Torrence makes it a three-peat; Hall takes women's title at USA Mile Road Champs

Torrence makes it a three-peat; Hall takes women's title at USA Mile Road Champs

May 13, 2011 by USATF News
Torrence makes it a three-peat; Hall takes women's title at USA Mile Road Champs


MINNEAPOLIS - Despite cool conditions and wet streets from an earlier light rain, David Torrence (Oakland, Calif.) and Sara Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) turned in hot times at the third USA 1 Mile Road Championships Thursday evening in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In earning his third consecutive title, Torrence ran a course record 3:58.4, minutes after Hall turned her women's course record of 4:30.8.
In the first of the championship races, Amy Mortimer (Leonardville, Kan.) jumped to an early lead, putting 15 meters on the field at halfway as Hall and local contenders Heather Kampf and Gabriel Anderson started to close the gap.

With Kampf and Anderson in tow, Hall took command of the race in the final 400 meters, opening a lead of just over five seconds by the time she hit the tape. Kampf took second in 4:35.9 as Anderson claimed third in 4:36.9.

The men's race saw Hall's husband Ryan Hall take the early pace, passing the first 400 in 61 seconds. By halfway, Craig Miller (Madison, Wis.) took the lead with Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) on his heels as Torrence stalked the leaders.

In a replay of the previous two years, Torrence waited until the course made a slight curve with 200 meters remaining to make his move, pulling away for another convincing win.

In a close battle for second, Braun ran 4:01.2 to edge out Miller who finished in 4:01.3.

The Medtronic TC 1 Mile featured a total of $20,000 in prize money with Torrence and Hall each earning $4,000 for their titles as well as a $10,000 bonus for running under 4:00 and 4:32 respectively.

Video Highlights

Video highlights of the USA 1 Mile Road Championships are available on demand at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About the USARC

The USA 1 Mile Road Championships were the fourth stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC). The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The circuit features ten events for men and nine women.

The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2011 USA 1 Mile Road Championships visit www.usatf.org.