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Meb
Keflezighi stretches before the 2004 USA 8K Championships.
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Ray
Hughes gets ready for the race.
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Jonathan
Beck of the Genesee Valley Harriers.
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Michael
Heitzenrater, also of the Genesee Valley Harriers.
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Despite
rain the morning of the race, the skies cleared up
by the...
|
|
...10:10
a.m. start and the temperature was around 57 degrees.
|
Less
than 50 runners started the race, but it was a quality
field.
|
A
few top runners, like Ryan Shay and Robert Gary, pulled
out...
|
...in
the days leading up to the race due to illness.
|
#18
Anthony Famiglietti, #1 Meb Keflezighi, and #9 Nick
Rogers got out quickly.
|
|
#6
Mike Donnelly, #2 Chad Johnson, and #13 Steve Slattery
also started quickly.
|
Slattery,
a New Jersey native, had a large cheering squad on
hand.
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#23
Justin Young, #17 Ibrahim Aden, #3 Abdi Abdirahman,
and #18 Famiglietti.
|
In
pre race interviews, Famiglietti had indicated that
he was in good shape and excited to race again.
|
Meb
Keflezighi, the defending champion, was the one to
beat, though. He won the USA 15K title two weeks earlier,
and finished...
|
|
...a
close second at the Olympic Marathon Trials in early
February.
|
The
race begins on the east side of the part and heads
across the 102nd St. transverse.
|
Ryan
Kirkpatrick, a member of the Army's World Class Athlete
Program.
|
Lyle
Weese, a 2003 graduate of Montana State University.
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The
athletes head onto the 102nd St. transverse.
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