.32) barely edging out Tubman (4:25.32) before crashing to the pavement in exhaustion. The fifth-fastest 2-mile racer in the state last year, Burgess is no stranger to victory at this event: He’s the 2018 BAA Middle School 1K champion.
In the girls’ school mile, Wellesley’s Rory Clare led most of the way before being caught by Brookline’s Camille Jordan on the home stretch. Jordan was ranked third in the state in the 1,000 meters this indoor season, while Clare topped the Massachusetts 1,000 meters list.
In the college 1000m race, John Bianchi of Natick took the win for the boys, while Abigail Beggans of Wellesley needed every inch of Boylston Street to claim victory over Sasha Lamakina of Framingham (3:14.05 to 3: 14.09).
Four first-time winners claim titles at BAA 5K 2022
Kicking off the Boston Marathon’s first traditional weekend in three years, Saturday morning’s BAA 5K featured sunshine, daffodils and 3.1 miles of smiles as more than 8,000 runners reclaimed the line. spring arrival.
The 5K also featured a course record in the women’s race, as Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia beat the tape in 14:49, taking a second less than the mark set by American Molly Huddle in 2015.
Had it not been for a headwind in the second half of the race, the 26-year-old might have lowered her own world record (14:29) for a women-only race.
“My main goal was to break the world record, but I think it was a little windy,” said the two-time World Championships silver medalist in athletics, who came to Boston shortly afterwards. of a 1:07:34 victory to last monthit is Half NYC. “I’m very happy to get the course record here.”
Teferi’s intent was evident from the gun, with only American Weini Kelati chasing him.
“She’s a really strong runner,” said Kelati, the reigning U.S. 5K champion. “I was lucky to be able to run with her halfway. I’m not strong enough to push against the wind. It was much harder than the last time I ran here. I’m glad that the race was short.
Kelati was second, clocking 15:04, a personal best 14 seconds, with Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi third in 15:16. Among the women in the peloton behind them was Kathrine Switzer, one of eight women who ran the Boston Marathon in 1972, the first year it featured an official women’s division. This milestone is celebrated this year on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
In the men’s race, Canadian Charles Philibert-Thiboutot set a personal best of 28 seconds and a new Canadian national record for an upset victory in 13:35, fending off a late push from New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, always a dangerous closer . Beamish exploded from behind on the home stretch to crush Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi for second place, with both men finishing in 13:36.
“It’s always nice to get a win,” said the 2016 Canadian Olympian in the 1,500 metres. “It was also a super fun race. I’ve had my best workouts at altitude, and that doesn’t lie. I went down and I was like, ‘you know what, I’m going to go for the win.‘ I went to the front line with that confidence and I’m happy because it paid off.
The race clocked in at 4:24 for the first mile – Philibert-Thiboutot called it a “jog” – before Talbi set off, followed by Kenyan David Bett and the Canadian. From then on, “It really felt like a tough race, and I knew down the stretch I had to kick because guys like Geordie Beamish have a good kick. I had a few steps on him and really worked hard to keep him,” said the eventual winner.
Starting his weekend off on the right foot, Marcel Hug from Switzerland demolished the men’s wheelchair course record, winning in 10:05.
“It feels good,” said five-time marathon winner Hug. “I’m really happy with today. It was a good test of how I feel about Monday. American Jessa Fesemyer won the women’s wheelchair race in 12:34.
Capping off Saturday’s trio of events, the BAA Relay Challenge features student-athletes from the Greater Boston area experiencing the thrill of running in relays on Boylston Street.
SATURDAY EVENT RESULTS:
2021 BAA 5K Results
2021 BAA Invitational Mile & Scholastic Mile Results
MARATHON RESOURCES: The BAA encourages all media to frequently visit our Boston Marathon Media Resources Page (https://bstnmar.org/Media) for tee lists, links and up-to-date information. This year’s media guide, uniform guide, participant guide, divisions, transcripts and results will be available on the media resources page.
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Continuation of the schedule of events for the 126th Boston Marathon (subject to change)
FROM FRIDAY APRIL 15 TO SUNDAY APRIL 17
Boston Marathon Expo | Hynes Convention Center
The Boston Marathon Expo will be open to participants and members of the public from Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 17. Attendees will collect their bib numbers and explore a sponsor pavilion, pose for photo ops and shop for the largest collection of adidas Boston Marathon merchandise in town.
Boston Marathon Fan Fest presented by Amazon | Place Copley
The Boston Marathon Fan Fest presented by Amazon in Copley Square Park will be the perfect place to soak up the race week atmosphere. Fan Fest will host live music, entertainment, photo ops, meet and greets, archives, the latest Boston Marathon training clinic, and more. A full program of panelists can be found here; Saturday’s guests include Boston Marathon champions, women from the 1972 inaugural field, and more.
MONDAY APRIL 18
126th Boston Marathon | Hopkinton to Boston, Massachusetts
A group of 30,000 athletes will compete in the 126th Boston Marathon race, covering 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston. The oldest annual marathon in the world celebrates community spirit and the pursuit of sporting excellence each year. A media working room with limited seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
Departures schedule:
6:00 a.m. ET – Military Walkers
9:02 a.m. ET – Wheelchair Division – Men
9:05 a.m. ET – Wheelchair Division – Women
9:30 a.m. ET – Handcycle and Duo participants
9:37 a.m. ET – Professional Men
9:45 a.m. ET – Professional Women
9:50 a.m. ET – Para-Athletics Divisions
10:00 a.m. ET – Wave 1
10:25 a.m. ET – Wave 2
10:50 a.m. ET – Wave 3
11:15 a.m. ET – Wave 4
Boston Marathon Mile 27 Post-Race Party hosted by Samuel Adams | 6:30 p.m. | Fenway Park
The Mile 27 Post-Race Party presented by Samuel Adams returns to Fenway Park. Graduating students can enjoy America’s most beloved ballpark, walk the cautionary trail and enjoy refreshments as they cheer on the 26.2-mile conquest. Members of the media can access the post-race evening with their media accreditation.
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
Boston Marathon Champions Press Conference | 10:00 a.m. | Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
This press conference will feature the 126th Boston Marathon champions and other notable finalists, as well as officials from the Boston Athletic Association.
For the 37th year, John Hancock will be the main sponsor of the Boston Marathon.
Retrieval of supporting documents: The distribution of media accreditations will take place in the State Suite of the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel until Sunday, April 17 at the following times:
Sunday April 17 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
All members of the media will be required to sign a COVID-19 Vaccination Attestation and a Boston Marathon News and Media Access Guidelines Agreement when retrieving credentials.