Photo: Josh Biggs, McMillanElite.com
Brett Gotcher triumphed at the USA 20K championships held this morning at the New Haven Road Race, according to NYRR pro racing coverage. Three runners, including Gotcher, Mo Trafeh and Brett Lehmkuhle, looked strong coming into the final mile, but Gotcher turned on the gas to win his first 20K title. The official times have yet to be posted.
James Carney, last year's 20K winner, had hoped to defend his title in New Haven. Carney was in the lead pack through the first 10K, but then started dropping off the back. He told Running Times in a pre-race interview that he had more nerves than usual: "I’m a little bit more nervous this year than I was last year because I think last year was a bit lower expectation. I was the hunter rather than the hunted, and I think that’s always a better situation to be in."
As the race developed, it quickly became clear that Trafeh, Lehmkuhle and Gotcher were all having a great day. Trafeh started to pull away at the eight-mile mark, and as NYRR Pro Racing said on Twitter, it was "shaping up to be the best race of his career." By mile 10, however, Lehmkuhle and Gotcher had pulled him back in, and the three were running together with just one mile to go. In a thrilling finish, Gotcher pulled away to edge out Trafeh, who came in second. Lehmkuhle crossed the line in third.
On the women's side, Colleen De Reuck also had a spectacular day to win in New Haven. De Reuck, who is 45 years old and the mother of two, has raced at New Haven a number of times and now has a 20K title to add to her collection. De Reuck was also a masters winner at this year's Boston Marathon.
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