Meet the Winners of the $2021 Running Warehouse Track Trials Prediction Contest
By LetsRun.com
July 21, 2021
If you thought the US Olympic Track and Field team had been fully announced – think again.
Today we announce the winners of the $200,021 Running Warehouse LetsRun.com Trials prediction contest. Our winners have been quarantining (they’re likely on a computer 98% of the time) and will be ready and Covid-free for the Tokyo Prediction Contest which will launch soon.
Meet Josh Shancer the Savant of LetsRun.com Contests
Josh Shancer
Our overall winner was Josh Shancer aka Illinois Hurdler on the forums. If the name sounds familiar it is because Josh is a savant when it comes to our prediction contests. Josh won our 2017 NCAA Prediction Contest and tied for 2nd in our 2017 Worlds Prediction Contest (but lost out on the prizes on the tie breaker).
Last time we heard from Josh he was a law student at DePaul but now he is a 28 year-old practicing attorney focusing on Family/Custody Law in Chicago. As his username suggests he was a sprinter/hurdler in high school and college. He still enjoys hammering out sprint repeats on the track each week and owes it to the guys in his sprint group “Shattered Hamstrings” for motivating him to push his body to the limit. Prior to the pandemic he was entering as many track meets as possible. But with many meets not allowing unattached athletes he’s had to change his racing schedule. He’s entered a few off the beaten path races such as the Dances With Dirt Gnaw Bone Half Marathon.
Josh chose the newly released Asics Novablast 2 from Running Warehouse, and also gets a free LetsRun.com shirt (one of the softest in the business), and a year subscription to the most exclusive club in running – the LetsRun.com Supporters Club.
Midwestern Surgeon to Be Finishes 2nd
Elana chose the DS Trainer
Elena Danielson, a med student originally from Minnesota tied for second in the Trials contest. Emily comes from a running family (both her parents were runners) and has been a runner her whole life. She ran at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. After college, she went to med school and graduated this may and has started her residency to become a surgeon. She managed to keep running for stress relief in med school with the the occasional road race thrown in there. And of course, she kept up-to-date on the latest results and news in the track and field world. As for her prediction strategy, she said she “favored athletes who seemed to have great momentum leading up to the trials. I also had some bias to pick local athletes – Go Joe Klecker and Mason Ferlic! I remember competing in some of the same XC or track meets as them in high school. Can’t wait to watch them in Tokyo!”