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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved.  Published with permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. (06-Apr) -- It was a very good day for Puma Elite Running's Taylor Roe at the 52nd Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile here this morning. Very, very good. The 24-year-old former Oklahoma State star not only won her second national road running title in 36 days, but also ran a world best for an all-women's race (49:53; previous best 50:32), smashed the previous USATF record of 51:23, crushed the event record of 51:14, and also set a new national 10K (30:56) and 15K (46:24) records en route.  She also earned $30,000 in prize and bonus money: $10,000 for the USA title, $6,000 for the overall title, $1,000 for sub-52:00, $5,000 for a world best, $5,000 for a national record, and $3,000 for an event record. "That is not what we talked about today with my coach," a stunned Roe told reporters.  "Like, what we talked about?  That is exactly *not* what was supposed to happen.  I think at some point I committed to a pace, and you know, I just had to commit to it, believe in it." That pace began at 5:04 for the first mile, but quickly went down to 4:58 for the next.  Roe led training partner Fiona O'Keeffe, plus challengers Emma Grace Hurley, and Ethiopia's Adane Anmaw.  Roe held that sub-5:00 pace through 5 miles (24:52), and by that point she was already alone.  She had passed her coach, Alistair Cragg, who yelled at her, "just go!" as she went by. "I knew kind of the pace I was running," Roe explained.  "I knew if somebody's going to come get me they're going to have to start running low-4:50's.  And if, you know, they do that?  Props to them." But nobody did.  With just the lead truck, a few spectators, and the beautiful cherry trees in full bloom on Hains Point for company, Roe blasted through 10K in 30:56, then ran mile 7 in 4:57, mile 8 in 4:58, and mile 9 in 5:02.  Her form looked exactly the same as in the first mile. "I kind of knew if I maintained that pace, stay composed, it was going to be hard to come back on me," she said. Roe rolled to the finish alone, and even had time to pose for photos before Anmaw took second (51:00), Hurley got third (51:04), and O'Keeffe got fourth (51:49).  Both Anmaw and Hurley achieved personal bests. "I knew that today was going to be grindy and definitely gritty coming off going out to the West Coast and running a 10,000," said Roe, who ran a personal best 30:58.66 at The TEN in San Juan Capistrano last Saturday.  "Today wasn't going to be, like, fresh legs." The men's race was full of surprises, not least of which was that a popular British athlete won the USA title. Charles Hicks, the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships winner for Stanford University who now represents Nike, was part of a four-man break at 15K along with national road running champions Alex Maier, Hillary Bor and Biya Simbassa.  Hicks --who also has USA citizenship and was eligible to run in these national championships because the race did not function as a Team USATF selection race-- showed the best speed in the final kilometer and won in a new event record of 45:14.  Maier took second in 45:15 (a new USA record; Hicks is not yet eligible to set USA records), Simbassa took third in 45:23, and Bor got fourth in 45:30.  Defending champion Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya finished fifth in 45:55. Hicks, who was running his first road race, entered these championships after his coach, Jerry Schumacher, saw that he was coming into good form and the race would provide an excellent fitness test. "Talking to Jerry before this he's like, let's see how we go, plan the season from here," Hicks told reporters.  "I'm not sure we can really do much better than that, though.  So, I'd expect to see me on the roads a little bit more." Hicks is in the process of changing his allegiance from Great Britain to the United States (he is still listed as "Great Britain & Northern Ireland" with World Athletics).  He spent the first 12 years of his life in England, then moved to Florida where he lived until he went off to Stanford.  USATF officials who were on hand at the race verified that Hicks was eligible to compete in these championships, who praised Maier --the reigning USA half-marathon champion-- for making the race. "All credit to Alex Maier," said Hicks, whose long dark hair was matted with sweat.  "Alex Maier just took that race.  I mean, I was ready to fall off on that backstretch where he was catching the tail wind.  He went straight out, pulling away." Maier, Bor, Kiptoo, Hicks and Simbassa were all timed in 28:07/28:08 at 10K, but a slight headwind on the trip back to the start/finish line helped Hicks who got a second wind. "Then we came around, went into the wind, and I felt the pace slow-up," Hicks continued.  "Got my legs underneath me.  I think I made a great tactical push for most of the time there, and it just paid off." Hicks earned a total of $20,000 ($10,000 for the national title, $6,000 for the overall title, $1,000 for sub-46:00, and $3,000 for the event record.  Maier earned $13,750 because he got credit for the national record. "He's always an animal, seriously," Maier said of Hicks, an athlete he competed against during his NCAA career.  "Going back to college, watching him win it on our home course (in 2022 where Maier finished fifth).  I was like, man, that guy's tough." Well behind the leaders, 75-year-old Bennett Beach of Alexandria, Virginia, finished his 52nd consecutive Cherry Blossom, the only runner to achieve that feat.  He was clocked in 2:30:54 (net). A record 19,920 runners finished the race. PHOTO: Taylor Roe setting a world best 49:53 for 10 miles at the 2025 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

Running USA held its annual Town Hall meeting for members via virtual meeting on Tuesday, April 1. The meeting covers updates to the membership structure of Running USA, Board of Directors elections, the 2026 Industry Conference, 2025 Global Runner Survey and more! Links referenced in the video: Membership benefits: https://www.runningusa.org/membership/member-benefits/ Strategic plan: https://www.runningusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Running-USA-Strat-Plan-FINAL.pdf Conference registration: https://register.hakuapp.com/?event=04958b1fee4e66e9ebcf Apply to speak at conference: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSclTR1WbC6cp4r_NNDmEUWSSqlBhSz8A1_mJ8S45426SuxoYA/viewform HR and PR services: https://www.runningusa.org/running-usa-services-human-resources-consultation-and-press-release-creation/ AED rentals: https://www.aedbrands.com/running-usa-aed-rentals/ Take 2025 Global Runner Survey: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8158751/2025GlobalRunnerSurvey Boston event signup: https://in.njuko.com/2025-running-usa-and-rrca-spring-industry-reception?currentPage=select-competition  

