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From Running USA Wire:

Slattery Wins USA Women's 8K Title at Akron
By Dave Kuehls, Running USA wire

AKRON, Ohio - (September 27, 2008) - Sara Slattery of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. put a disappointing summer of running in Europe behind her by winning the USA Women's 8K Championship in Akron, Ohio on Saturday. Slattery, 26, covered the near 5 mile course in 25 minutes, 54 seconds to best Katie McGregor and two-time USA 8K champion Amy Rudolph, who ran 25:56 and 26:01, respectively.

"This summer I ran times I was running in college," said Slattery who earned her first USA title and $7500. "I was running timid. So today I wanted to go out there and run the way I always run."

That would be leading from the start, and pressing the pace, which the Team Running USA athlete did. Slattery was at point for a pack of nine women as they passed the first mile in 5:05. A half a mile later, two-time Olympian Elva Dryer was off the back of that pack.

At two miles (10:22), the pack was seven, with Slattery still grinding, and a mile later (15:35) it was three: Slattery, McGregor and Renee Metivier-Baillie, and that's when Slattery made her move to win, stringing out McGregor and Metivier-Baillie and all the women behind them.

"I was not surprised at the move," said McGregor of Team USA Minnesota. "[To win] you've got to run tough and take chances and that's what she did."

But it got close. The finish was in the Akron Aeros baseball stadium and as they entered Slattery was slowly and McGregor was closing. The gap was two seconds at the end, after which Slattery promptly collapsed on her back. "I usually push it until I fall down, so that was not unusual," she said.

McGregor, who was running back in her home region - she is from the Cleveland area - revealed she is in the middle of training for the ING New York City Marathon. Behind her, Rudolph, also a two-time Olympian, closed well for third.

The USA Women's 8K Championship was the featured event during the 6th Road Runner Akron Marathon. That race, plus relays, drew more than 10,000 runners and was won by Birhanu Wukaw Zeleke (2:23:13) and 40-year old Sarah Plaxton (2:57:56).

"We're thrilled to host a national championship," said race co-chair Bret Trier. "Next year, we hope to combine it with another one."

The USA Women's 8K Championship was also the seventh stop on the 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC) for women. The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5K to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The fourteenth edition for the men and thirteenth for the women, the 2008 USARC has seven events for men and nine events for women. Defending USARC champion Deena Kastor currently leads the women's standings with 45 points, while Magdalena Lewy Boulet and McGregor are tied for second with 24 points each.

USA Women's 8K Championship
Hosted by the 6th Road Runner Akron Marathon
Akron, OH, Saturday, September 27, 2008

1) Sara Slattery (CA), 25:54, $7500
2) Katie McGregor (MN), 25:56, $4500
3) Amy Rudolph (RI), 26:01, $3000
4) Molly Huddle (RI), 26:06, $2500
5) Renee Metivier-Baillie (AZ), 26:14, $2000
6) Lindsey Anderson (UT), 26:18, $1500
7) Rebecca Donaghue (PA), 26:22, $1000
8) Elva Dryer (CO), 26:28, $750
9) Sally Meyerhoff (AZ), 26:31, $500
10) Allison Grace (NC), 26:39, $250

Complete results at: AkronMarathon.org

 Tags  Amy Rudolph Molly Huddle USA Women's 8K Championship

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