2016 TrackTown Summer SeriesJul 28, 2016 by Allie Woodward Woodward
TrackTown Series Creates Team Competition for Pros
TrackTown Series Creates Team Competition for Pros
Less than a month after competing at Hayward Field in the biggest U.S. meet of the year, Olympians and elites will return to Eugene for a brand-new event on
Less than a month after competing at Hayward Field in the biggest U.S. meet of the year, Olympians and elites will return to Eugene for a brand-new event on Friday, July 29.
Hosted by TrackTown USA, the inaugural Summer Series meet drafted pro runners onto teams several weeks ago for tomorrow's showdown. Eventually, TrackTown USA plans to expand this year's singular event into a series of meets across the U.S. Four teams stacked with talent and 17 Olympians will headline the event.
PHILADELPHIA -- Phyllis Francis, Brenda Martinez, Ben Blankenship, Michelle Lee Ahye
PORTLAND -- Kate Grace, Ricky Robertson, Will Claye
SAN FRANCISCO -- Erik Kynard, Shannon Rowbury, Robby Andrews, Melissa Bishop
NEW YORK CITY -- Matthew Centrowitz, Brittney Reese, Donn Cabral, Emma Coburn, Jeff Porter, Felisha Johnson
Friday's meet will include 20 events, but here are few you definitely want to pay attention to:
Who: Sam Chelanga, DJ Flores, Chris Derrick, Ben Bruce, Riley Masters, Luke Puskedra, Scott Fauble, Matt Llano
When: 5:15 p.m. PT
What: This road race consisting of four laps around the block that surrounds Hayward Field is full of guys who have shown they can go the distance. Puskedra and Llano both nearly missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon team. Puskedra came up just short of making the team with a fourth-place finish in the marathon at the Trials. Fauble, Derrick, and Chelanga finished 4-5-6 in the sweltering Trials 10K, where seven men in the field DNF'd. It will be interesting to see how the competition shapes up over a shorter distance off the track.
Who: Novlene Williams-Mills, Kendall Baisden, Robin Reynolds, Shapri Romero, Ebony Eutsey, Monica Hargrove, Phyllis Francis, Claudia Francis
When: 6:30 p.m. PT
What: First-time Olympian Phyllis Francis headlines this race, but she'll be joined by her sister, Claudia Francis, who helped the Florida Gators capture the NCAA title in the 4x400m relay this year. Joining the Francis sisters is another Gator who contributed to the championship relay: Robin Reynolds. Three-time Jamaican bronze medalist Novlene Williams-Mills and former world junior champion Kendall Baisden should also mix it up with the Francis sisters for a fast 400m.
Men's 800m
Who: Matt Centrowitz, Casimir Loxsom, Erik Sowinski, Harun Abda, Duane Solomon, Jordan McNamara, Brandon Johnson, Curtis Beach
When: 8:00 p.m. PT
What: This stacked field of mid-distance pros should be healthy competition for Centrowitz, who is coming off of a dominant win in the 1500m at the Trials. Centro may be the mile king, but keep an eye on Erik Sowinski, whose bread and butter is the 800m. Sowinski, Abda, and Loxsom had disappointing finishes in the 800m Trials final, where the waterfall start for the field of nine men caused a lot of controversy.
Who: Amanda Eccleston, Morgan Uceny, Lauren Johnson, Kate Grace, Katie Mackey, Emma Coburn
When: 8:35 p.m. PT
What: Among this field of six, three women are either past or future Olympians. Coburn is a steeplechase specialist, but she should be able to mix it up with Morgan Uceny and Amanda Eccleston, who finished fourth and fifth in the 1500m final at the Trials. Uceny ran her season's best 1500m this year in June at the Furman Elite meet, and Eccleston just ran a new PB of 4:03.25 in London only a week ago. And last, but certainly not least, don't forget 800m Trials champion Kate Grace, who had standards in both the 800m and 1500m at the Trials, but wisely opted to focus on the 800m after her semifinal.
Who: David Torrence, Eric Jenkins, Johnny Gregorek, Colby Alexander, Robby Andrews, Kyle Merber, Ryan Hill, Ben Blankenship, Eric Avila
When: 8:47 p.m. PT
What: The men's 1500m might be the race of the night. David Torrence, Robby Andrews, and Ben Blankenship are all Rio-bound, but the other guys in this field are by no means amateur. Jenkins missed a spot for Team USA in the 5K by only tenths of a second. Gregorek, Alexander, Merber, and Avila were in the thick of it all the way through the men's 1500m trials final. Many of these guys are fresh off a few races in Europe, so it's really anyone's guess who will come out on top Friday night.
