Fast Women: Aliphine Tuliamuk wins her 12th national title
Issue 225, presented by the POC Trail Running & Adventure Retreat in Alaska with Alison Mariella Désir
I returned from vacation early Sunday morning, and then spent the day at the last Boston University indoor T&F meet of the season. Most of this newsletter was written at a track meet, so it’s a little less comprehensive than usual in places.
NAZ Elite teammates go 1-2 at the USATF Half Marathon Championships
Lauren Paquette pushed the pace early at the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, with her HOKA NAZ Elite teammate, Aliphine Tuliamuk, tucked in behind her. But by 15K, Tuliamuk had moved up next to Paquette. Over the last 6.1K, Tuliamuk opened up a lead, but Paquette, a former middle-distance runner who has made a gradual transition to the longer distances, hung in there. Tuliamuk earned the national title, running a personal best of 1:09:37, and Paquette finished second, 14 seconds back. Nell Rojas took third in 1:11:08.
“I’m just getting started with my training for Boston and we haven’t really done a ton of workouts, and that was actually really, really hard,” Tuliamuk told USATF TV after the race. “My teammate, Lauren, she’s been on fire, so I was scared the whole time, because I just felt like I was running way ahead of my fitness in terms of speed.”
The race yielded three new qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, with Paquette, Molly Grabill (fourth in 1:11:17), and Jessa Hanson (1:11:26) all running under the 1:12:00 standard. Molly Seidel, who said she opted to race in place of doing a final workout, finished eighth in 1:13:08. She’ll race the Nagoya Women’s Marathon on March 12. (Results)
After missing by 43 seconds, Ann Marie Pierce qualifies for the Olympic Marathon Trials
At last month’s Houston Marathon, the top 13 women ran under the 2:37:00 qualifying time for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. But Ann Marie Pierce of Wilmington, North Carolina, finished 14th, missing the standard by 43 seconds. In this Trials qualifying cycle, with a qualifying standard that is eight minutes faster than it was for the 2020 Trials, a lot of women are finding that it’s easier to qualify in packs. They’ve been targeting fast races where the weather is likely to cooperate, and they’ve been going after the goal together.
Pierce tried that in Houston, but the weather was hot and humid. Considering the day, Pierce came impressively close. Instead of waiting for another mass attempt, Pierce decided to go after the standard at her hometown race. On Saturday, paced by Hugh Crews, Pierce ran 2:36:22 (2:36:18 chip time) to win the Wilmington Marathon, and she qualified for the Trials. Pierce won the women’s race by more than eight minutes and finished second overall, two seconds behind her pacer.
“This is for all of the moms and the dreamers and those that, you know, just need that encouragement to go after what they truly believe they can do,” Pierce, a mother of two, said before the race. “If you believe in yourself and you have that support, a lot of great things can happen from that.” (Results)
Thanks to the POC Trail Running & Adventure Retreat for supporting Fast Women
Activist, author, and community builder Alison Mariella Désir and Run Alaska Trails are joining forces this summer for a retreat specifically for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. The retreat—the first of its kind in Alaska—will take place August 6–11, and it will center on running the traditional lands of the Alutiiq, Sugpiaq, and Dena’ina people, as well as enjoying the best of the Kenai Peninsula.
BIPOC runners from across the country will spend days on trails and enjoying only-in-Alaska adventures. In the evenings, they’ll connect lakeside with new friends. In addition to trail running, attendees will raft the Kenai, set sail on a private glacier and wildlife cruise, participate in a training session at an Iditarod kennel, and enjoy a variety of water sports on Summit Lake.
Workshops, facilitated conversations, and celebrations will be threaded throughout the itinerary. Désir will lead and facilitate robust discussions on the realities BIPOC runners face, lighting the way toward a more inclusive path forward in fighting white supremacy and racism. More information and registration link here.
The collegiate 400m record falls twice in one day
At the Big 12 Championships, Rhasidat Adeleke of Texas won the 400m in a collegiate record of 50.33 seconds. But about 90 minutes later, at the SEC Championships, Talitha Diggs ran 50.15 seconds and further lowered the record. Diggs didn’t just break the collegiate record, she also broke the North American record.
