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Browne Wins USA 10 Mile Title at Papa John's Also Sets
USA Championship Record By Jim Estes
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (April 10, 2004) - "Papa" John
Schnatter was in such a hurry to get the 2004 edition of the
Papa John's 10 Miler/USA Men's Championship underway before
the forecasted rains appeared, the field for the USA Men's
Championship on Saturday morning was barely on the line when
the gun went off. Fortunately, the rain didn't show, but a
strong field and another national championship record did
as 2004 Olympic marathoner Dan Browne of Portland, Ore. won
in 46:32.
Once again, near perfect weather, 52 degrees and a light
breeze met a field of 5,500 runners for the fourth running
of this event. In addition, runners had the added bonus of
Eddie Money in concert after the race.
Defending USA 10 Mile Champion Chris Graff of Palo Alto,
Calif. said that he thought that the opening mile of 4:28
would "narrow the field more than it d id and a pack
of 12 guys at two miles in 9:02 (4:33), was certainly not
what I expected."
By the time the leaders hit three miles in 13:44 (4:41),
the front pack was down to Browne, Graff, 2003 USA 5K Champ
Henry Dennis, 2003 USA Marathon and Half-Marathon Champion
Ryan Shay and Justin Young of Boulder, Colo. and each would
take more than one turn trying to separate themselves from
eventual winner Browne.
It was at that point that Browne, 28, knew "Today is
going to be a fast day. At no point were we taking it easy,
there was always a point when someone was willing to take
the lead."
Regarding the multiple lead changes, Graff who would go on
to finish second (47:02) commented, "I was surprised
with the level and amount of aggressive moves, one guy would
push up the hills and another would push through the crest
and yet another would push the down-hill. No one could hold
the lead for more than 200 meters during the first six miles."
A pair of 4:46 miles got the lead pack half-way home in 23:18.
No one in the group was willing to let any one of the others
gain more than a few steps. Going up the final hill in the
park approaching six miles in 27:59 (4:45), Dennis made what
would amount to be his final attempt to make a break, however,
his competition stayed close and coming out of the park on
the down-hill seventh mile 4:37, Ryan Shay became the barrier
for the slight head-wind that met  the
leaders coming back down Southern Parkway.
"I knew that everyone was looking to me to take the
wind, so I took it and tried to make something happen. I took
a look at seven miles and everyone was still there and I knew
that Dan was feeling pretty good and would be making a move
soon, so, I just tried to maintain," commented Shay,
a Team Running USA athlete.
A 4:41 eighth mile had Browne just beginning to feel like
he was pushing hard, with Graff less than two steps behind
as the pair left Shay, Dennis and Young to sort out third.
By the time Browne turned in a 4:32 ninth mile, the 2003 Pan
Am Games 10,000 meter bronze medalist was nine seconds up
on Graff and with a solo final mile, he hit the finish at
the fifty-yard line in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a USA
Men's Championship record of 46:32 bettering Graff's 47:09
from last year.
Browne's winning time is the fastest 10 mile performance
by a U.S. male since Bill Reifsnyder's 46:32 in April 1991
at Cherry Blossom and ties Reifsnyder for #3 U.S. all-time
on confirmed, certified courses.
"This was a great test of my fitness, I just came off
the Olympic Marathon Trials feeling good and want to run a
fast 10K in a few weeks and was glad to come to Papa John's
to confirm that my training is moving in the right direction,"
said the West Point grad who won his 9th USA road title and
12th overall as well as pocketing $10,000 as national champion.
Graff made a point to add, "When it is all said and
done, it was a great race again this year, I know I speak
for the rest of the athletes when I say we really appreciate
Papa John's and their support of a USA Championship. I especially
want everyone to know, how much we love Karen Sherman, Race
Director for the Papa John's 10 Miler, she's really great!"
As part of the 2004 USA Running Circuit, a USA Track &
Field national championship road series, the top 10 U.S. runners
earned USARC points at Papa John's. With his victory (worth
15 Circuit points), Browne moved into second place in the
Men's USARC standings with 35 points. Fellow Olympian Meb
Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, Calif. sits atop the men's standings
with 54 points.
The 2004 USARC offers a record of $818,700 in guaranteed
prize money with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000,
$4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers
overall. For more information, visit: http://www.usatf.org/
Papa John's 10 Miler: USA Men's Championship Louisville,
KY, Saturday, April 10, 2004
1) Dan Browne, 28, Portland, OR 46:32# $10,000
2) Chris Graff,
28, Palo Alto, CA 47:02 $5,000
3) Ryan Shay, 24, East Jordan,
MI 47:11 $2,500
4) Justin Young, 24, Boulder, CO 47:21 $2,000
5) Brian Sell, 25, Rochester Hills, MI 47:23 $1,500
6) Henry
Dennis, 29, Cincinnati, OH 47:31 $1,000
7) Teren Jameson,
26, Salt Lake City, UT 47:35 $900
8) Teddy Mitchell, 32, Albuquerque,
NM 47:38 $800
9) Peter Gilmore, 26, Menlo Park, CA 47:41 $700
10) Matt Thull, 29, Milwaukee, WI 47:46 $600
11) Scott Strand,
36, Birmingham, AL 47:52 $500
12) Clint Verran, 28, Rochester
Hills, MI 47:53 $400
13) Trent Briney, 25, Rochester Hills,
MI 48:45 $300
14) Nic Crider, 27, Louisville, KY 48:47 $200
15) Sean Nesbitt, 29, Boulder, CO 48:50 $100 #USA Championship
Record (previous record Chris Graff, 47:09, Papa John's 2003)
For full results and more go to: http://www.papajohns.com/louisville/index.htm
source Running USA wire
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