SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, January 08—Using a searing kick in sight of the finish line, Shadrack Kipchirchir eked out a win in the USATF XC Championships. The ’19 winner had to handle a trio of fellow former Kenyans running for the U.S. Army — Sam Chelanga, Benard Keter & Leonard Korir — as well as surprising Dillon Maggard.
After 2K loops of 6:00, 6:12 and 6:01, the quartet had broken away, joined by Utah State alum Maggard. They passed 8K in 24:20, a 6:09 circuit, and still no one had made a decisive move.
Finally, the 26-year-old Maggard started pushing the last loop hard. Keter, the Trials steeple runner-up, fell off first. With 500 left, Chelanga, the 8th-placer in the Trials 10K, moved to the fore. Maggard responded, and Kipchirchir moved up alongside him as Korir fell back.
On the final stretch, with less than 200 left, Maggard charged into the lead again. They crossed the timing mats at 10K having run the fastest loop of the race (5:57), and Kipchirchir and Chelanga bumped elbows trying to get in position for the final 100m sprint to the finish.
Maggard cast Kipchirchir a challenging glare, and the final dash was on. Chelanga fell back and Kipchirchir unleashed the smoothest of sprints, crossing first in 30:32. Maggard followed hard and kept looking back as he sensed Chelanga finishing fast. He just barely held him off as both clocked 30:34. Korir took 4th in 30:37 and Keter was 5th in 30:49.
“My goal today was just to feel me racing well again,” said Kipchirchir, who lost most of ’21 to injury. “I am glad I won today.”
The U.S. Army team, not surprisingly, took the team win with 27 points, as the U.S. Navy finished 2nd at 35.
USATF XC MEN’S RESULTS
Teams: 1. U.S. Navy 23; 2. Sports Warriors TC 25; 3. U.S. Air Force 33; 4. ARC Run Club 72; 5. U.S. Marine Corps 76.
10.1K: 1. Shadrack Kipchirchir (Nik) 30:32;
2. Dillon Maggard (unat) 30:34;
3. Sam Chelanga (USAr) 30:34;
4. Leonard Korir (USAr) 30:37;
5. Benard Keter (NikUSAr) 30:49;
6. Benjamin Eidenschink (unat) 31:07;
7. Ben Blankenship (Nik) 31:37;
8. Caleb Webb (unat) 31:44;
9. Futsum Zienasellassie (McKirdy) 32:03;
10. Theodorakis Medrano (TmBou) 32:06;
11. Ryan Robinson (unat) 32:14; 12. Alec Sandusky (HansB) 32:18; 13. Daniel Soto (HansB) 32:31; 14. Anthony Raftis (unat) 32:47; 15. Stanley Linton (USN) 32:51; 16. Chase Weaverling (TmBou) 32:57; 17. Craig Curley (SportsWar) 33:03; 18. Benjamin Bruce (HokaNAZ) 33:04; 19. Garret Lee (TmBou) 33:05; 20. Hosava Kretzmann (SportsWar) 33:05; 21. Matthew Williams (USAF) 33:13; 22. Henry Sterling (unat) 33:16; 23. Zachary Swenson (USN) 33:37; 24. Benjamin Payne (USAF) 33:39; 25. Tony Floyd (unat) 33:41; 26. Raul Arcos (unat) 33:55; 27. Kevin Murray (USN) 33:58;
28. Steven Grolle (PenDC) 34:05; 29. Andrew Wacker (unat) 34:14; 30. Angel Ramirez (McKirdy) 34:23; 31. James Stadler (unat) 34:25; 32. Phillip Duncan (LRCNb) 34:29; 33. Ben Fletcher (SportsWar) 34:47; 34. James Shipley (USAF) 34:49; 35. Jordan Tropf (USN) 34:54; 36. Samuel Peckham (USN) 34:59; 37. Andrew Yazzie (SportsWar) 35:03; 38. Kyle Warrick (USN) 35:22; 39. Nathan Thomas (USAF) 35:24; 40. Sean Mulherin (unat) 35:30; 41. Corey Brunelle (ARC) 35:31; 42. Ken Hampshire (USMC) 35:39; 43. Nicholas Romanow (USN) 35:49; 44. Kyle King USMC) 36:22; 45. Nick Kelley (USAr) 36:33;
46. Coen Haroldsen (unat) 36:56; 47. Sean Price (ARC) 37:00; 48. Michael Duncan (ARC) 37:17; 49. Grant Lapovich (ARC) 37:28; 50. Braulio Benitez (unat) 37:38; 51. Luke Gilman (USMC) 37:56; 52. Mark Dewyea (USMC) 38:29; 53. Trevor Siniscalchi (USAF) 39:04; 54. Hunter Daniel (PradoRT) 39:19; 55. Joseph Galvin (USMC) 39:28; 56. Schuyler Hall (unat) 39:48; 57. Brandon Vientos (ARC) 42:44; 58. Martin Leung (TCLA) 43:28.
Junior Men
8.1K: 1. Gabe Simonsen (OkSt) 25:42; 2. Chase Leach (UtSt) 25:50; 3. Cael Grotenhuis (NnAz) 26:22; 4. Garrett Woodhouse (UtSt) 26:44; 5. William Dixon (UtSt) 26:57; 6. Gabe Smit (LoyIl) 27:01; 7. Bahozhoni Church (WingsA) 27:30; 8. Kutoven Stevens (unat) 27:47; 9. Joshua Galindo (unat) 28:01; 10. Micah Slivers (unat) 28:45.
