SAN DIEGO, Calif. –
SAN DIEGO – Army men swept gold though bronze in both the Armed Forces Cross Country Championship and USA Track and Field men’s 10K race, run concurrently Jan. 18 at Mission Bay Park.
Marine Corps Capt. Lindsay Carrick of Quantico, Virginia, took gold in the Women's Armed Forces Championship, finishing the 10K at 38 minutes and 10 seconds.
Army Cpl. Anthony Rotich of Fort Carson, Colorado, won the men’s race with a time of 30:36. Teammate Sgt. Emmanuel Bor took silver for the second consecutive year with a time of 30:58 and Spc. Lawi Lalang, also of Fort Carson, finished a close third at 31:00.
“We tried to push each other,” Rotich said of jostling Bor for the lead halfway through the race.
Five of the Army runners jumped out ahead of the pack at the start with a fast first lap, running as a group with Bor in front. By the end of the second lap of the five-lap course, Bor and Rotich had a 15-second lead on Lalang and other teammates.
RUNNING BROTHERHOOD
Rotich, Bor and Lalang all grew up in the town of Eldoret, Kenya, and went on to attend college in the USA, becoming university track stars.
Rotich attended the University of Texas at El Paso, where he was a three-time NCAA champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He hopes to qualify for the summer Olympics in the steeplechase and said he thought changing his workout length with cross country could help increase his speed.
Rotich had not run cross country in five years since college, but said discipline was the key to his success in the race.
“I learned that for you to succeed in any sport, the best thing to have is the discipline,” he said. “You’ll find everybody can do the mileage, but if you don’t have the discipline, you wake up in the morning to train… it’s going to be hard.”
Bor said he began running at an early age when he had to run eight miles to elementary school. He attended the University of Alabama where he represented the school in the World University Games. He has been a member of the Army World Class Athlete Program, or WCAP, since 2015, competing in 5,000-meter and 10K races.
Saturday was Bor’s first competition since suffering a fractured left hip 10 months ago. One month after taking second place in last year’s cross country championship, he fell during a race in Denmark and spent six months rehabilitating at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
This race he developed a blister on his big toe. “I didn’t feel it until the last maybe two laps to go. Every step I was feeling it,” he said, but the last 800 meters the hurt really kicked in.
“You got to fight on,” he said. “The discipline just kept me in the fight… no matter what happens, you just want to finish. You can’t quit.”
Bor hopes to compete in the Olympic 5,000-meter race this summer but first must get a qualifying time next month in Boston before going on to the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials scheduled for June in Eugene, Oregon.
Bronze medalist Lalang ran track for the University of Arizona, where he broke multiple NCAA records and was an eight-time NCAA champion. He joined the Army in 2017. He won the Army Ten-Miler in October and hopes to qualify for the Olympics this summer in the 10,000-meter competition.
In the team competition, Army men took gold, Navy captured silver, with Air Force and Marine Corps finishing third and fourth respectively.
WOMEN’S 10K RACE
Army women also took home a team gold, despite their first runner-- Capt. Jennifer Hannigan of Camp Humphries, South Korea – finishing fourth with a time of 40:31. Team medals were determined by placement of the top four women from each service.
Army’s Maj. Kelly Calway of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, came in fifth with a time of 40:31. Capt. Kim Chelsea of Fort Bragg, N.C., finished seventh at 41:07. Sgt. Esther Spradling of Fort Bragg came in tenth with a time of 41:54.
While the Marine Corps’ Carrick finished 47 seconds in front of Air Force’s 2nd Lt. Corina Gillespie, the Air Force team took the silver medal. Gillespie earned an individual silver in the Armed Forces category with a time of 38:56.4.
Navy finished third with Lt. j.g. Rachel Viger of the Navy Operational Support Center in Washington, D.C., posting a time of 39:49. Viger took the individual bronze in the Armed Forces Championship and finished 18th overall.
The Marine Corps’ Carrick finished first for the Armed Forces and 14th overall in the USATF race.
MARINE MARATHONER
Carrick is preparing for the Olympic marathon trials scheduled for Feb. 29 in Atlanta. She ran the marathon at the Military World Games in Wuhan, China, Oct. 27, finishing 14th out of 49 athletes from around the globe with a time of 2:43:43.
Training at Quantico Marine Corps Base in northern Virginia, Carrick said she was not used to running in the California heat.
“I wasn’t prepared for nearly 70-degree weather here,” she said, “but I’ll take it.”
Carrick said she had a slow start in Saturday’s 10K, but ran the last two laps strong. She passed Air Force’s Gillespie on lap four and went on to pull out a considerable lead.
FIRST 10K FOR MEDALIST
Silver medalist Gillespie said San Diego was the first 10K race in which she ever competed.
“This is definitely out of my wheelhouse,” she said. “I’m a miler, 1500-meter runner, so this is a little out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to do something that would challenge myself.