Hosted by TrackTown USA, the inaugural Summer Series meet drafted pro runners onto teams several weeks ago for tomorrow's showdown. Eventually, TrackTown USA plans to expand this year's singular event into a series of meets across the U.S. Four teams stacked with talent and 17 Olympians will headline the event.
2016 Olympians Entered in the Summer Series:
PHILADELPHIA -- Phyllis Francis, Brenda Martinez, Ben Blankenship, Michelle Lee Ahye
PORTLAND -- Kate Grace, Ricky Robertson, Will Claye
SAN FRANCISCO -- Erik Kynard, Shannon Rowbury, Robby Andrews, Melissa Bishop
NEW YORK CITY -- Matthew Centrowitz, Brittney Reese, Donn Cabral, Emma Coburn, Jeff Porter, Felisha Johnson
Friday's meet will include 20 events, but here are few you definitely want to pay attention to:
Men's 4-Mile Road Race
Who: Sam Chelanga, DJ Flores, Chris Derrick, Ben Bruce, Riley Masters, Luke Puskedra, Scott Fauble, Matt Llano
When: 5:15 p.m. PT
What: This road race consisting of four laps around the block that surrounds Hayward Field is full of guys who have shown they can go the distance. Puskedra and Llano both nearly missed qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Marathon team. Puskedra came up just short of making the team with a fourth-place finish in the marathon at the Trials. Fauble, Derrick, and Chelanga finished 4-5-6 in the sweltering Trials 10K, where seven men in the field DNF'd. It will be interesting to see how the competition shapes up over a shorter distance off the track.
Trying to cultivate #teamphilly vibes before the @GoTrackTownUSA #SummerSeries. Hoping these socks are The Answer pic.twitter.com/u4FIJO0u5A
— Scott Fauble (@scottfaubs) July 28, 2016
Women's 400m
Who: Novlene Williams-Mills, Kendall Baisden, Robin Reynolds, Shapri Romero, Ebony Eutsey, Monica Hargrove, Phyllis Francis, Claudia Francis
When: 6:30 p.m. PT
What: First-time Olympian Phyllis Francis headlines this race, but she'll be joined by her sister, Claudia Francis, who helped the Florida Gators capture the NCAA title in the 4x400m relay this year. Joining the Francis sisters is another Gator who contributed to the championship relay: Robin Reynolds. Three-time Jamaican bronze medalist Novlene Williams-Mills and former world junior champion Kendall Baisden should also mix it up with the Francis sisters for a fast 400m.
Men's 800m
Who: Matt Centrowitz, Casimir Loxsom, Erik Sowinski, Harun Abda, Duane Solomon, Jordan McNamara, Brandon Johnson, Curtis Beach
When: 8:00 p.m. PT
What: This stacked field of mid-distance pros should be healthy competition for Centrowitz, who is coming off of a dominant win in the 1500m at the Trials. Centro may be the mile king, but keep an eye on Erik Sowinski, whose bread and butter is the 800m. Sowinski, Abda, and Loxsom had disappointing finishes in the 800m Trials final, where the waterfall start for the field of nine men caused a lot of controversy.
Women's 1500m
Who: Amanda Eccleston, Morgan Uceny, Lauren Johnson, Kate Grace, Katie Mackey, Emma Coburn
When: 8:35 p.m. PT
What: Among this field of six, three women are either past or future Olympians. Coburn is a steeplechase specialist, but she should be able to mix it up with Morgan Uceny and Amanda Eccleston, who finished fourth and fifth in the 1500m final at the Trials. Uceny ran her season's best 1500m this year in June at the Furman Elite meet, and Eccleston just ran a new PB of 4:03.25 in London only a week ago. And last, but certainly not least, don't forget 800m Trials champion Kate Grace, who had standards in both the 800m and 1500m at the Trials, but wisely opted to focus on the 800m after her semifinal.
Team New York meet up in the airport @AshleyHigz @steph_steeples. #SummerSeries #TeamNewYork
— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) July 28, 2016
Men's 1500m
Who: David Torrence, Eric Jenkins, Johnny Gregorek, Colby Alexander, Robby Andrews, Kyle Merber, Ryan Hill, Ben Blankenship, Eric Avila
When: 8:47 p.m. PT
What: The men's 1500m might be the race of the night. David Torrence, Robby Andrews, and Ben Blankenship are all Rio-bound, but the other guys in this field are by no means amateur. Jenkins missed a spot for Team USA in the 5K by only tenths of a second. Gregorek, Alexander, Merber, and Avila were in the thick of it all the way through the men's 1500m trials final. Many of these guys are fresh off a few races in Europe, so it's really anyone's guess who will come out on top Friday night.