Eleanor Fulton continues late season surge with 3rd place finish in Fifth Avenue Mile...
NEW YORK--On a wet day in the Big Apple, Washington alum Eleanor Fulton (Paul Merca photo) continued her late season surge, and finished third in the women's pro section of the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile down one of the city's most iconic streets.
Despite a breakaway from eventual winner Laura Muir of Great Britain shortly before the half mile mark, Fulton, who works full time and runs without the benefit of a shoe/apparel sponsor, hung with a group of four in the chase group to finish in 4:18, just behind Nikki Hiltz, who also ran 4:18 (4:17.4).
Muir won in a meet record 4:15 (4:14.8), breaking the 4:16 standard set by American Jenny Simpson in 2019.
Marta Pen Freitas of the Brooks Beasts did not finish as she slipped and tore her hamstring around the half mile mark, according to Beasts coach Danny Mackey.
Courtesy of NBC Sports, here is video of the women's race:
In the men's pro race, Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts, who was lined up in the front row, slipped and went down about a step from the start of the race, along with Craig Engels.
Kerr quickly got up off the ground and worked his way to the front of the pack just before the half mile mark.
The end of the race was essentially a blanket finish, as Kerr could not hold his position for the finish.
Kerr's countryman Jake Wightman, the world champion at 1500 meters in Eugene, won in 3:50 (3:49.6), while Washington volunteer coach Sam Prakel made a late charge to finish third in 3:51 (3:50.4).
Washington State alum Paul Ryan was ninth at 3:52 (3:51.4), and Kerr was tenth at 3:52 (3:51.7). Johnny Gregorkek, who is being coached remotely by UW men's head coach Andy Powell, was 14th in 3:54 (3:53.9).
Courtesy of NBC Sports, here is video of the men's race:
In Zagreb, Croatia, Washington State alum CJ Allen capped off his season by winning the men's 400 hurdles at the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting of 2022.
Allen won in a time of 49.10, with Loudly Vaillant of France finishing second in 49.21, and Joshua Abuaku third in 49.40.
In the women's 400 hurdles, Washington alum Gianna Woodruff was fourth in 55.14, as Jamaica's Rushell Clayton set a meet record, winning in 53.89.
Saturday, the nationally ranked Western Washington cross country teams swept the men's and women's team titles at the Central Washington Invitational, contested at the Apple Ridge Run course in Yakima.
The number 30 nationally-ranked Viking men's squad posted a perfect team score of 15 sweeping the top five spots in the race. Sophomore Jeret Gillingham won the race covering the 6k course in 18:51.
Host Central Washington was second with 72 points, followed by Northwest University at 78, and Seattle Pacific was fourth with 94.
Sophie Wright led the way for the number 20 Viking women's squad, winning over 4.1k in 15:24.
Western Washington won with 18 points, followed by Seattle Pacific at 45, and Central Washington was third at 73.
NOTE: The New York Road Runners, the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, and the sports information office of Western Washington contributed to this report.
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