Sisson, Young Earn Thrilling Victories at the USATF 20 km Championships

USATF Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Warm temperatures and humid conditions couldn’t slow Emily Sisson and Clayton Young in the final stages of Monday’s USATF 20 km Championships, as Sisson pulled away late from Ednah Kurgat and Young edged fellow BYU alum Conner Mantz, each winning their second USATF titles of the 2023 season.

Race highlights and coverage of the USATF 20 km Championships, hosted by the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race and the tenth stop on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit, are available and can be viewed with a +PLUS subscription on USATF.TV.

From the start Monday, Sisson took over pacing duties in the women’s race, as the rest of the lead pack folded in behind the veteran. Sisson, who claimed second at the 2022 USATF 20 km Championships, six seconds behind winner Keira D’Amato, used her knowledge of the New Haven course to guide the lead pack mile by mile, pacing herself to perfection.

Sisson led a top group that included Ednah Kurgat, Kellyn Taylor, Emily Durgin, Annie Frisbie, and others, charging through the streets and making sure to grab water at each water station, as the warm temperatures continued to climb.

By mile five, the lead group was down to four women, Sisson still leading, with Kurgat, Durgin, and Frisibie in tow. Frisbie would eventually drop off over the next mile, leaving the trio of Sisson, Durgin, and Kurgat to battle the back half of the race. 

While Durgin eventually dropped off the pace, Kurgat was able to maintain Sisson’s increasing pace. The USATF Cross Country and USATF 6 km champion tried her best to stay connected with Sisson, and even jumped to the lead for a short while pushing the pace, but Sisson would not be deterred. 

With just under a mile to go, Sisson put in a massive surge, immediately putting space between herself and Kurgat, a gap that would continue to grow with each stride. With a half mile to go, it was clear Sisson would claim victory, as she powered to the finish improving on her 2022 finish by one spot and claiming her second USATF Running Circuit title of 2023 in 1:06:09.

While Kurgat couldn’t match Sisson’s move, she had enough of a lead over Durgin heading into the final mile to claim runner-up in 1:06:39. Durgin completed her strong effort Monday with a third place finish, crossing the finish in 1:06:59.

Behind the lead trio, Tristin Van Ord ran a terrific back half of the race, overtaking a number of competitors in the final few miles to take home fourth in 1:07:22. Frisbie claimed fifth place in 1:07:27, while Dakota Lindwurm also dipped under the 68-minute mark with a sixth place finish in 1:07:42.

Taylor, the reigning USATF 7 Mile champion, took home a seventh place finish in 1:08:04, while two-time Olympian Des Linden remained poised throughout Monday’s race to earn an eighth place finish in 1:08:46. Fellow Olympian Molly Seidel earned ninth in 1:09:04, while Amanda Vestri rounded out the top ten in 1:09:12.

Kurgat’s runner-up finish helped her break her tie with Nell Rojas atop of the 2023 USATF Running Circuit standings. Her additional 12 points give her 52 points on the season, positioning her well with two races left on the USATF Running Circuit calendar. Rojas, despite not racing, still sits second overall with 40 points, while Sisson moved up into third with 30 total points.

From the start of Monday’s race, Mantz, Young, and Andrew Colley led the men’s pack. Mantz, the defending champion, in particular pushed the early pace, stringing out the field early, creating a lead group of less than ten athletes as they passed through the four mile mark. 

Daniel Mesfum, who became a U.S. citizen in May, took over the pacing duties around mile five, while Futsum Zienasellassie, Sam Chelanga, Leonard Korir, and Biya Simbassa also sat in the top group.

By mile eight the top group sat as a pack of eight, with Colley, Mesfum, and Mantz taking turns up front. The lead group would remain together until just before mile 10 when Zienasellassie took over the lead and only Young matching pace.

Zienasellassie continued to push the pace until two miles to go, when confusion was had by the lead pack, with many of the top runners turning around thinking they took a wrong turn on the course. While a couple runners charged ahead, Mantz, Young, Zienasellassie, and Mesfum had to quickly regroup and work to regain contact.

The momentum of the race changed dramatically after the course directional issue, as Mantz, Young, and Mesfum put in a substantial surge to gap the rest of the field with a mile and a half to go. All three ran stride for stride across the road, each taking a turn leading.

With under a mile to go, Mesfum put in one final surge, creating a small gap on Young and Mantz, but neither challenger would give up much space, both overtaking Mesfum as the finish line came into view. Mantz continued to hammer the pace with Young in tow, until a quarter mile to go when Young seemed to slightly overtake Mantz.

Into the final 100 meters, Young and Mantz looked at one another, the two former BYU athlete falling into lockstep, crossing the finish side by side. While Mantz was initially given the victory, after a closer review it was Young who scored the win, finishing in 59:15, while Mantz was given a runner-up time of 59:16.

Behind the lead duo, Mesfum worked his hardest to keep a lock on third, but Chelanga gained ground over the final mile and was able to overtake Mesfum for third, crossing the finish in 59:26. Mesfum held on for fourth with a time of 59:32.

Despite losing a tremendous amount of momentum with the course mix-up, Zienasellassie was able to regain his poise and push to a fifth place finish in 59:36. Korir and Colley each held on over the final two miles, as well, earning sixth and seventh place finishes, each breaking an hour with times of 59:45 and 59:47.

Simbassa fell back over the final stages of the race, but was still able to claim a top ten finish, earning eighth in 1:00:54. John Dressel and Jacob Thomson completed the top ten scoring positions in 1:01:18 and 1:01:36.

With his victory, Young moved into a third place tie with Simbassa in the USATF Running Circuit standings with 39 overall points. Simbassa earned an additional three points in the standings. Korir gained another five points in the overall standings, building his first place lead to 63 total points with two races left on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit. Thomson gained a point in the circuit standings giving his 44 points total and putting him in second place.

The second-to-last stop on the USATF Running Circuit is the USATF 10 km Championships, set to take place on Saturday, September 23 hosted by the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport, New York. 

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 $38,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 20 km Championships

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 20 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