Camel City Elite Meet Produces World-Leading Performances and More
4th edition showcased world record holders, Olympic champions and medalists as well as Olympic hopefuls in Winston-Salem, NC; nine facility records fall; professional athletes engage local school children and fans; more than $60,000 in prize money awarded across four events; Mile races kick-off Bring Back the Mile GP Tour 2016
From JDL FastTrack
● Social Hashtag: #CamelCityElite
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The “Road to Rio” got off to a hot start in the U.S. with the 4th Camel City Invitational hosted by JDL Fast Track on January 29-30 in Winston-Salem. Highlighted amongst the collegiate and Open competition during the two-day festival, were the Camel City Elite Races on Saturday, a two-hour showcase of some of the best Track & Field athletes in the world beginning at 2:15pm EST and streamed live on RunnerSpace+.
More than 2,500 spectators came out to today’s races to witness world and U.S. leading marks, a High School record, nine facility records and two marks that tied facility records on an energetic afternoon of Track & Field. In addition, during the week many of the invited professional athletes visited local schools engaging children in physical activities and even art classes. On Friday evening, a meet and greet had fans lined up half way down the track for an hour and a half to engage with their favorite athletes and grab autographs.
CAMEL CITY ELITE RACE RECAPS & QUOTES
Women’s Camel City 3000m
The women’s 3000 meters kicked off the Elite portion of the meet with a bang. The returning rabbit, Melissa Salerno (ASICS Furman Elite), brought the women through the first kilometer in 3:00.20 with Alexi Pappas (Nike Oregon TCE), Rachel Schneider (Under Armour) and Wesley Frazier (NC State) closely trailing behind. With four laps to go, Kerri Gallagher (Nike), who started off the lead pack, made a move to the lead with Schneider and Frazier responding well. At 400m from the finish, Gallagher would pull away from Schneider and Frazier ultimately crossing the line in an IAAF World Championship qualifying time of 8:56.52, the third fastest time in the world this year. Schneider would also get the qualifying mark finishing in 8:58.84, while Frazier would take third in a NCAA Division I leading time of 9:01.26.
“I had talked to my coach yesterday and he said to stay strong through 2K and feel relaxed, then work hard and be a Miler in the last kilometer. So, that’s really what I tried to do. I just wanted to make sure I raced to the best of my ability and get a U.S. standard and a World standard. So, I got the job done,” said Gallagher.
Men’s Camel City 3000m presented by Salem Sports
Taking over right where the Women left off, Lawi Lalang (Nike) and Garrett Heath (Brooks Beasts TC) established the race as a quick one coming through 400m in sixty-one seconds, tucked in right behind designated rabbit, Michael Hammond (VT Elite). The high school phenom Drew Hunter (Unattached), who was aiming for the U.S. High School record at the distance started near the back and away from trouble, but never lost site of the lead pack. The leaders would come through the Mile in 4:13 as Lalang, Heath, Luis Vargas (NC State), Willy Fink (Eastern Michigan), Michael Atchoo (New Jersey/New York TC) and Hunter hung on. With one lap to go, Heath would make a definitive move past Lalang, covering his final lap in 27 seconds and crossing the line in a new facility record of 7:48.48. Lalang would finish a runner-up in 7:50.07.
“I had planned on going earlier, but you never know how you’re going to feel during a first race back on the track. But, every time I came around the curve I heard someone yelling at me and it got me moving,” Heath said.
Hunter would indeed break the high school record with a 7:59.33, previously set by future University of Oregon teammate Edward Cheserek. He also became the first prep to run under 8 minutes for 3000m.
“It feels awesome; this is a really fast track. I run best when I am either chasing people or it is a tight race. So I knew that by coming here there would be guys competing like Garrett and Lawi. I ended up running fast. So, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Women’s Camel City 60m Hurdles presented by Champion
A star studded field toed the line with fan favorite and Olympian, Lolo Jones (ASICS), going up against 2013 IAAF World Champion Brianna Rollins (Nike). Rollins would ultimately come out on top with a 2016 best of 7.95, tying the facility record, in addition to setting the fourth fastest mark of the year.
