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"I'm over the moon," Amy Rudolph announced after winning her first outdoor track USA title in 11 years of trying. "I finally won."
It took stepping up from the 1,500m, through the 5,000m, and finally the 10,000m to bring back a national title. Rudolph won the 25-lap race in 32:25.56. "It's a real test of patience," Rudolph said. "I'm almost afraid of the event. I was under coach's orders not to lead until I was going for home, but I had to pay attention because it's easy to fall asleep. 1,500s and 5ks are more tactical."
Taking on the longer races has made racing more fun for Rudolph, though. "I used to put a lot of pressure on myself," she said. "Now I'm just trying to have fun."
After following Katie McGregor's pacemaking for 22 laps, Sara Slattery led the break for home, dropping McGregor and surprising newcomer Samia Akbar, but not Rudolph. "I planned to run the last three laps in 70, 70, and whatever it took to win," Slattery said. "I felt bad for Katie; I've done that [leading] before, and it's not fun." Slattery was second in 32:29.97, with Akbar third in 32:41.84 and McGregor fourth in 32:49.62.
Posted by Parker Morse at 12:13 a.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2006 USA Outdoor T&F Champs