All the spectators cheering helped her pick up the pace, she said.
“I kept thinking about people cheering for Air Force and that really helped me push myself for the end here,” she said.
To train for the 10K, she adjusted the length of her regular runs. “My steady-state tempos were a little bit longer too and I did a bunch of threshold workouts: 1,000-meter repeats, 800-meter repeats,” she said.
Gillespie has been in the Air Force’s World Class Athlete Program since August 2018 and she’s preparing for the 1500-meter Olympic competition, but needs a qualifying time over the next few months in order to make it to the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials in June.
She ran the 1500-meter race in China, Oct. 15, during the Military World Games, finishing ninth with a time of 4:32.25.
“That was such an amazing opportunity and experience,” she said about representing the U.S. military in the games where more than 100 other nations participated.
Complete Results:
FINAL WOMEN TEAM STANDINGS
1st Place - Army, 26 pts
2nd Place - Air Force, 32 pts
3rd Place - Navy, 36 pts
4th Place - Marine Corps, 45 pts
FINAL MEN TEAM STANDINGS
1st Place - Army, 15 pts
2nd Place - Navy, 62 pts
3rd Place - Air Force, 70 pts
4th Place - Marine Corps, 89 pts
INDIVIDUAL WOMEN RESULTS
Gold: Capt Lindsay Carrick, MCB Quantico - USMC - 38:10
Silver: 2d Lt Carina Gillespie, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas - USAF - 38:57
Bronze: LTJG Rachel Viger, NOSC Washington - Navy - 39:49
4th Place: CPT Jennifer Hannigan, USAG Humphreys, Korea - Army - 40:12
5th Place: MAJ Kelly Calway, Ft Jackson, SC with duty at Ft Meyer, VA - Army - 40:31
6th Place: TSgt Emily Shertzer, Air National Guard, Pennsylvania - USAF - 40:45
7th Place: CPT Chelsea Kim, Ft Bragg, NC - Army - 41:07
8th Place: Capt Katherine Ward, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 41:12
9th Place: LT Elizabeth Conlon, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton - Navy - 41:26
10th Place: SGT Ester Spradling, Ft Bragg, NC - Army - 41:54
11th Place: LT Katherine Irgens, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 42:06
12th Place: 2ndLt Rachel Fairbanks, MCB Quantico - USMC - 42:19
13th Place: LT Allison Spies, Naval Medical Center San Diego - Navy - 42:33
14th Place: SPC Susan Tanui, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 42:57
15th Place: Capt Christine Guerrero, MCRS Columbus, OH - USMC - 43:01
16th Place: 2d Lt Shanna Burns, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona - USAF - 43:06
17th Place: 2ndLt Annika Pearson, MCB Quantico - USMC - 43:08
18th Place: LTJG Rachel Burchill, Marine Safety Unit Morgan City - Navy - 44:05
19th Place: LT Rachel Slater, NAS Whidbey Island, WA - Navy - 44:56
20th Place: Capt Anna Jackson, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 45:28
21st Place: 1LT Sarah Schreck, Ft Benning, GA - Army - 45:32
22nd Place: SSgt Maxime Copley, Ramstein Air Base, Germany - USAF - 46:27
23rd Place: MSgt Tiffany Hallmark, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas - USAF - 49:19
24th Place: 1stLt Sarah Bridges, MCB Quantico, VA, - USMC - DNF
WOMEN TEAM RESULTS – Displacement Scores of top 4 of 6 runners
Army - 1st Place - 26 points
4: CPT Jennifer Hannigan, USAG Humphreys, Korea - Army - 40:12
5: MAJ Kelly Calway, Ft Jackson, SC with duty at Ft Meyer, VA - Army - 40:31
7: CPT Chelsea Kim, Ft Bragg, NC - Army - 41:07
10: SGT Ester Spradling, Ft Bragg, NC - Army - 41:54
(14): SPC Susan Tanui, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 42:57
(21): 1LT Sarah Schreck, Ft Benning, GA - Army - 45:32
Air Force - 2nd Place - 32 points
2: 2d Lt Carina Gillespie, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas - USAF - 38:57
6: TSgt Emily Shertzer, Air National Guard, Pennsylvania - USAF - 40:45
8: Capt Katherine Ward, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 41:12
16: 2d Lt Shanna Burns, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona - USAF - 43:06
(22): SSgt Maxime Copley, Ramstein Air Base, Germany - USAF - 46:27
(23): MSgt Tiffany Hallmark, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas - USAF - 49:19
Navy - 3rd Place - 36 points
3: LTJG Rachel Viger, NOSC Washington - Navy - 39:49
9: LT Elizabeth Conlon, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton - Navy - 41:26
11: LT Katherine Irgens, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 42:06
13: LT Allison Spies, Naval Medical Center San Diego - Navy - 42:33
(18): LTJG Rachel Burchill, Marine Safety Unit Morgan City - Navy - 44:05
(19): LT Rachel Slater, NAS Whidbey Island, WA - Navy - 44:56