“I try not to focus on time,” commented Rollins. “I just try to execute the best race that I can and that’s what I did. It could have been a little bit better but I’m thankful that I came out here with a season’s best. I love the competition. That is what track & field is all about: competing.”
Men’s Camel City 60m Hurdles presented by Visit Winston-Salem
The field in the Men’s 60m Hurdles was equally as impressive headlined by U.S. Champion Aleec Harris (adidas) and world record holder and Olympic Champion in the Decathlon, Ashton Eaton (Nike Oregon TCE). A clean and fast start would put Harris in the lead, which he would never relinquish besting the field with a 7.65, the fourth fastest time in the world this year.
“Everything is done for the glory and we got the win,” Harris said. “Rio 2016. That is what we are trying to do and that is the focus this year.”
“I’m the guy who just got smoked,” Eaton joked. “Anytime I get to compete against these guys it’s helpful for me, they help me push the envelope for myself. I actually like getting beat because it gives me motivation. This time of year having this kind of crowd appreciate what we are doing is really awesome.”
Women’s Camel City 800m
Bull City Track’s Abby Farley, the race’s designated rabbit, took the field through 400m in 59.98 and on pace to break Heather Kampf’s (ASICS/ Team USA Minnesota) facility record of 2:04.28 set in 2014. Canada’s Melissa Bishop (Nike), Phoebe Wright (Nike) and Latavia Thomas (unattached) established themselves as the early leaders with Bishop continuing to push the pace up front once Farley had dropped. With the crowd cheering loudly for a potential sub-2:00 minute finish and Canadian record, Bishop would pull away with 200m falling just short of the barrier, but still breaking the facility record, crossing the line in 2:02.10. On a late surge, Laura Roesler (Nike) would finish second and Wright would round out the top three.
Men’s Camel City 800m presented by Total Sports US
The men’s field was led by pacer Donnie Cowart (Saucony) at a requested pace of 52 to 53 seconds through 400m. Brandon Johnson (Nike) followed closely behind followed by collegiate Eliud Rutto (Mid. Tenn. State) and the 600m Indoor American record holder Casimir Loxsom (Brooks Beasts TC). Johnson would lead the field wire to wire finishing in 1:49.28, while Rutto (1:49.51) and a hard charging Robert Heppenstall of Wake Forest (1:50.61) would take the top three spots.
When asked about his race, Johnson commented, “I like running here, I haven’t raced in so long so this is fun and the atmosphere here is good. This is a great meet and they take care of us.”
Women’s Camel City Mile presented by Mellow Mushroom Winston-Salem
After an excellent pace setting job in the 3000m, Melissa Salerno (ASICS Furman Elite) came back to help pace another strong field. From the gun Shannon Rowbury (Nike Oregon Project) and Stephanie Garcia (New Balance) would remain on Salerno’s heals as they gapped the chase pack led by Canada’s Fiona Benson (Nike) and Heather Kampf (ASICS/Team USA Minnesota), the “Queen of the Road Mile”. The leaders would come through the halfway point at 2:12.59 where Rowbury would comfortably begin to pull away from Garcia, finishing in a world leading time of 4:26.01, while Garcia would set a lifetime best of 4:28.47. Heidi See (ASICS Furman Elite) would move into third position on a strong second half, crossing the line in 4:33.30.
“I’m just really excited to be back here at JDL and come home with another win. The crowd was amazing outside and inside the track so it was a really fun night. This year we are still in a heavy training phase we are going to have another few weeks until we start tapering for USA’s and Worlds. But, I wanted to see how tough I could be and push myself to have a good show for the fans,” Rowbury said.
