Former Beast Jessica (Tonn) McClain returns to the Brooks family...
McClain's signing with Brooks follows a fourth-place finish at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando last month with a time of 2:25:46, qualifying her for the alternate position in Paris this summer.
The signing comes after her recent return to racing after taking a step back from the track in 2019. Since then, she has had a remarkable debut in the marathon distance, winning the Mesa Marathon in February of 2022, earning her qualifier by running 2:29:25 at Grandma’s Marathon in June 2023, and securing a spot as an Olympic alternate in only her third marathon race.
“We’re incredibly excited to have Jess back at Brooks,” said Garrett Heath, Head of Sports Marketing at Brooks. “Jess’s energy for the run is infectious and we can’t wait to support her through her racing career.”
The Stanford All-American previously competed for the Seattle based Brooks Beasts before taking a break from professional running to focus on her career and personal life.
“Returning to Brooks is an exciting next step and I’m looking forward to my future here as I continue to learn more about myself and this journey towards my goals.”
McClain will continue to train out of the Phoenix area, where she grew up before attending Stanford and starting her pro career in Seattle with the Brooks Beasts.
VIKINGS CONCLUDE WEEKEND AT UBC OPEN...
Over the weekend, a group from Western Washington crossed the border to compete at the two-day University of British Columbia Open meet at the Rashpal Dhillon Oval.
On Sunday, sophomore Laura Halsell placing fourth in the 3000m steeplechase in a time of 11:20.25 to rank 10th in program history. The mark is currently the fastest time in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Saturday, junior All-American Ila Davis ran a personal-best time of 4:31.47 to place fifth amongst a stacked field of 39 competitors.
Junior Katie Potts won the discus with a top throw of 132-6 (40.40m).
Junior Drew Weber continued his comeback from a recent injury winning the 1500m in 3:59.56 and also raced to a third-place finish in his marquee event the 800m in a time of 1:55.32.
Sophomore Jaden Johnson won the 100m dash in a PR of 11.09 seconds and placed second in the 200m in 22.81 seconds. Freshman Mikko Laulainen won the triple jump at 43-4.25 (13.21m) and freshman Noah Turner won the shot put with a throw of 50-5.25 (15.37m).
The Vikings, who are on spring break this week, return to competition this weekend with meets in San Francisco at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic and the Stanford Invitational.
NOTE: Brooks Running and the sports information office of Western Washington University contributed to this report.
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