National Marathon Champion wins USATF Athlete of the Week

10/8/2014

INDIANAPOLIS -- Upon capturing his first national title, Tyler Pennel earns USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week after his debut performance at the USATF Marathon Championships hosted by the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis on Oct. 5.

The 26-year-old Pennel (Blowing Rock, North Carolina) pulled ahead in the last five miles against experienced runners to capture title in 2:13:32 in front of thousands at the Minnesota statehouse in St. Paul.

Pennel’s goal was to run a patient race, then make his move. “I executed my race plan pretty much exactly how I thought,” he said. “I planned to go on the hills in the latter part of the course. I knew that was where my best chance to do well was. At 21 miles, I took off. That was plan, and that worked out well.”

Before this victory, Pennel posted two, second-place performances, finishing runner-up in both the USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston and the USA 10 km Championships in Atlanta.

Now in its 13th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2014 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 22, Galen Rupp; January 29, Galen Rupp; February 5, Alexa Efraimson; February 12, Mike Rutt; February 19, Bernard Lagat; February 26, Sharon Day-Monroe; March 3, David Torrence; March 13, Francena McCorory; March 19, Irene Obera; March 26, Duane Solomon; April 2, Maria Michta; April 7, Noah Lyles; April 14, Kendell Williams; April 21, Meb Keflezighi; April 28, Kristi Castlin; May 7, Maria Michta; May 14, Erik Kynard; May 21, Emma Coburn; May 28, Brenda Martinez; June 2, Galen Rupp; June 9, Tori Bowie; June 16, Trayvon Bromell; June 23, Charles Austin; June 30, Devon Allen; July 7, Kaylin Whitney; July 14, Emma Coburn; July 21, Florence Meiler; July 28, Kaylin Whitney; August 4, Ed Burke; August 11, Cierra White; August 21, Gwen Berry; August 27, Myles Marshall; September 3, Gia Lewis Smallwood; September 10, Justin Gatlin; September 17, Dawn Harper-Nelson; September 24, Deena Kastor; October 1, Shalane Flanagan; October 8, Tyler Pennel.

About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.

Clayton M. Crumell
Communications Intern
communications@usatf.org