Hall, Durgin resume rivalry at 2021 USATF Women’s 6 km Championships presented by Toyota

CANTON, Ohio – Less than two weeks ago, Sara Hall and Emily Durgin put on a show at the USATF 10 km Championships presented by Toyota, with Hall pulling away in the final half mile to come away victorious. The duo is set to resume their rivalry on Saturday in Canton, Ohio, leading an incredible field of talent at the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships presented by Toyota.
 
The USATF Women’s 6 km Championships, hosted by Run to You Racing and the Women’s 6K Festival, are the fourth stop on the 2021 USATF Running Circuit presented by Toyota.
 
After winning USATF title number eleven at the USATF 10 km Championships in Atlanta by eight seconds over Durgin, Hall has to be feeling confident heading into Saturday’s race. Hall placed sixth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field in Eugene last month over 10,000m and seems poised to push the pace early in Ohio.
 
For Durgin, Saturday’s contest gives her a chance to test her speed. Durgin has proven herself time and again this season over 10,000m on the track, placing ninth in the event at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field, as well as success on the roads, but running shorter than 10,000m has only happened once this season, with a 15:24.19 5000m effort back in mid-May.
 
Adding to the intrigue, Durgin currently sits atop of the USATF Running Circuit overall standings with 22 points, while Hall’s total of 15 points places her in a tie for second overall with Emily Sisson and Rachel Schneider.
 
Two other top six finishers in the 5000m in Eugene last month will line up Saturday. Brooks Beasts runner Allie Buchalski and recent NC State graduate and now adidas pro Elly Henes placed fifth and sixth respectively in the 5000m final at the Olympic Trials. While both are far from experienced veterans on the roads, both are in fine form and fully capable of challenging for the win.
 
Buchalski’s teammate Allie Ostrander, who placed eight in the 3000m steeplechase final at the Olympic Trials, is ready to showcase her talent over the 6 km road distance. Ostrander is an incredibly versatile runner, so stepping on the roads Saturday could give her an advantage over her fellow track runners.
 
While Hall and Durgin placed first and second in Atlanta at the USATF 10 km Championships, it was Annie Frisbie and Diane Nukuri placing third and fourth. Hall and Durgin pulled away over the final miles of the race, clearly the top two runners on the day, but Frisbie and Nukuri ran stride for stride with the front runners and could very well challenge for top three finishes again.
 
More Olympic Trials 5000m finalists are stepping on the roads, as Taylor Werner and Maddie Alm ready to compete in Canton after placing 11^th and 12^th in Eugene. They are joined by U.S. Army’s Ednah Kurgat, who placed 11^th in the 10,000m in Eugene.
 
Fiona O’Keeffe, Elvin Kibet, Lindsay Flanagan, and Katrina Coogan are four others capable of a top three finish. The quartet all competed last month at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field, placing 20^th-24^th in the 10,000m.
 
Sara Sutherland, who placed fourth at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships earlier this year, rounds out the top contenders, as well as veterans Stephanie Garcia, Stephanie Brown, Carrie Dimofff, Elbin Kibet, Allie Kieffer, and Bethany Sachtleben.
 
On demand race videos, results, and post-race interviews will be available shortly after the race on USATF.tv+ in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #USARC.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $15,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships.
 
The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Women’s 6 km Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.
 
The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.
 
Contributed by Scott Bush