Sacramento Running News

Kim Conley on the way to the win (Photo by Sean Dulany/Freeplay Magazine)

By John Schumacher

Defending champion Tesfaye Alemayehu pushed hard from the start, daring anyone to stay with him in the third annual Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run.

Olympian Kim Conley treated the race as a strength workout, taking a longer-term view as she prepares for an upcoming track season she hopes earns her a spot on the U.S. World Championship team.

Both strategies worked well on a mild, sunny Sunday morning, with Antioch’s Alemayehu and West Sacramento’s Conley winning individual titles in an event that serves as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association 10-Mile Championship and helps raise money for Children’s Miracle Network.

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Kim Conley leading the field. at this year’s XC Nationals (Photo by Clay Shaw)

By John Schumacher

Olympian Kim Conley, who runs for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, earned a spot in the World Cross Country Championships with a second-place finish Saturday in the U.S. Cross Country Championships in St. Louis.

Conley, a former UC Davis standout, ran with winner Shalane Flanagan for six kilometers in the 8k race before Flanagan pulled ahead in the final 2,000 meters. Flanagan finished in 25 minutes and 49 seconds, with Conley crossing the line in 26:06 and Deena Kastor grabbing third in 26:41.

“It was very fun to race Shalane for as long as I did as she is someone I have looked up to for many years,” said Conley, who joins the U.S. team heading to Bydgoszcz, Poland for the world championships on March 24.

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By John Schumacher

Hungary’s Adam Kovacs and Turlock’s Kimberly Cloud came to the Super Bowl Sunday 10K Run eager to get in good, fast training runs to help them reach their 2013 goals.

On a cool, fun-filled Sunday morning, Kovacs and Cloud wound up winning individual titles in the fourth annual race to kick off Super Bowl festivities.

Kovacs, 26, won the men’s race with a 30-minute, 39.8-second effort. Vacaville’s Cheyne Inman, a member of the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, finished second in 30:58.3 with Sacramento State’s Matthew Frazier third in 31:37.1.

Cloud crossed the line in 38:20.6, ahead of Sacramento State teammates Justine Rea (38:58.0) and Emily Johnston (38:58.1).

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