USA Cross Country Championships

BOULDER, Colo. - February 10, 2007

U.S. Olympians Alan Culpepper and Deena Kastor captured USA Cross Country Championships. Culpepper ran 37:09 for the men's 12 km course while Kastor's went 26:47 for the women's 8 km win in a breakaway race. It was the first time since 2003 that the winners had competed in the event.

On the junior side (19 and under), high school senior Elliot Heath of Winona, Minn. won the 8km race. With three kilometers remaining, he pulled away steadily to win the USA Junior Men's title in 26:07. Also qualifying to represent the U.S. at World Cross Country was Kenny Klotz (Eugene, Ore.); Matthew Tebo (Albuquerque, N.M.); Ryan McNiff (Los Alamos, N.M.); Noel Bateman (New Rochelle, N.Y.); and Joshua Edmonds (Cooperstown, N.Y.).

In the junior women's 6 km, Jordan Hasay, shown left, a sophomore in high school from Arroyo Grande, Calif. crushed the field in 21:44. This win allowed her to  qualify for the first time to be a member of the USA Cross Country team. Additional qualifiers were Bona Jones (Fort Meyers, Fla.); Kari Hardt (Queen Creek, Ariz.); Aurora Scott (Chesapeake, Va.); Jocelyn Burke (Waunakee Wis.); and Aislinn Ryan (Bellvale, N.Y.).

In addition to being the US National Championships, the event also served as the selection race for the Team USA squad now scheduled to compete at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya on March 24.

USATF Report

Post-Race Comments to RunnersWorld:

Jordan Hasay
Fifteen-year-old Jordan Hasay, a high school sophomore from Arroyo Grande, CA, ran away with the junior women's USA Cross Country Championship title on Saturday in a time of 21:44 for the 6K course. Uncontested from the start and wearing a blaze orange long sleeve, Hasay finished almost 15 seconds ahead of second place Bona Jones, 18, of North Carolina State University. Hasay, who won the 2005 Foot Locker Cross Country Championship as a freshman, said Saturday's title was redemptive after finishing a disappointing 10th at the Footlocker race in 2006. Despite maintaining the "rhythm, rhythm, rhythm" her coach chanted from the sidelines, Hasay was visibly fatigued post race and answer reporters' questions perched on her coach's, Dr. Armando Siqueiro, knee:  

On how she felt post-race, physically: "I feel terrible. I've never been at altitude."   

On learning she was a U.S. Champion: "I was really happy."  

On leading tape-to-tape: "I was surprised no one else was behind me. I was running the same pace. I was waiting for Aislinn (Ryan, a former Foot Locker champ, now a University of Colorado freshman, who finished sixth and never contested Hasay) to come and get me."  

On whether she thought she was overdressed, as the temperatures were mild and the sun was shining: Hasay wore long tights and long sleeves, while most runners wore shorts and tank tops: "No, I was cold. I wish I wore gloves."  

On not being able to compete at last year's USA Cross Country Championships: "I was upset last year that I was too young to race so this was a little redemption for me."  

On her goals: "The Olympics. I want to go to the Trials next year, (in the) 5k."  

On her fastest time in the 5k and what's next, answered by her coach: "She's never run one. We'll have to see how she recovers from this..."