Posted: July 6, 2006

Athletics: Americans To Challenge For Crazy 8's Podium

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Eight U.S. athletes hope to beat back their international challengers and mount the podium at the Indian Path Medical Center & SunTrust Bank Crazy 8’s 8-K Run scheduled for Saturday night, July 15 in Kingsport, Tenn.

Co-Event director Hank Brown announced today that Americans Joe Driscoll, Ed Moran, John Mortimer, Ryan Sheehan, Ryan Woods, Fasil Bizuneh, Desiree Davila, and Melissa Cook all plan to run the race, the home of the ARRS-accepted 8 km world records for both men and women.

"We're really thrilled to have such a strong group of Americans," said Brown in a press release. "Believe it or not, it's sometimes tougher to get the good U.S. runners than, say, the Africans, to a race like Crazy 8's because the Americans are so focused on the track this time of year."

Sheehan and Davila come to Crazy 8's by way of Hanson-Brooks Running, based in Rochester, Mich. Sheehan is a young talent, only 22 years old out of St. Francis of Pennsylvania, but has already run 28:49.89 for 10,000m. Davila is also just 22, and recently graduated from Arizona State University where she was an All-American. She's run 16:17.45 for 5000m.

Driscoll is a product of ZAP Fitness out of nearby Blowing Rock, N.C. He graduated from the University of Portland in 2002 where he was a three-time All-American and has personal bests of 13:48.39 for 5000m, and 28:37.97 for 10,000m. Bizuneh recently moved to Bristol, Va., to train with several members of the Virginia Intermont College cross country team; he's run 7:57.16, 13:45.05, and 28:43.01 for 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m, respectively. Moran, a former William & Mary star, finished seventh in the 5000m at the recent AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in a personal best 13:25.87. Woods is a frequent competitor on the roads near his Daytona Beach, Fla., home and has run 13:50.71 for 5000m. Mortimer focuses more on coaching these days (he's in his 5th season as assistant track and cross country coach at Boston College) but is a 8:24.92 steplechaser. Cook has a 15:52.13 5000m to her credit and finished sixth at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships last month in the 10,000m.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't realize we had such a strong U.S. contingent until I was putting together my list of athletes," Brown added.

Should any of these athletes aspire to break the U.S. record for 8-K they have their work cut out for them. The men's record is 22:04 set by the legendary Alberto Salazar in Los Altos, Calif., on January 4, 1981. The women's standard of 24:26 was set by Deena Kastor on April 3, 2005 in Chicago.

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