Men’s Camel City Mile presented by Champion
Saucony’s Donnie Cowart took on pacing duties coming through a quarter mile in 59 seconds and the half-way mark in 1:57.89, followed by the two-way race between defending U.S. 1500m Champion Matthew Centrowitz (Nike Oregon Project) and defending Camel City Elite champion Cory Leslie (Nike / Furman Elite). Leading wire-to-wire Centrowitz would fend off a couple of late challenges by Leslie, racing to the line in 3:54.02, besting Leslie’s North Carolina and facility records from a year prior. Leslie would finish in 3:56.25, also under the old records.
After his race, Centrowitz did the Cam Newton Dab, later commenting, “when I came to Carolina Cam gave me a call and said that I had better do [the dab] leading up to the Super Bowl; so I think we all know who I am rooting for. I didn’t really know I would run 3:54 today, but Shannon showed that you can win fast here and I wanted to set myself up for that. The rabbit did a great job and hats off to Cory. He was on me the whole way and pushed me to get that fast time.”
Other Notable Performances
Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN / Nike Oregon TCE) - 1st place High Jump, 1.84m (6-00.50)
Bershawn “Batman” Jackson was the third leg in the G.W. Express / Nike 4x400m Relay winning team in a time of 3:11.83
Facility Records
● Women’s Long Jump: Shakina Brooks (St. Augustine), 6.23m / 20-05.25
● Women’s Pole Vault, Katie Nageotte (unattached), 4.61m / 15-01.50
● Women’s Weight Throw, Amber Campbell (unattached), 23.58m / 77-04.50
● Women’s Triple Jump, Imani Oliver (unattached), 13.06m / 42-10.25
● Women’s 4x400 Relay, NIKE / G.W. Express ‘A’, 3:41.61
- Shana Cox
- T’erea Brown
- Fawn Dorr
- Yanique Haye-Smith
JDL FastTrack Camel City Elite
Winston-Salem, NC, Saturday, January 30, 2016
Women’s Camel City 3000m
1) Kerry Gallagher (Nike), 8:56.52, $5000*#
2) Rachel Schneider (Under Armour), 8:58.84, $2000
3) **Wesley Frazier (North Carolina St.), 9:01.26 (CL)
4) Katie Mackey (Brooks Beasts), 9:07.66, $500
5) Alexi Pappas (Nike Oregon TCE), 9:08.92 (Bishop O'Dowd HS, Oakland, CA 2008; Dartmouth 2012; Oregon 2013)
6) Erika Kemp (North Carolina St.), 9:12.71
7) Weini Kelati (Unattached), 9:19.99 (HSL)(4, 4HS) (Heritage HS, Leesburg, VA)
8) Allie Buchalski (ASICS Furman Elite), 9:40.27
9) Samantha Jones (Wake Forest), 9:44.43
Melissa Salerno (ASICS Furman Elite), DNF, (rabbit)
*Facility and event records (previous facility & event records, Deborah Maier, Brooks Beasts, 9:02.79, 2014)
#includes $1000 facility record bonus
Men’s Camel City 3000m presented by Salem Sports
1) Garrett Heath (Brooks Beasts), 7:48.48, $5000*# (Stanford 2009; Winona HS, MN 2004)
2) Lawi Lalang (Nike), 7:50.07, $2000
3) Luis Vargas (North Carolina St.), 7:54.26, 4:13.38
4) Willy Fink (Eastern Michigan), 7:56.04
5) Drew Hunter (Unattached), 7:59.33 HSR (Loudoun Valley, Purcellville, Va) HSR (old HSR 8:05.46, Edward Cheserek' (St. Benedict's, Newark 2013)(absolute HSR--old, 7:59.83 German Fernandez [Riverbank, Ca] 2008).
