YOU WON’T SEE Doha listed on any of Nick Christie’s travel plans. Or on any other American male walker’s itinerary, since none have made standard. But he won’t be sitting at home in San Diego twiddling his toes, either. There’s Lima, for the Pan American Games, and hopefully/optimistically, Tokyo 2020, on his agenda. “I’m booked to do both the 20K and 50K in the Pan Ams,” Christie said after winning the national 10,000 title—meaning this race was a 25-lapper on the famed Blue Oval—in 41:56.61.
In a race that wasn’t a selection meet for the WC, it was a walkaway that saw the 27-year-old Christie lead for every step after the 7 a.m. starting gun, over Emanuel Corvera (43:10.87) and John Cody Risch (43:36.43), some three quarters of a lap arrears, with the other 7 finishers all lapped. “The two Pan-Am racewalks are a week apart, so I should be able to handle them OK,” said Christie. “They’ll both be great, tough races.”
While the 10,000 (track) or 10K (road) events have been U.S. national championship walk distances for nearly a century (held apart from this meet), this was the first time the 6.2M distance has been a men’s title event at the outdoor nationals, which had a 20K from ’82 to ’18, and an assortment from 3000m to 2M to 5000m before that. Why the change? Apparently to schedule the 20K Nationals back in March in Tustin, California as a Pan-Am trial. Christie won it in 1:27:37 and went on to clock a 1:24:15 in Spain in June, quick but still not quick enough for Doha.
USATF MEN’S 10K WALK RESULTS
(July 28; track)
(not WC Trials event)
1. Nick Christie (unat) 41:56.61;
2. Emmanuel Corvera (NYAC) 43:10.87;
3. John Cody Risch (qE) 43:36.43;
4. Anthony Peters (unat) 45:53.41 PR;
5. Steven Smith (unat) 47:11.86;
6. Samuel Allen (unat) 47:47.30;
7. Joel Pfahler (unat) 48:54.99 PR;
8. David Swarts (PegAC) 51:26.90;
9. Bricyn Healey (OlivetNaz) 52:30.12;
10. Jonathan Andersen (CedRapids) 59:11.32.
