It was Elise Cranny and Woody Kincaid's lethal final kick that gave them the USATF 10000m titles on Thursday, (6) in Eugene, Oregon.
A little more than 200 meters from the finish, Elise Cranny made a decisive move to claim her third national title.
After letting other competitors settle into a conservative early pace, the two-time defending US champion at 5,000, Cranny, surged ahead of American record-holder Alicia Monson to win by more than five seconds. Splitting 65 seconds over the final 400 meters, Cranny broke the tape in 32:12.30. A second consecutive 3rd place finish was earned by Natosha Rogers in 32:22.77.
Women's 10000m Complete Results
Men's Race:
Using his lethal closing speed on the final lap, Kincaid, the Olympic Games finalist, surged past the leaders to claim his second 10,000-meter national title. Just before the final 200m, Kincaid passed American record-holder Grant Fisher, who had tried to run away from the field with three laps to go.
With plenty of room to celebrate, Kincaid finished in 28:23.01 after closing with a 54.76 split for the final 400 meters. Joe Klecker finished second in 28:24.50, while Sean McGorty rounded the podium in 28:24.96.
Despite having a three-second lead with 400m to go, Grant Fisher ended up 4th.