ATLANTA, March 02 — Who could have imagined that two former Oklahoma State All-Americans who run for the same pro team in North Carolina would sweep the USATF Half-Marathon Championships?
Not first-year post-collegian Taylor Roe. She was battling Emma Grace Hurley late in the women’s race when they passed Alistair Cragg, who coaches Puma Elite Running with his wife Amy. Roe’s teammate, Alex Maier, was a few minutes ahead in the men’s race.
“With two miles to go, our coach, Alistair, was yelling at me, ‘Alex is winning!’” said Roe. “And I kind of almost laughed to myself: ‘Oh, I hope you’re not expecting that of me now!’ At that point I was still with Emma and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I could do that, but good for him.’ It worked out.”
Despite wind, the infamous Atlanta hills and a near-freezing temperature, Roe defeated hometown favorite Hurley with a PR of 67:22. Only Emily Sisson has run faster in this championships, clocking 67:11 in Indianapolis in 2022. Roe’s time is a pending American Record for a women’s-only race and makes her the No. 5 all-time U.S. woman.
Hurley also PRed in 67:35 while Amanda Vestri was 3rd in 68:17. Weini Kelati, the pre-race favorite who lowered her own American Record in January, faded to 6th (69:07) after building an 8-second lead at the 10K mark.
Roe and Maier, both 24-year-olds who finished their Cowgirl/Cowboy eligibility last spring, made their half-marathon debuts in January in Houston, where she was 8th and he placed 9th.
Maier used a late surge to take control in Atlanta, winning in 60:48 and slicing 3 seconds off his PR.
Two mid-30s veterans of Team USA track squads grabbed the next two places. Shadrack Kipchirchir dueled Hillary Bor, who led most of the race, at the finish line and prevailed 60:58 to 60:59.
Roe and Maier each pocketed $20,000 in prize money for winning their first USA titles while the top three finishers earned guaranteed places in the 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships, September 26–28 in San Diego. The event will also include the 5K and mile. (Ed: Since this report was written World Athletics has rescinded its selection of San Diego as host for the Championships.)
It was 36 degrees when the races started adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend.
“I was shivering so much on the start line, I was kind of wasting my energy,” said Roe, the 2022 NCAA Indoor 3000 champion.
Emily Venters took the early lead, posting a 5K time of 16:15 with the pack right behind her. Kelati surged in the sixth mile, passing 10K in 32:03 to open up a big gap.
However, Roe realized Kelati wasn’t running faster than she and Hurley were.
“I spoke to Emma, ‘Let’s go get her. Why are we giving her space?’” Roe said. “I figure it’s easier to work together.”
They drew abreast of Kelati just after the 43-minute mark, then pulled away.
Hurley said her original strategy was to wait until 10 miles and stay with whoever was in 3rd place.
“I may have gone a bit early,” Hurley said, “although I think sometimes in the race if you’re just feeling good, that’s OK to take a little bit of a risk a little early.”
After overtaking Kelati, Hurley said Roe was a “bit more of an unknown for me. So, obviously I was going to keep my foot on the gas the whole time.”
Hurley led by a second at 15K (47:50) and they swapped the lead three times before Roe took the lead for good with about a mile and a half to go.
Roe said she went into the race just hoping to make the U.S. team for San Diego. “Winning never crossed my mind,” she said.
Kelati could still make the world team based on WA ranking since each country gets four berths, or she could be awarded a wild card.
Bor, a two-time Olympic steeplechaser, tested the men’s field by going out hard in a 4:37 opening mile.
“I looked at the entries, and I knew there were a lot of 10K guys and I really didn’t want it to come down to a kick,” said Bor, who went through the 5K in 14:06 and the 10K in 28:27. “I wanted to dictate the race. I knew if I was going to make the team I had to run my own race.”
Bor let the group catch up because he didn’t want to run uphill all by himself, then took the lead again after a breather.
But Maier, who had stayed in the hunt, moved to the front by mile 10 for a three-man breakaway and then dropped Bor and Kipchirchir just past the 12th mile.
“I’m still relatively new to half marathons and marathons, but I feel like I was in a really good place fitness-wise,” said Maier, the NCAA runner-up in the 10,000 in 2022 (28:12.68) who ran a 2:11:24 marathon in Chicago last year.
Maier said making his first national team is “just very surreal. Definitely on the one hand, I knew I was capable of it going into it, but to actually accomplish it, it’s really gratifying.”
USATF HALF MEN’S RESULTS
1. Alex Maier (PumaE) 60:48 (11, x A) (14:07, 14:23 [28:30], 14:27 [42:57], 17:51 to finish); 2. Shadrack Kipchirchir (PumaADP) 60:58; 3. Hillary Bor (Hoka) 60:59; 4. Ahmed Muhumed (HokaNnAz) 61:03; 5. Andrew Colley (ZapE) 61:09; 6. Matthew Richtman (unat) 61:14; 7. Ryan Ford (ZapE) 61:29; 8. Joe Klecker (OAC) 61:34; 9. Nathan Martin (McK) 61:45;
10. Reed Fischer (adidasTinE) 62:07; 11. Tommy Brady (unat) 62:15; 12. Teshome Mekonen (unat) 62:25; 13. Clayton Young (Asics) 62:38; 14. Anthony Raftis (AsicsMam) 62:48; 15. Jacob McLeod (unat) 62:54; 16. Samuel Chelanga (Sauc) 63:13; 17. Futsum Zienasellassie (unat) 63:14; 18. Jason Weitzel (AsicsGTC) 63:16; 19. Daniel Mesfun (McK) 63:25; 20. Colin Bennie (Brk) 63:25.
USATF HALF WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Taylor Roe (PumaE) 67:22 (5, 7 A) (16:16, 15:55 [32:11], 15:40 [47:51], 19:31 to finish); 2. Emma Grace Hurley (AsicsHeart) 67:35 (8, x A); 3. Amanda Vestri (BrkZap) 68:17; 4. Jessica McClain (Brk) 68:37; 5. Emily Venters (Nike) 69:03; 6. Weini Kelati (UArmDS) 69:07; 7. Aubrey Frentheway (Sauc) 69:24; 8. Carrie Ellwood (unat) 69:36; 9. Sara Hall (Asics) 69:45;
10. Dakotah Popehn (PumaMnDE) 69:57; 11. Makena Morley (Asics) 70:17; 12. Amy Davis-Green (HansB) 70:43; 13. Maggie Montoya (SalRoots) 71:11; 14. Molly Bookmyer (unat) 71:22; 15. Kellyn Taylor (unat) 71:25; 16. Tristin Colley (ZapE) 71:50; 17. Annamaria Kostarellis (Asics) 71:58; 18. Katrina Coogan (NBalB) 72:01; 19. Lauren Hagans (unat) 72:08; 20. Anne-Marie Blaney (HansB) 72:18.
