Avila And Schneider Capture USATF 1-Mile Road Championship

Avila And Schneider Capture USATF 1-Mile Road Championship

DES MOINES, IOWA -- Eric Avila and Rachel Schneider captured titles in the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, presented by Toyota Wednesday night on the Drake University campus.

Avila held off a late charging Craig Engels to claim his first USATF 1 Mile Road men's title in 3:58.96.

Schneider won the women's race in lifetime road mile clocking of 4:30.26, covering the final 400 meters on the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium in 64.8 seconds to beat Shannon Osika by 10 meters.

The top three finishers in the men's race all ran under 4 minutes. Engels, the reigning USATF Outdoor 1500 champ, was second in 3:59.24. Clayton Murphy, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 800, was third in 3:59.52. Murphy bettered his previous road mile personal best of 4:00 en route to winning the 2017 USATF Road Mile in downtown Des Moines.

Last night we headed to the Blue Oval with @DrakeRelays for the @IowaKidstrong Celebration of Champions and the 2021 @usatf 1 Mile Road Championship!

Congratulations to all involved! 👏 #WellmarkGBM pic.twitter.com/2f18rs73f8

-- Wellmark BCBS (@WellmarkBCBS) April 22, 2021

"I got second the last time here (2018) and to win against field like that was great momentum building,' said Avila. "I looked over and saw Clayton (Murphy) and Craig (Engels) on my shoulder so knew I had to run smart and be very aggressive."

"With about 20 meters to go I didn't know if I could hold it, but I stayed composed.

Osika, who was fourth in the 1,500 at the 2020 USATF Indoor Championships, was timed in 4:31.27. Heather Kampf, a four-time USATF 1-Mile Road champ, placed third in 4:33.12

Schneider was familiar with the Blue Oval, having finished second and fourth in the 5,000 at the 2018 and 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships, respectively, that were held at Drake Stadium.

"I still think I'm a middle distance runner at heart," Schneider said. "To come back and drop down and do some mile and 1,500 races is still fun thing to do."

"This was an awesome field and I respect every girl here," Schneider added. "I knew it would be a tough win. I didn't expect to find myself in the lead that early and when I stepped onto the track I felt confident and it felt good to bring it home."

Avila and Schneider each earned $3,000 for the national title. The USATF 1 Mile Road Championships are the second stop on the 2021 USATF Running Circuit.

The evening's events also included the Iowa Kidstrong Celebration of Champions fun run. Clay Elementary students competed in a fun run against the American 5K record holder, Drake Relays Champion and Dowling Catholic Alum Karissa Schweizer. The students had 14:23.92, Schweizer's American 5K record, to complete as many laps on Drake's blue oval as they could. They were able to complete an impressive four laps.


MEN'S RESULTS

1. Eric Avila, adidas, 3:58.96
2. Craig Engels, Nike, 3:59.24
3. Clayton Murphy, Nike, 3:59.52
4. Abe Alvarado, Atlanta TC, 4:00.39
5. Daniel Herrera, unattached, 4:00.48
6. Colin Abert, unattached, 4:00.65
7. Brett Meyer, unattached, 4:01.05
8. Clayton Young, 4:02.76
9. Pat Casey, Dark Sky/Under Armour, 4:03.16
10. Jeff Thies, unattached, 4:06.67
11. Ryan Hil, HOKA NAZ Elie, 4:10.12
12. Brandon Lasater, Atlanta TC, 4:13.89
13. Justine Kiprotich, Hoka One One, 4:15.73

WOMEN'S RESULTS

1. Rachel Schneider, Dark Sky/Under Armour 4:30.26
2. Shannon Osika, Nike, 4:31.27
3. Heather Kampf, MN Distance Elite/Asics, 4:33.12
4. Sara Sutherland, Team Boss, 4:33.75
5. Sara Vaughn, & Mother, 4:34.08
6. Grayson Murphy, unattached, 4:35.11
7. Sammy George, Mt. South Elite, 4:35.30
8. Anna Shields, Tracksmith, 4:37.93
9. Allie Wilson, Atlanta TC, 4:38.49
10. Alexa Efraimson, Nike, 4:42.31
11. Lauren Paquette, NAZ, Elite, 4:44.51
12. Baylee Mires, Dark Sky/Under Armour, 4:49.18