Simbassa, Taylor Impress in Victories at the USATF 7 Mile Championships

USATF Release

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A challenging course and deep fields didn’t make it easy for anyone to win Saturday morning’s USATF 7 Mile Championships in Davenport, Iowa, but in the final stretch of the event, it was Abbabiya Simbassa and Kellyn Taylor who charged to victory.

Race coverage of the USATF 7 Mile Championships, hosted by the Quad-City Times Bix 7 and the ninth stop on the USATF Running Circuit, is available and can be viewed with a +PLUS subscription on USATF.TV. 

The first mile of the USATF 7 Mile Championships is completely uphill, allowing the men’s lead pack to stay together, as the top runners worked together to conserve energy and gage their efforts. Frank Lara took over the early pacing duties, as the rest of the leaders seemed content to let Lara do the work up front, along with Isai Rodriguez.

The lead pack, consisting of all of the top challengers, would stay together along the residential streets of Davenport, turning off the main hill and accelerating downhill over the next portion of the race. As the front runners came to the half way point turnaround, Lara was still in command, with Rodriguez following off his shoulder and Reid Buchanan just behind him, as a pack of 10 runners emerged.

After the turnaround, the course once again shifted uphill, with the leaders once again having to balance their efforts. Lara started to fade up front, as Simbassa, Buchanan, and USATF Running Circuit standings leader Leonard Korir started to push the pace. A pack of five emerged as the runners came through mile four, with Clayton Young joining Simbassa, Buchanan, Korir, and Lara.

As the five mile mark approached, Simbassa started to push the pace, stringing out the five runners, with only Young and Buchanan staying within striking distance. Simbassa’s flowing stride managed the final uphill portion of the course and as he made the big turn into the long downhill to the finish, only Young remained as a challenger.

With just over a half mile to go, Young put in a surge over the last portion of the final downhill, passing Simbassa and working to try and build a lead heading into the homestretch. However, Simbassa kept contact and as the downhill flattened out and the race turned left, Simbassa was able to charge ahead and build up a comfortable lead with less than a quarter mile to go. 

Simbassa charged home, earning an impressive victory in 32:35, his first USATF title of 2023 after placing second at the USATF 10 Mile Championships earlier in the season.

Young held on in the final straight, edging Buchanan for second in 32:53. Buchanan finished well to earn third in 32:57, while Korir and Futsum Zienasellassie battled for fourth, with Korir narrowly besting Zienasellassie, 33:01-33:02. Sam Chelanga finished two seconds back in sixth with a finishing time of 33:04.

After his fourth place finish, Korir still has a comfortable lead in the USATF Running Circuit standings with 58 points, with Jacob Thomson sitting second with 43 points and Simbassa moving into third overall with 36 points.

After leading the entire first half of the race, Lara faded a bit over the back half of the race, ultimately settling for seventh in 33:10. He held off late charges from Aidan Reed and John Dressel, who placed eighth and ninth in 33:11 and 33:12. Colin Mickow rounded out the top ten in 33:38.

While a large pack defined the first half of the men’s race, the women’s race got off the line and thinned out quickly, as the large uphill separated the top group into those who were attacking the early stages of the Davenport course and those who wanted to conserve energy early on.

The managed efforts quickly turned the women’s race into a group of four, as Taylor, teammate Aliphine Tuliamuk, recent USATF Women’s 6 km champion Ednah Kurgat, and Annie Frisbie packed together.

The quartet would run much of the first half of the race together. As they approached the half way turnaround, it was Taylor and Tuliamuk dictating the pace up front, as Kurgat kept pace and Frisbie hitting the 3.5 mile mark four seconds behind.

After the turn, with the course turning onto a long uphill section, Taylor and Tuliamuk started to gap Kurgat and Frisbie. The duo worked together, taking turns pushing the pace, and as the two HOKA Northern Arizona Elite runners made their way to the turn towards the long downhill to the finish, it was clearly a two woman race, with Tuliamuk starting to push the pace hoping to open up enough of a lead to hold off her teammate.

It seemed as though Tuliamuk would run away over the final mile of the race, as she put three seconds on Taylor, but Taylor would not relent. As the final turn of the race approached, Taylor caught up to Tuliamuk, shifted gears one more time, and put three seconds on Tuliamuk within a matter of 100 meters.

The final homestretch kept the two runners battling for the win, but Taylor was able to keep form, as she charged to a well-earned victory in 36:33, while Tuliamuk ultimately settled for second in 36:38.

Kurgat and Frisbie packed back up over the final stages of the race, each working to outlast the other. Ultimately, Kurgat held off Frisbie in the final stride of the race, placing third to Frisbie’s fourth, both runners finishing in 36:56.

Behind the front four, Jessie Cardin showed her strength, placing fifth in 37:31. Ann Marie Blaney and Olivia Pratt battled for sixth, with Blaney pulling slightly ahead at the line, as the duo each earned a finishing time of 37:53. Iowa native Kassie Parker placed eighth in 38:05, as Sarah Pagano and Molly Grabill placed ninth and tenth, respectively, in 38:11 and 38:24. 

With her third place effort, Kurgat moves into a first place tie with Nell Rojas in the USATF Running Circuit standings with 40 points, while Emma Hurley and Jessa Hanson remain tied for third with 29 points a piece.

The next stop on the USATF Running Circuit are the USATF 20 km Championships, which take place on September 4 in New Haven, Connecticut, hosted by the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $50,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 7 Mile Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 7 Mile Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush