Three Women Break Course Record at USATF 1 Mile Road Championships

By Adam Kopet

Nikki Hiltz and Tripp Hurt were crowned champions of the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, the third stop on the 2019 USATF Running Circuit, Tuesday night in Des Moines, Iowa as part of the Grand Blue Mile.

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The top contenders in the women's race quickly established themselves with Anna Shields, Shannon Osika and Hannah Fields leading the way, three abreast, through the half mile in about 2:15. Right behind the leading trio were Hiltz and three-time champion Heather Kampf.

Kampf made her move going into the final left-hand turn, just over a quarter-mile from the finish. Hiltz followed closely, along with Fields.

With about 200 meters to go, Hiltz finally struck. She went to the lead and kicked away from her competitors. She crossed the finish line in 4:29.7. Kampf held on for second in 4:31.4, with Fields third in 4:32.2 and Osika fourth in 4:33.4.

Coming into the race, Kampf held the course record at 4:32.7. Hiltz, Kampf and Fields all broke that mark.

The women's race thinned out to five main competitors early, but the men's race remained a large pack throughout much of the race. Will Leer led the way early, pacing the field through the first quarter-mile in just under 60 seconds. Just behind him were Harun Abda, Brandon Lasater and Daniel Herrera.

The pace began to slow in the second quarter, as Leer and Abda shared the lead at halfway in about 2:03.

Going into the first turn Kyle Medina made his bid for the lead. His move left many in the field to scramble for position. However, as the men made their way onto the final straight, it was Chad Noelle and Abda leading the way.

It was a mad dash for the finish that saw the field go seven wide in an attempt to gain the upper hand. But as the finish line approached, it was Hurt who finally made his appearance, just edging Lasater and a hard-charging Nick Harris. Hurt crossed the line in 4:03.9, just a tenth of a second ahead of Lasater and Harris, who were both timed in 4:04.0 for second and third, respectively.

The 2018 USATF 1 Mile Road Championships winners, Emily Lipari and Riley Masters, had been on the start list before the race, but neither made it to the start line Tuesday night.