BATC Members Aim For Sub-4 Miles

May 7, 2010, 5:03pm

On May 7 at 9:15pm, three BATC athletes will compete at the Heart and Sole Elite Mile in Santa Rosa, CA. They will attempt the first sub-4 minute mile ever seen in Santa Rosa and the fastest mile ever in Sonoma County.

Following the conclusion of the Santa Rosa High School Invitational, team members Bolota Asmerom, Tim Bayley, and Francis Gadayan will aim to run personal bests under the lights of the night meet. Rabbiting the race will be their BATC teammate David Torrence, who is leading the field through the first half mile in what he tentatively expects to be 1:56.00.

With cash prizes on the line, this should be an exciting and potentially historic event. The men's field is headlined by the BATC athletes as well as other Bay Area competitors. Sean Brosnan (Mizuno), Michael Hendry (Ragged Mountain Running Club), Jacob Petralia (Asics Aggies), and Austin Ramos (Adidas Transports) are just some of the entered elites.

An elite women's mile will take place at 9:00pm, prior to the men's event.

For more information on the event and a list of entered athletes, direct your browser to http://www.heartnsolesantarosa.com/elitemile.html.

Tags: BATC, bolota asmerom, tim bayley, francis gadayan, david torrence
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on May 7, 2010, 5:12pm

BATC Race Recap: Payton Jordan 2010

May 4, 2010, 5:20pm

The Bay Area Track Club sent six athletes into action at Sunday's Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. Leading the way for the club was Shannon Rowbury, who used savvy tactics and a devastating kick to win the women's 5000 meters. On the men's side, David Torrence finished 2nd in the 800 meters, narrowly missing the win by a mere .09 of a second.

The news of Rowbury's 5000 meter victory would have been shocking to anyone who saw the first half of the race and decided to head home early. Shalane Flanagan ran to a huge early lead, hot on the heels of a pacesetter and well under American record pace, a record that she set herself in 2009. Quickly a chase pack formed, with Rowbury working alongside Amy Yoder Begley to chip away at Flanagan's advantage. Not until the final 800 meters did it seem like their efforts were producing any results. At that point Flanagan began to tire from the relentless early pace, and Rowbury began to wind up her fabled finishing kick. She really let loose with 400 meters to go and instantly gaped Yoder Begley. On the final turn she passed Flanagan and cruised home to victory in a new personal best time of 15:00.51.

Watch Rowbury's race and check out a post-race interview with her.

Torrence left the meet also possessing a new personal best. His time of 1:46.83 for 800m knocked more than an entire second off his previous record. Showing the strength of a miler, Torrence threaded through the pack on the final lap, swinging wide into lane three on the homestretch to pass all but one of his competitors. Torrence and Rowbury recently returned from a high altitude training camp in Mexico under the guidance of their coach, John Cook.

Watch video of Torrence's race and his post-race interview.

Also running well in the men's 800m were Tim Bayley, who ran 1:49.84, and Francis Gadayan, who ran 1:54.17. In the men's 5000 meters, Bolota Asmerom looked poised to run for the win when he ran out of gas on the last lap. He hung on for a solid 13:42.65. In the women's 5000 meters, Clara Horowitz-Peterson ran a strong 16:36.94.

Hear Bolota's thoughts and see how his race unfolded.

Full results from the meet can be viewed here.

Tags: bay area track club, BATC, shannon rowbury, david torrence, bolota asmerom, tim bayley, francis gadayan, clara horowitz peterson, payton jordan
Read more | Comments (0) | Updated on May 6, 2010, 6:53pm

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BATC Members Aim For Sub-4 Miles

BATC Race Recap: Payton Jordan 2010