Marine Corps - 4th Place - 45 points
1: Capt Lindsay Carrick, MCB Quantico - USMC - 38:10
12: 2ndLt Rachel Fairbanks, MCB Quantico - USMC - 42:19
15: Capt Christine Guerrero, MCRS Columbus, OH - USMC - 43:01
17: 2ndLt Annika Pearson, MCB Quantico - USMC - 43:08
(20): Capt Anna Jackson, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC - USMC - 45:28
(24): 1st Sarah Bridges, MCB Quantico, VA - USMC – DNF
INDIVIDUAL MEN RESULTS
Gold: CPL Anthony Rotich, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 30:36
Silver: SGT Emmanuel Bor, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 30:58
Bronze: SPC Lawi Lalang, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 31:00
4th Place: SPC Michael Jordan, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 31:28
5th Place: PFC Macdonald Ondara, JBLM Ft Lewis, WA - Army - 32:01
6th Place: SPC Frankline Tonui, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 32:23
7th Place: Capt Kyle King, Buckley AFB, CO - USMC - 32:38
8th Place: LTJG Stanley Linton, USS Nebraska - Navy - 33:09
9th Place: LCDR William Christian, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 33:23
10th Place: A1C Daniel Kirwa, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida - USAF - 33:35
11th Place: 2d Lt Jacob Bilvado, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas - USAF - 33:55
12th Place: 2d Lt James Shipley, Hurlburt Field, Florida - USAF - 34:02
13th Place: ENS Zachary Swenson, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 34:04
14th Place: SGT Elias Chesire, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 34:17
15th Place: LTJG Samuel Peckham, NAS Jacksonville - Navy - 34:24
16th Place: Maj Sean Barrett, JB Meyer-Henderson Hall, VA - USMC - 34:29
17th Place: LTJG Ryan Speir, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 34:39
18th Place: 1st Lt Matt Dorsey, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona - USAF - 34:55
19th Place: Capt Zachary Perkins, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California - USAF - 35:04
20th Place: Cpl Cody Brown, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - 35:45
21st Place: 1st Lt Kyle Eller, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 35:52
22nd Place: Maj Pedro Rodriguez, Peterson AFB, CO - USMC - 36:59
23rd Place: LT Yonatan Abebe, NR MILSEALFTCMD HQ, Norfolk - Navy - 37:22
24rd Place: 2ndLt Peter Spinks, NAS Pensacola, FL - USMC - 37:33
25rd Place: GySgt Sean Blue, MCB Quantico - USMC - 38:08
26rd Place: Maj Jason Brosseau, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 38:33
MEN TEAM RESULTS – Displacement Scores of top 5 of 7 runners
Army - 1st Place - 15 points
1: CPL Anthony Rotich, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 30:36
2: SGT Emmanuel Bor, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 30:58
3: SPC Lawi Lalang, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 31:00
4: SPC Michael Jordan, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 31:28
5: PFC Macdonald Ondara, JBLM Ft Lewis, WA - Army - 32:01
(6): SPC Frankline Tonui, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 32:23
(14): SGT Elias Chesire, Ft Carson, CO - Army - 34:17
Navy - 2nd Place - 62 points
8: LTJG Stanley Linton, USS Nebraska - Navy - 33:09
9: LCDR William Christian, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 33:23
13: ENS Zachary Swenson, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 34:04
15: LTJG Samuel Peckham, NAS Jacksonville - Navy - 34:24
17: LTJG Ryan Speir, Naval Postgraduate School - Navy - 34:39
(23): LT Yonatan Abebe, NR MILSEALFTCMD HQ, Norfolk - Navy - 37:22
Air Force - 3rd Place - 70 points
10: A1C Daniel Kirwa, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida - USAF - 33:35
11: 2d Lt Jacob Bilvado, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas - USAF - 33:55
12: 2d Lt James Shipley, Hurlburt Field, Florida - USAF - 34:02
18: 1st Lt Matt Dorsey, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona - USAF - 34:55
19: Capt Zachary Perkins, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California - USAF - 35:04
21: 1st Lt Kyle Eller, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 35:52
26: Maj Jason Brosseau, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado - USAF - 38:33
Marine Corps - 4th Place - 89 points
7: Capt Kyle King, Buckley AFB, CO - USMC - 32:38
16: Maj Sean Barrett, JB Meyer-Henderson Hall, VA - USMC - 34:29
20: Cpl Cody Brown, MCB Camp Pendleton, CA - USMC - 35:45
22: Maj Pedro Rodriguez, Peterson AFB, CO - USMC - 36:59
24: 2ndLt Peter Spinks, NAS Pensacola, FL - USMC - 37:33
(25): GySgt Sean Blue, MCB Quantico - USMC - 38:08