I was a bit surprised to see Arkansas’ Britton Wilson run the 800m at SECs, only eight days after she made her debut at the distance. She ran exactly the same time as she did in her first 800m and finished second behind LSU’s Michaela Rose, one of the best in the NCAA, 2:01.09 to 2:02.13. Arkansas’ Lauren Gregory had a strong meet, winning the mile (4:31.96) and 3,000m (9:09.90) a couple hours apart. The night before, Gregory ran a 4:32.26 1600m in anchoring her team’s distance medley relay to third place.
Florida’s Jasmine Moore won the long jump with a 6.91m (22 foot, 8 inch) leap, only one inch shy of the collegiate record. She also won the triple jump with a mark of 4.09m (46 feet, 2.75 inches). It was notable that her teammate, Parker Valby, the runner-up at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in the fall, was entered in the meet but did not race. (SEC results)
Other Conference Highlights
At the Big 12 Championships, Texas’ Julian Alfred broke her own collegiate 60m record, running 6.97 seconds. She also won the 200m in 22.26 seconds, which makes her the second-fastest collegian of all time. (Big 12 results)
Katelyn Tuohy won the 3,000m at the ACC Championships in 8:51.92, running her last kilometer in 2:45. And lots of people were talking about her 4:23.36 1600m anchor leg on the distance medley relay, to help NC State finish third. It was an impressive run, but also right in line with the 4:24.26 mile she ran last month (because the mile is nine meters longer). Duke’s Dalia Frias (1200m, 3:22.85), Megan McGinnis (400m, 52.28), Lauren Tolbert (800m, 2:04.90), and Amina Maatoug (1600m, 4:29.84) combined to win the DMR in 10:49.87, which makes them the fifth-fastest collegiate team of all time, but also only the fifth-fastest this season. The DMR is going to be a fantastic event at the NCAA Championships. (ACC results)
I was impressed by Boise State’s MaLeigha Menegatti winning the 800m at the Mountain West Championships, held in Albuquerque (roughly 5,000 feet above sea level), in 2:03.83. She won by more than five seconds. At the same meet, Colorado State’s Sarah Carter won the 3,000m (9:17.21) and 5,000m (16:07.28) against some tough competition. (Mountain West results)
Other News and Links
Two-time Boston Marathon champion and longtime Nike athlete Edna Kiplagat has signed with Puma, the company announced last week. While Nike still supports plenty of track & field athletes, there are more brands in the mix now.
Speaking of which, Allie Ostrander has signed a pro deal with NNormal, the brand started by Killian Jornet.
People covered Molly Huddle’s postpartum comeback. New York Road Runners announced last week that she is part of a stellar field scheduled to race at the NYC Half Marathon on March 19. Hellen Obiri, Senbere Teferi, and Eilish McColgan go in with the fastest PRs.
Gabriela DeBues-Stafford posted an interesting status update, saying she got a cortisone shot in her pubic symphysis and that it’s helping a lot.
Former Jacksonville University runner Julia Pernsteiner took her own life in November 2021. Journalist Sam Mathers has done a good job of documenting Pernsteiner’s story on her Instagram account. Before she died, Pernsteiner alleged that her former coach, Ron Grigg, berated and bullied her. Now her parents are suing JU and Grigg, claiming Title IX and ADA violations, among other things. Grigg resigned from his coaching role in July.
Kendall Ellis wrote about anxiety for Spikes. “Everyone is a mental health advocate until their favorite source of entertainment fails to live up to their expectations,” she wrote.
Talya Minsberg wrote a nice piece for The New York Times about Spencer, the official Boston Marathon dog, who died February 17. Spencer’s family shared some more sad news on Sunday. Penny, their other golden retriever, and Spencer’s niece, died eight days later.
When Katelyn Tuohy signed her NIL deal with Adidas, there was discussion about whether or not she could have signed with another company, because NC State is an Adidas school. Rachel Bachman wrote an interesting article for The Wall Street Journal about LSU basketball player Flau’jae Johnson, who is at a Nike school but signed a six-figure deal with Puma.
