Finan, Lagat Win Adrian Martinez Classic Mile
World leading women's outdoor Mile time and thrilling finishes highlight memorial meet presented by HOKA ONE ONE
By Chris Lotsbom, RunnersWeb.com
With heavy rains coming to a halt mere minutes before the elites took to the track on Thursday evening, the Adrian Martinez Classic rose to new heights here 15 Miles northwest of Boston, playing host to a pair of especially exciting Miles. With support from shoe company Hoka One One and athletics initiative Bring Back the Mile, the event featured professional fields for the first time, giving way to a world leading mark and exhilarating finishes.
Kenya's Violah Lagat set a world leader of 4:29.43 in the women's Mile, while Team USA Minnesota's Eric Finan was the surprise men's Mile winner, setting a six-second personal record and breaking four minutes for the first time. Also in the men's contest, Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano finished fourth in 3:59.31, while high school senior Garrett O'Toole ran a New England record of 4:01.89.
For Lagat, 25, it took a finely-timed finishing kick to track down Morgan Uceny and claim top honors. After going out in roughly 67 seconds for the opening lap, it was Uceny, the top-ranked 1500m/Mile runner in the world for 2011, and Oiselle's Amanda Winslow trailing the pace setter out front. Passing 800m in 2:14, a lead group of Uceny, Winslow, Amanda Eccleston, Lagat, Lauren Johnson and collegian Katrina Coogan had emerged, strung out little by little.
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