SISSON, YOUNG TAKE USATF 20 KMTITLES IN NEW HAVEN
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with pemission.
NEW HAVEN (04-Sep) — On a sunny, warm and humid Labor Day morning here, Emily Sisson and Clayton Young won the USATF 20 kmroad running titles at the 45th Faxon Law New Haven Road Race. Sisson, 31, who represents New Balance, led nearly every step of the women’s race and powered to the traditional finish line on Temple Street in 1:06:09, half a minute over her closest rival, Ednah Kurgat of the U.S. Army. Young, 29, who runs for Asics, edged defending champion and training partner Conner Mantz (Nike) in the final sprint, 59:15 to 59:16. Both champions won $9,000.
SISSON IN CONTROL
Sisson –who starred for Providence College during her NCAA career just 100 miles northeast of here– used today’s race as part of her build-up for next month’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Looking for a hard consistent effort to test her fitness, Sisson went right to the front from the starting line on Elm Street. The other top women –Kurgat, Aliphine Tuliamuk, Molly Seidel, Kellyn Taylor, Annie Frisbie and Emily Durgin– quickly grouped-up behind her.
“Like two miles in I knew it was going to be a grind,” Sisson told Race Results Weekly, adding that she only tapered her training mileage down a little to get ready for today’s race. She continued: “I tapered a little the last couple of days, but not a lot. We’ve been training pretty hard.”
Keeping a steady rhythm, Sisson sought simply to wear out her opponents today. Slowly, all of her rivals fell back, except for Kurgat and Durgin, who were running right on Sisson’s heels in the 11th kilometer where the race loops back to the center of the city. Sisson said that having those women on her tail was motivating and keeping her honest.
“Actually, it helped having such a good field out there,” Sisson said. “It kind of held me accountable to keep keeping steady. Ednah was there for nearly the whole thing.”
Durgin (adidas) eventually fell back and had to settle for third in 1:06:59. Kurgat held on to Sisson’s heels until the final 800 meters. That’s where Sisson decided to make her move.
“With a couple of miles to go I was trying to figure out how good of a kick Ednah has because I don’t race her a lot,” Sisson recounted. “I was trying to plan when to make my move. With about half a mile to go I was able to pick it up a bit. She made it a really good…
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