By David Monti, @d9monti | (c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
NORTHPORT, N.Y. (18-Sep) — Saturday’s 44th Great Cow Harbor 10-K here boasts a sold-out general field and will host the USATF 10-K Championships for the third consecutive year. A total purse of $47,000 is on the line including $8,000 for the winning man and woman and $2,500 for new course records.
“We have great fields and I fully expect two course records as weather is looking good for fast times,” said Will Fodor who recruits and organizes the elite athletes for the race. “If we give out two bonuses we will be awarding $47,000 in USA-only prize money.”
Those course records are tough, however: 28:12.4 for men (Biya Simbassa, Under Armour, 2022), and 31:53.0 for women (Stephanie Bruce, HOKA Northern Arizona Elite, 2022). Although the USATF-certified course is net-downhill by about 41 meters (135 feet), it has a steep climb in the second mile on James Street which usually separates the contenders from the rest of the field. Later, the final mile is nearly all downhill, conducive to fast sprint finishes.
The women’s field is very strong, despite the absence of 2023 champion Weini Kelati. Erika Kemp (Brooks), who won the race in 2021 in a solid 32:18 will be back, and should face stiff challenges from former USA marathon record holder Keira D’Amato (Nike), 2023 national 5000m and 10,000m team member Natosha Rogers (Puma Elite Running), 2024 USA Olympic Marathon Trials fourth-placer Jess McClain (Brooks), 2023 USATF 5-K road running champion Annie Rodenfels (adidas/BAA High Performance), the top American at the 2024 Mastercard Mini 10-K Amanda Vestri (Brooks/ZAP Endurance), and the second place athlete in the 2024 USATF Running Circuit Emma Grace Hurley (Asics/Heartland Track Club).
Rachel Smith (Hoka), the USATF Running Circuit points leader, had planned to run but has scratched.
Biya Simbassa, the 2022 men’s champion and course record holder, leads the men’s field. He is currently second in the USATF Running Circuit points to Olympic steeplechaser Hillary Bor (Hoka) who will also be competing here on Saturday. At the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race on Labor Day (the USATF 20-K Championships), Bor handily beat Simbassa (who was third) which moved the two-time Olympian to the top of the USATF Running Circuit points table.
Veterans Willy Fink (Under Armour), Sam Chelanga (Unattached), Anthony Rotich (U.S. Army), and Diego Estrada (Unattached) should also factor into the fight for the podium.
The race prize money goes 10-deep: $8000-4500-2750-1500-1200-750-600-500-400-300. There is also a $500 prime for the leaders at halfway. Kelati, who won the women’s race last year wire-to-wire, collected the 2023 women’s prime, while Tai Dinger got the halfway prize on the men’s side (he would finish seventh.
The race reached its entry limit of 5,000 runners a full four weeks before race day. That took organizers by surprise.
“Our earliest, ever,” said Fodor, whose son, Thomas, “We did create a wait list to allow runners in the event if any valid scratches occurred enabling us to back-fill the available bibs. To our astonishment we ended up with over 500 on the wait list.”
While it’s tempting to make the race larger, Fodor said that keeping the runner experience at a high level is what is most important. The population of Northport is only about 7500 and Fodor and his team want to give runners a genuine small-town race experience. The race uses a wave start to assure every runner the chance at a clear roadway.
“Our goal is to put on a quality event and to keep the name ‘Great’ in our name,” said Fodor. “We need to ensure all of the runners’ safety (adequate water and medical personnel on site), while also achieving the goal of great overall customer satisfaction which we can confidently do with 5,000 runners.”
After Saturday’s race here, only one event remains in the USATF Running Circuit program for 2024: the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in New York City on Saturday, November 2. The overall series champions will be crowned that day, and each will receive $30,000 out of a $300,000 series purse.
