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Centrowitz, Lagat, Manzano Set to Clash at Grand Blue Mile

Published by
RunnerSpace.com/RoadRacing   Apr 20th 2015, 8:14pm
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Defending Champion Kampf Eyes to Better Course Record

By Scott Bush

For the past few years, Drake Relays week always starts with the highly entertaining Grand Blue Mile. While this year’s event isn’t the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, the field is as strong as ever, with a headline clash of three international medalists with Matthew Centrowitz, Bernard Lagat and Leo Manzano.

Manzano enters as the pre-race favorite, having won in Des Moines in 2014. The Austin-based middle distance standout looks to get his 2015 outdoor season going with another win, as he looks to once again challenge for a spot on the Team USA roster and ultimately compete for a medal at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Beijing.

Manzano has plenty of competition, with the likeliest of challengers coming from Lagat and Centrowitz. The 40-year old Lagat continues to defy father time, as he enters Tuesday’s race coming off a third place, master’s world record effort, at the Carlsbad 5000 late last month. The two-time Olympic medalist and six-time World Championship medalist can never be counted out and is showing great fitness.

Similarly, Centrowitz seeks to build on a terrific indoor campaign, which saw him set a new PR over 1,000 meters nearly eclipse his indoor mile best while running 3:51. The two-time World Championship medalist continues to grow as arguably America’s best miler and a win in Iowa would be a nice start to his outdoor season.

Other notable contenders include Garrett Heath and Jordan McNamara. Heath, who won the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships in 2013 at the Grand Blue Mile, always puts himself in contention for the win. He finished third in Des Moines last year. For McNamara, he was king of the roads in 2014. With wins at the Liberty Mile, Lahaina Mile (in Hawai’i) and the New York Fifth Avenue Mile last season, he brings a wealth of road racing experience to the race, making him a big threat.

2014 runner-up Pat Casey and middle distance veteran Will Leer round out the growing list of challengers.

On the women’s side, 2014 USATF 1 Mile Road champion Heather Kampf is ready to defend her title. Kampf set a new mile best at the NYRR Millrose Games earlier this year, placing sixth in a loaded event with a finishing mark of 4:30.07. In addition to her win in Des Moines last year, she also won the Minnesota Mile and Ryan Shay Mile, while finishing second at the Liberty Mile and fourth at the New York Fifth Avenue Mile. Needless to say, she’s running at another level.

Kampf’s strongest competition should come from Team USA Minnesota teammate Gabriele Grunewald, NJNY Track Club’s Heather Wilson and 800m standout Molly Beckwith Ludlow. Grunewald owns the best mile (4:27.94) and 1,500m (4:01.48) times in the field, while Wilson enters having finished fourth in last year’s race. 

For Beckwith Ludlow, she comes in having run a solid indoor and early outdoor (in Australia) campaign. While her specialty is the 800m, which she’ll run a few days later at the Drake Relays, she’s shown plenty of composure over the 1,500 meter and mile distance that she should contend for the title.

In both the men's and women's races, the course records are in jeopardy. Heath owns the men's record from his victory in 2013, where he finished in 4:02.79. Meanwhile, Kampf looks to lower her record, which stands at 4:32.62. With such strong fields in both races, expect the course records to be thoroughly challenged.

Men’s Start List

Bernard Lagat, Leo Manzano, Matthew Centrowitz, Garrett Heath, Will Leer, Riley Masters, Jordan McNamara, Matt Hillenbrand, Pat Casey, AJ Acosta, Ryan Martin, Duncan Phillips, Frezer Legesse and Boaz Korir

Women’s Start List

Heather Kampf, Heather Wilson, Gabrielle Grunewald, Molly Beckwith Ludlow, Nicole Sifuentes, Kirsty Legg and Dana Mecke

 



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