Running USA announces new member benefits and updated membership tiers effective April 1, 2025, reflecting the evolving needs of the running event industry. This marks the first membership update since 2019, offering expanded benefits across six new tiers. See all benefits here. The new benefits are responsive to feedback from Running USA members, including expanded opportunities for networking and industry connection, the addition of professional services, expanded conference discounts and much more. “Running USA serves event organizers, vendors and brands of all sizes including large event companies, family-owned business, nonprofits and for-profit organizations,” said Jay Holder, Executive Director of Running USA. “These membership levels are meant to serve everyone in and deliver the type of benefits that will educate, engage and evolve the running event industry.” Each membership level will include individual account access, with organizations able to assign multiple users depending on their type of membership. Existing memberships will transition at the end of their current billing cycle, ensuring a seamless upgrade transition beginning April 1, 2025 and continuing through April 1, 2026.

The following links are mentioned in the webinar: For All Mothers+ website Family Forward Event Tracker / form to submit your event and receive a free version of the Playbook MomForwardMovement Series  / host interest form / questions can be sent to justine@forallmothers.org The Race Towards Equity and Accessibility for Pregnant/ Parenting Runners / submit your email at the bottom to receive a copy of the full White Paper

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (13-Mar) -- Four-time Olympian Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway will hit 35 this June, but is nonetheless coming off of her best-ever year as a runner.  In 2024 the adidas-sponsored athlete ran national records at 3000m (8:27.02), 10K (30:52), and the half-marathon (1:06:55).  She was also successful in championships racing, taking the silver medal at 5000m at the European Athletics Championships, the gold medal in the half-marathon at those same championships, and eighth place at the Paris Olympics in the 5000m. But it was here in New York where Grøvdal enjoyed one of her most satisfying wins.  At the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half last March, Grøvdal rallied in the 17th kilometer to catch Kenyans Gladys Chepkurui and Edna Kiplagat.  Grøvdal had finished third in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race and didn't want to land on the third step of the podium again. "I was so tired then," Grøvdal told reporters.  "Just thinking, it's third this year also.  But then, I don't know.  I just tried to don't get the gap too big.  Suddenly, I was just behind them again." She ended up dropping the Kenyan duo and went on to win by a comfortable 18 seconds, stretching her arms high as she broke the finish tape in Central Park near Tavern on the Green.  The $20,000 first prize wasn't bad, either. "It's up there," Grøvdal said when asked how last year's victory compared with the other important wins in her long international career which began when she was just 15 years-old.  "I have three European golds.  They are big, but I think this is right around that one." Grøvdal credits consistent training and staying healthy for her late-career success, and she's excited to defend her NYC Half title on Sunday. "I'm not sure what's the secret," Grøvdal told Race Results Weekly today in an interview in Times Square.  "I had a lot of years now with no injury.  I've been training well; I think that's the key.  And, of course, I started the season with this race last year and with a win, so it was a very good start."  She continued: "It's just many years with a lot of work." Varying her running has also been important to Grøvdal, who enjoys cross country, track, and road running equally.  Although she missed last December's European Athletics Cross Country Championships --an event in which she has a record 10 individual medals-- she did place 13th in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships last March. "I think that's what motivates me, to do a lot of races," Grøvdal explained.  "I love cross country, I love roads, and I love track.  So, I've always been very into competing, and competing in different distances from shorter to longer.  I think that's very important to me to have the drive to do running, actually." Remarkably Grøvdal is still maintaining --and even improving-- her speed.  Over the last three seasons she has lowered her half-marathon best to 1:08:07 in 2022, 1:07:34 in 2023, and then 1:06:55 last year.  She's also run season-best times for 5000m of 14:31.07, 14:45.24 and 14:38.62 for 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.  That made her the fastest European at that distance for 2022, and the third-fastest for both 2023 and 2024. That's noteworthy for an athlete who races half the time or more on the roads. "I just think when I'm in good shape I can do all the distances very good, and now is my first year I am training for a marathon.  Everybody tells me you get slower now.  So, hopefully I will run fast at 5 and 10K still, because I think I have to improve my 5 and 10K for the marathon, also." Grøvdal's first marathon is on the immediate horizon. She has chosen to try the distance at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, the same event where two-time Olympic Marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge made his debut.  She could have run in London (on the same day) and surely made a solid appearance fee, but in Hamburg she'll be able to run with less pressure and bring her own male pacers (the TCS London Marathon uses an all-women's elite race). "My plan is to run in Hamburg the 27th of April," Grøvdal said.  She continued: "It was that one or London.  But I think for my first marathon maybe it's good to have a more low-key (race).  I can have two guys who helping with the pacing; London is the women-only.  So, I think it will be a good place to start, then I do a fall marathon." On Sunday Grøvdal --and the approximately 27,000 other runners in the field-- will compete on a new course from Brooklyn to Manhattan which will cross the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time.  Her main rivals will be Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, Emily Sisson and Fiona O’Keeffe of the United States, and Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain. "We like to call the New York City Half 'the one to run,'" said New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer at a press conference this morning.  "We're excited to go over the Brooklyn Bridge." PHOTO: Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway in Times Square in advance of the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)