Charles Hicks and Rachel Rudel win USATF 20K

Charles Hicks and Rachel Rudel won the USA Track & Field 20-kilometer road running championships at the 48th Faxon Law New Haven Road Race. Hicks finished in 58 minutes and 6 seconds, and Rudel crossed the line in 1:04:58, with each athlete earning $9,000 in prize money.

Hicks, 25, secured his second national title. Rudel, 32, celebrated her first. The race took place on a late-summer day in New Haven, Connecticut.

The men's race: A teammate's pace

The overall race winner was not the national champion. Kieran Tuntivate, a Nike Oregon Track Club teammate of Hicks who represents Thailand, won the open race in 58:03, a personal best. He was ineligible for the US title. Both men are preparing for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 11 and used this race as a fitness test.

"It's just better to sync up with your teammates," Tuntivate told Race Results Weekly. He said the timing was perfect for a race four weeks out from Chicago.

Hicks, Tuntivate, and James Mwaura broke away from a pack of about 20 men just past the 10-kilometer mark. They reached the 10-K point in 29:23. Hicks praised the teamwork with his training partner. "He brings the speed and I bring the strength," Hicks said. In the final 800 meters, Tuntivate outsprinted Hicks for the overall win by three seconds.

Mwaura finished third overall in 58:02 in his 20-K debut. The top five men's times were:

Hicks covered the second half of the race in 28:43. Last year's Los Angeles Marathon champion, Matt Richtman, finished 27th.

Rudel's comeback victory

Rachel Rudel, unsponsored and racing for the first time since late June, won the women's national title. She had to chase down her roommate and early leader, Biruktayit Degefa. Degefa, a three-time Chevron Houston Marathon winner, built a 20-meter lead by the ninth kilometer and was 13 seconds ahead at halfway.

Rudel was worried. "She's my roommate and she's absolutely a stud," Rudel told reporters. "I was very worried about her the entire race."

Around the 15-kilometer mark, Rudel caught Degefa, who then fell back. Rudel said she realized she had too much left in her tank in the final 5-K. "When you can't draft it's like, let's go!" she explained. She ran alone to the finish, winning in 1:04:58, a time 29 seconds slower than Keira D'Amato's course record.

The women's podium

Elena Hayday finished second in the US championship in 1:05:53. Amanda Vestri took third in 1:06:05, and Kassie Parker was fourth in 1:06:18. Degefa faded to seventh place in 1:07:15.

Vestri, preparing for November's TCS New York City Marathon, called her race a "very good rust-buster." She said she was happy to run a respectable time and compete well.

Rudel reflected on her surprise victory. "The dream is the title, right?" she said. "It's a pleasant little surprise when you get the title. You feel good."

The Faxon Law New Haven Road Race is part of the USATF Running Circuit. Two stops remain this year: the USATF 10-K Championships in Minneapolis on October 3, and the USATF Marathon Championships in Sacramento on December 6. Series prize money for the top three finishers is $15,000, $7,500, and $2,500.