Kelati Repeats, Nur Victorious at the USATF 5 km Road Championships

USATF Release

NEW YORK, New York – Talented fields and perfect racing conditions led to fast times and thrilling performances Saturday morning at the USATF 5 km Road Championships presented by Toyota hosted by the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K in New York City, as Weini Kelati repeated as women’s champion, while Abdihamid Nur won his first USATF national title on the men’s side.

On demand race viewing and coverage of the USATF 5 km Road Championships are available and can be viewed with a +PLUS subscription on USATF.TV.

From the start of the men’s race, Hillary Bor took out the race at a very fast clip, stringing out the men’s field immediately, and showing that the race would not be a sit and kick race like the 2021 edition was. 

Through the first mile, Bor pushed the pace up front, with Nur and USATF Running Circuit veteran Andrew Colley on his heals. The rest of the chase pack fell back and by the half way point Colley had dropped back as well, with Kirubel Erassa stepping up into third.

Bor, Nur, and Erassa would remain together until a mile to go, when Erassa fell off the pace, leaving Bor and Nur at the front. Bor continued to drive the pace, but Nur was in lockstep with Bor. 

With a half mile to go, and a slight incline along the course straining the runners’ forms, Nur started to press the pace and opened up an immediate gap on Bor. Bor worked to maintain contact with Nur, but the former Northern Arizona University champion continued to extend his lead.

With victory seemingly in tow after his decisive move, Nur looked over his shoulder one final time, unleashed a big smile, and crossed the finish line with the first pup in 13:24. Nur continued his incredible 2022 campaign by winning his first USATF national title.

Bor held on as best he could over the final quarter mile, maintaining form and following up his USATF 10 Mile Road Championship victory in October with a runner-up finish in New York City, crossing the line in 13:29. Behind the lead duo, Erassa held off a late charging pack of competitors, earning third in 13:37.

Behind the top three, the battle for fourth was fierce. Ahmed Muhumed outlasted a handful of competitors, pulling away in the final stages of the race to capture fourth in 13:39. Alec Basten edged Brian Barraza for fifth, as both men finished in 13:40, while Colley held on to place seventh in 13:41.

Rounding out the top ten, Tai Dinger ran a strong final mile to claim eighth place in 13:45. Kasen Knevelbaard and Eric van der Els battled from start to finish, with Knevelbaard pulling ahead in the final strides of the race for ninth, while van der Els placed tenth, both finishing in 13:50.

As was the case at last year’s USATF 5 km Road Championships, Kelati pushed the pace early and often. In the first mile, only 2022 World Athletics Championships finalists Emily Infeld and Natosha Rogers followed Kelati, but quickly after the first mile passed, both athletes dropped back, signaling it was Kelati’s race to lose.

Kelati continued her torrid pace for the final two miles of the race, extending her lead little by little, while proving her powerful stride was too much for the rest of the field to handle. 

Kelati had a ten second lead over the field coming through two miles, only to extend her lead to 14 seconds when it was all said and done. Kelati repeated as USATF 5 km champion, as she crossed the finish in 15:16, two seconds faster than her dominating performance the year prior.

While Kelati ran away from the field, the race for second was thrilling. Erika Kemp, Infeld, Kemp’s teammate Annie Rodenfels, and a handful of others packed up after the first mile. The pack would remain together for much of the next mile, until with a mile to go the field started to string out a bit.

With an eye on the finish, Kemp and Infeld started to pull away, with Rodenfels just behind. A tireless battle to the finish ended in the last meter of the race, as Kemp edged Infeld and Rodenfels for second, crossing the line in 15:30. Infeld would claim third in the same time of 15:30, while Rodenfels took home fourth in 15:31.

Former University of Portland standout Taryn Rawlings strode through the finish in fifth place in 15:32, just ahead of sixth place finisher Taylor Werner, who crossed the line in 15:34. Eleanor Fulton placed seventh in 15:39, Emily Lipari took home eighth in 15:40, Alexandra Hays crossed ninth in 15:41, and Rogers claimed tenth in 15:45.

The next stop on the 2022 USATF Running Circuit takes place on December 4, as the California International Marathon hosts the concluding race of the 2022 USATF Running Circuit season. 

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $60,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 5 km Road Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 5 km Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush