Thweatt Continues Dominance in Bend

By Scott Bush

This past weekend, the USATF Club Cross Country Championships took place in Bend, Oregon, on a fantastic course. One of the more challenging courses in the U.S., the race pushed terrific fields of professional runners and club teams. There were handfuls of standout performances worth talking about, but here are nine of our favorites.

What We Learned

Laura Thweatt Dominates: It's one thing to win a national championship, it's another thing to win it by 20 seconds. After finishing third at the .US National Road Racing Championships, where she beat Olympian Kim Conley, Thweatt took another big step forward on Saturday dominating the field. She crushed runner-up Amy Van Alstine 21:43-22:03, finishing off her terrific season on an incredibly high note. Keep an eye on her in 2014!

Angela Bizzarri is Back: After a challenging start to her professional running career, the move to Seattle seems to be working wonders for the former NCAA champion Bizzarri. The Brooks Beasts TC member came up big with a fourth place finish Saturday, finishing a mere second behind teammate Deborah Maier, in what is her best race since graduating from the University of Illinois. With momentum on her side, a resurgent Bizzarri could stir up some trouble on the track in 2014.

Joseph Gray Pulls Upset: When listing the favorites for Saturday's men's race, Gray was considered, but certainly wasn't a top favorite. The trail running standout proved more than capable though with his six second victory over the challenging Bend course. Gray, who runs for Club Northwest, showed that knowing how to run technical courses is a skill many pros have yet to master. 

Corey Conner...Who?: One of the surprise performances of the weekend came from Hansons-Brooks runner Conner. The list of top ten finishers was very recognizable, so Conner placing sixth raised the "who is that?" question among many fans. The two-time All-American at the University of Maine is developing nicely in the Hansons-Brooks program and showed such on Saturday. Will we see her tackle the marathon in 2014?

Beasts TC on the Rise: There are some very impressive training groups in the United States right now. One squad growing in strength and stature is the Brooks Beasts TC. The Danny Mackey coached team continues to put up good results, this time winning the women's team title with three athletes in the top seven. Deborah Maier, Angela Bizzarri and Brie Felnagle led the charge, with Jessica Tebo and Jamie Cheever rounding out their top five and their 34-85 victory over runner-up Boulder Running Company.

Champions League Athletic Performance is Here: There were plenty of recognizable club teams Saturday in Bend, but one of the newcomers made the most noise on the men's side, as Champions League Athletic Performance pulled the one-point upset over established club veteran contender ZAP Fitness. The Boulder-based club hosts some tremendous talent, including former Colorado Buffalo standouts Brent Vaughn, Richard Medina and Kenyon Neuman, who led the team with fourth, sixth and 17th place finishes.

Youth is Served: Six of the top ten men are under the age of 25. Five of the top 12 women fall under 25 years old, too. It's always fun seeing groups of young runners performing well on the national stage and finishing off the 2013 running season . To have so many young professional wrap up their 2013 racing seasons ends the year on a high note and adds intrigue to what lies ahead in 2014. 

Maverick Darling Steps Up: One of the most successful harriers in University of Wisconsin history came up big Saturday with an impressive third place showing. Running for the Wisconsin Runner Racing Team, Darling showed he could very well be a force at the USA Cross Country Championships early next year. If he can continue to build off this performance, don't be surprised to see him make even bigger strides in 2014.

Renee Metivier Baille Returns to Form: After being relatively quiet for much of 2013, the Bend-based runner Metivier Baille ran strong with her eighth place performance. Metivier Baille was on a roll in 2012, winning the USA 20 km Championships and placing fourth at the USA Cross Country Championships, only to come up injured. Working hard to regain that form, she finally had a race she can build on. Hopefully there's a big 2014 in store for Metivier Baille.