6) Jacob Thomson (Kentucy), 8:05.07
7) Michael Atchoo (NJ*NY TC), 8:16.20
8) Mark Derrick (North Carolina), 8:19.39
9) Austin Steagall (Mount Olive), 8:20.59
Michael Hammond, (VT Elite), DNF (rabbit)
* Facility and event records (previous facility & event records, Thomas Curtin, Virgina Tech, 7:56.10, 2015)
# includes $1000 facility record bonus
Women’s Camel City 60m Hurdles presented by Champion
1) Brianna Rollins (Nike), 7.95, $4000*
2) Nia Ali (Nike), 8.03, $2000 (USC 2011)
3) Kristi Castlin (Ciera Inc), 8.04, $1000
4) Lolo Jones (ASICS), 8.17, $500
5) Anna Cockrell (Unattached), 8.29
6) Kierre Beckles (adidas), 8.36
7) Morgan Knight (North Carolina A&T), 8.49
* Ties facility record (Sharika Nelvis, adidas, 2015)
Men’s Camel City 60m Hurdles presented by Visit Winston-Salem
1) Aleec Harris (adidas), 7.65, $4000 (USC 2014)
2) Spencer Adams (Basics TC), 7.73 $2000
3) Dondre Echols (South Carolina), 7.74, $1000
4) Ashton Eaton (NIKE Oregon TCE), 7.77, $500
5) Jason Richardson (adidas), 7.80
6) Milan Ristic (Jus’ Running), 8.59 (Serbia; California 2014)
Women’s Camel City 800m
1) Melissa Bishop (Canada; Nike), 2:02.10, $5000*#
2) Laura Roesler (Nike), 2:03.27, $2000 (AL)
3) Phoebe Wright (Nike), 2:04.72, $1000
4) Anima Banks (Duke), 2:06.54
5) Latavia Thomas (Unattached), 2:07.22
6) Hannah Segrave (Milligan), 2:07.37
7) Elizabeth Whelan (North Carolina), 2:11.60
Abby Farley (Bull City TC), DNF (rabbit)
*Facility and event (previous Heather Kampf, ASICS / Team USA Minnesota, 2:04.28, 2014)
#includes $1000 facility record bonus
Men’s Camel City 800m presented by Total Sports US
1) Brandon Johnson, (Nike), 1:49.28, $4000 (UCLA 2007)
2) Eliud Rutto (VT), 3:58.71, 1:49.51, $2000
3) Robert Heppenstall (SC), 1:50.61
4) Ryan Martin (CA), 1:52.22, $500 (UC Santa Barbara 2012)
5) Casimir Loxsom (NC), 1:52.99
6) Immanuel Hutchinson (OR), 1:53.77
Donald Cowart (MI), DNF (rabbit)
Women’s Camel City Mile presented by Mellow Mushroom Winston-Salem
1) Shannon Rowbury (Nike Oregon Project), 4:26.01, $5000# (WL, AL)
2) Stephanie Garcia (New Balance), 4:28.47, $2000
3) Heidi See (ASICS Furman Elite), 4:33.30, $1000
4) Heather Kampf (ASICS / Team USA Minnesota), 4:36.08, $500
5) Fiona Benson (Nike), 4:38.18
6) Lauren Johnson (OR), 4:38.38
7) Megan Moye (NC), 4:43.08
8) Kate Murphy (VA), 4:43.87
Melissa Salerno (SC), DNF (rabbit)
# includes $1000 sub-4:30 bonus
Men’s Camel City Mile presented by Champion
1) Matthew Centrowitz (Nike Oregon Project), 3:54.02, $5000*# (WL, AL)
2) Cory Leslie (Nike / Furman Elite), 3:56.25, $2000
3) Graham Crawford (North Carolina St.), 4:02.72 (NCAA)
4) Brandon Hudgins (unattached), 4:06.88, $500
5) Simon Holden (Wake Forest), 4:10.95
6) Csaba Matko (Eastern Michigan), 4:11.85
7) Grant Pollock (VT Elite), 4:13.52
Donnie Cowart (NC), DNF (rabbit)
*Facility, event and absolute North Carolina state records (previous facility, event and overall state records, 3:56.99, Cory Leslie (USA / SC), 2015)
#includes $1000 facility record bonus
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