FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trafeh, Cherobon-Bawcom Capture Usa 10 Mile Titles At Medtronic TC 10 Mile
Trafeh Pockets $10,000 Equalizer Bonus by
Beating Cherobon-Bawcom to the Tape
St. Paul, MN (October 2, 2011)- A seven-minute head start didn't give Janet
Cherobon-Bawcom the time she needed to claim an extra $10,000 offered as an
equalizer bonus at Sunday's USA 10 Mile Championship hosted at the
Medtronic TC 10 Mile. Cherobon-Bawcom covered the distance in 54 minutes,
15 seconds, and finished thirty-one seconds behind men's champion Mohamed
Trafeh, who ran 46:46, just eleven seconds off course record pace.
"When I started I thought I was going to run 5:20 pace," Cherobon-Bawcom
said of her race strategy, "but the wind was in my face and I thought that
wasn't going to happen." She knew the men would catch them, saying "We
started way too slow."
Trafeh went into the race with a different strategy. "I was trying to help
the guys beat the first girl," he said post-race. "My plan was to bring the
most guys I could." Indeed, ten men finished ahead of Cherobon-Bawcom,
including Benjamin True and Brett Gotcher, who were nipping at Trafeh's
heels in 46:47 and 46:50, respectively.
The women's field was much less compact. Julie Culley came in second with
54:28 while Blake Russell finished third with a time of 54:44. Six-time
Medtronic TC 10 Mile champ Katie McGregor, who won the USA 10 Mile
Championship last year, ran 55 minutes, good enough for fourth place. "It
wasn't my best race," McGregor said after. "It's good to see how I need to
work."
"The performances in the Medtronic TC 10 Mile today showed that U.S.
distance running is on the right track," said Jim Estes, Associate Director
of Marketing & LDR Programs for USA Track & Field. "Having five men under
47 minutes in the 10 mile championships bodes well for some of the
performances that we can look forward to at the Olympic Trials in January.
On the women's side we are seeing a good mix of youth and experience with
Janet Cherobon-Bawcom winning her second U.S. title this season."
The Medtronic TC 10 Mile, dubbed "The Shortcut to the Capitol," begins near
the HHH Metrodome and the marathon start in Minneapolis. From there,
runners descend down to the river before climbing to join the last seven
miles of the marathon course and finishing on the State Capitol grounds in
St. Paul.
Medtronic TC 10 Mile: USA 10 Mile Championships
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, Sunday, October 2, 2011
MEN
1) Mohamed Trafeh (CA), 46:45, $22,000
2) Benjamin True (NH), 46:47, $7,500
3) Brett Gotcher (AZ), 46:50, $5,000
4) Edward Moran (VA), 46:51, $2,000
5) James Strang (CO), 46:54, $1,500
WOMEN
1) Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (GA), 54:15, $12,000
2) Julie Culley (NJ), 54:28, $7,500
3) Blake Russell (CA), 54:44, $5,000
4) Katie McGregor (MN), 55:00, $2,000
5) Sarah Porter (NC), 55:01, $1,500
About Twin Cities In Motion Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin Cities
Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that organizes running
events throughout the year, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon,
as a community service for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Visit
www.tcmevents.org for more information.
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