It’s not women’s running, but I enjoyed this New York Times article about professional pacer Erik Sowinski. “Sowinski, 33, knows how strange it sounds, to be the best in the world at dropping out,” writes Scott Cacciola. On the women’s side, Chanelle Price was one of the most sought after rabbits in the business until she retired last year.
Additional Results
Gudaf Tsegay just missed Genzebe Dibaba’s world record (and Ethiopian record) in the 3,000m at the final of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series, in Birmingham, England, on Saturday. Tsegay ran 8:16.69, just 0.09 seconds off the record. Keely Hodgkinson broke her own British 800m record by 0.02 seconds, running 1:57.18, but she was hoping to break Jolanda Ceplak’s 1:55.82 world record. Laura Muir went after the world record in the 1,000m, but her winning time, 2:34.53, was more than three seconds off. (Meet recap | Results)
Kenya’s Vibian Chepkirui won the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon in 1:08:45. The event also hosted the USATF Masters 5K Championships, where Jennifer Pesce, 43, was the top finisher, in 17:49. (Half marathon results | Masters 5K results)
Ethiopia’s Helen Bekele Tola won the Osaka Marathon in a course record of 2:22:16.
Ethiopia’s Emane Seifu Hayile ran 3:00:29 for 50K at the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers Ultramarathon in Gqeberha, South Africa, and shaved almost four minutes off the women’s-only 50K record. Irvette Van Zyl previously held the record (3:04:24) and Des Linden still holds the outright 50K world record of 2:59:54.
Courtney Dauwalter won the Transgrancanaria 128K in 14:40:39, breaking the previous course record by just over 34 minutes. She placed seventh overall.
Jessica Hull led an Australian sweep of the top three spots in the 1500m at the Maurie Plant Meet, held in Melbourne, running 4:07.11. Heather MacLean and Emma Coburn, who were still in Australia after running the mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships, finished fourth (4:10.63) and fifth (4:10.96), respectively. Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew won the 3,000m in 8:46.54. (Results)
Sinclaire Johnson had to miss the Millrose Games’ Wanamaker Mile due to illness. Then she was scheduled to race in Birmingham, England, but she couldn't get there because of snow in Portland, Oregon. So instead she raced the 3,000m at the BU Last Chance Meet on Sunday, winning in a big PR of 8:37.83. High school junior Ellie Shea, who was in no-woman’s land for a lot of the race, finished third in 9:02.02, just off the high school record. (Alexa Efraimson ran 9:00.16 on an oversized track when she was in high school, and Katelyn Tuohy ran 9:01.81 on a 200m track.) Jazz Shulka won the 800m in 2:01.00, and Harvard-bound high school senior Sophia Gorriaran finished fourth in 2:02.20. (Results)
Utah’s Simone Plourde won a competitive 3,000m race at the Ken Shannon Last Chance Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington, in 8:53.95. The top six women broke 9:00. And BYU’s Claire Seymour ran her best race of the season, winning the 800m in 2:02.75. (Results)
On Saturday, Neely Gracey won the Disney Princess 10K in 34:59. On Sunday, Gracey won the Disney Princess Half Marathon (1:15:55) to complete the “Fairytale Challenge.”
Gwen Jorgensen finished third in her first race since returning to triathlon.
Podcast Highlights
Some podcasts I enjoyed last week:
Nia Akins on C Tolle Run
Alicia Monson on the Ali on the Run Show
Josette Andrews on the Coffee Club podcast (She didn’t end up racing the BU Last Chance Meet, which she was planning to do when the episode was recorded.)
Carmen Graves on the Road to the Trials podcast
Allie Ostrander on the Lactic Acid podcast
Thanks to Alison Mariela Dėsir’s POC Trail Running & Adventure Retreat for supporting Fast Women and thanks, also, to everyone who supports Fast Women via Venmo and Patreon. This newsletter would not be possible without you. I hope you all have a great week!
Alison