Bowerman Track Club Dominates Final 5 Legs To Win Second Michigan Pro Ekiden As Annie Frisbie Steals The Show on Leg #1
By LetsRun.com
November 17, 2021
The second Michigan Pro Ekiden — a co-ed 42 km relay race with six legs — was held today at Stony Creek Metro Park, and the Bowerman Track Club lived up to its favorite status by dominating the competition to win in 2:08:24. 2020 winner HOKA NAZ Elite placed second at 2:12:01 ahead of the Michigan-based Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, which was third in 2:12:27.
Bowerman’s win was far from a shock as they are America’s #1 pro track team and their roster today featured four Olympians while the other five teams only had one Olympian total. The BTC produced the fastest split on the final five legs, but the early limelight went to Annie Frisbie of Minnesota Distance Elite. Running just 10 days after a surprising 7th-place finish at the New York City Marathon in 2:26:18, Frisbie ran 19:25 on the opening 6k leg, crushing American steeplechase record holder Courtney Frerichs of BTC in the process (19:43). However, BTC newcomer Thomas Ratcliffe made up the deficit and then some on leg #2 (14:10 for 5k) and BTC never looked back after that. Anchor Grant Fisher, a US Olympian at 5,000 and 10,000, got the sash for the final 10km leg with a 2:35 cushion. He didn’t need it as he put more than a minute on his closest competitor and had the fastest sixth leg split by 59 seconds.
The BTC athletes won $20,000 for the team title and an additional $2,000 each for recording the fastest split on each leg (Frerichs got $500 for the second-fastest time on leg #1).
Results
- Bowerman Track Club 2:08:24
- HOKA NAZ Elite 2:12:01
- Hansons-Brooks 2:12:27
- Roots Running 2:13:01
- Minnesota Distance Elite 2:14:36
- T.E.A.M. Boulder 2:17:29
Splits appear below. When looking at the times, a messageboard poster wrote that the “first and fourth legs are flat and fast, others are all weird elevation changes around a giant lake.”
Talk about the race on our messageboard: MB: 2021 US Pro Ekiden was today @ 1 pm ET. BTC CRUSHED the competition
Splits for Each Leg
Leg 1 – 6k | Athlete | Time | Pace | Team |
1 | Annie Frisbie | 19:25 | 5:13 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
2 | Courtney Frerichs | 19:43 | 5:18 | Bowerman Track Club |
3 | Carrie Verdon | 19:57 | 5:21 | Team Boulder |
4 | Amy Davis | 20:00 | 5:22 | Hansons Brooks |
5 | Katie Wasserman | 20:17 | 5:27 | Northern Arizona Elite |
6 | Alia Gray | 20:29 | 5:30 | Roots |
Leg 2 – 5k | ||||
1 | Thomas Ratcliffe | 14:10 | 4:34 | Bowerman Track Club |
2 | Colin Abert | 14:38 | 4:43 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
3 | Scott Fauble | 15:01 | 4:50 | Northern Arizona Elite |
4 | Jake Riley | 15:07 | 4:52 | Team Boulder |
5 | Aidan Reed | 15:08 | 4:53 | Roots |
6 | Jack Mastandrea | 15:19 | 4:56 | Hansons Brooks |
Leg 3 – 5k | ||||
1 | Vanessa Fraser | 16:22 | 5:16 | Bowerman Track Club |
2 | Dani Shanahan | 16:28 | 5:18 | Northern Arizona Elite |
3 | Lexi Zeis | 16:37 | 5:21 | Roots |
4 | Kathryn Munks | 16:41 | 5:23 | Hansons Brooks |
5 | Ericka Waterman | 18:17 | 5:53 | Team Boulder |
6 | Emi Trost | 18:28 | 5:57 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
Leg 4 – 6k | ||||
1 | Woody Kincaid | 17:16 | 4:38 | Bowerman Track Club |
2 | Frank Lara | 17:40 | 4:45 | Roots |
3 | Josh Yeager | 18:05 | 4:51 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
4 | Daniel Soto | 18:11 | 4:53 | Hansons Brooks |
5 | Sid Vaughn | 18:11 | 4:53 | Northern Arizona Elite |
6 | Akis Medrano | 19:03 | 5:07 | Team Boulder |
Leg 5 – 10k | ||||
1 | Elise Cranny | 32:19 | 5:13 | Bowerman Track Club |
2 | Lauren Paquette | 32:33 | 5:15 | Northern Arizona Elite |
3 | Natosha Rogers | 32:44 | 5:17 | Hansons Brooks |
4 | Maggie Montoya | 33:36 | 5:25 | Roots |
5 | Dakotah Lindwurm | 34:04 | 5:29 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
6 | Melissa Dock | 34:14 | 5:31 | Team Boulder |
Leg 6 – 10k | ||||
1 | Grant Fisher | 28:36 | 4:37 | Bowerman Track Club |
2 | Sydney Gidabuday | 29:35 | 4:46 | Roots |
3 | Zach Panning | 29:38 | 4:47 | Hansons Brooks |
4 | Nick Hauger | 29:38 | 4:47 | Northern Arizona Elite |
5 | Joel Reichow | 29:59 | 4:50 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
6 | Chase Weaverling | 31:21 | 5:03 | Team Boulder |
Splits By Team
Rank on leg | Athlete | Time | Pace | Team |
2 | Courtney Frerichs | 19:43 | 5:18 | Bowerman Track Club |
1 | Thomas Ratcliffe | 14:10 | 4:34 | Bowerman Track Club |
1 | Vanessa Fraser | 16:22 | 5:16 | Bowerman Track Club |
1 | Woody Kincaid | 17:16 | 4:38 | Bowerman Track Club |
1 | Elise Cranny | 32:19 | 5:13 | Bowerman Track Club |
1 | Grant Fisher | 28:36 | 4:37 | Bowerman Track Club |
4 | Amy Davis | 20:00 | 5:22 | Hansons Brooks |
6 | Jack Mastandrea | 15:19 | 4:56 | Hansons Brooks |
4 | Kathryn Munks | 16:41 | 5:23 | Hansons Brooks |
4 | Daniel Soto | 18:11 | 4:53 | Hansons Brooks |
3 | Natosha Rogers | 32:44 | 5:17 | Hansons Brooks |
3 | Zach Panning | 29:38 | 4:47 | Hansons Brooks |
1 | Annie Frisbie | 19:25 | 5:13 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
2 | Colin Abert | 14:38 | 4:43 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
6 | Emi Trost | 18:28 | 5:57 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
3 | Josh Yeager | 18:05 | 4:51 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
5 | Dakotah Lindwurm | 34:04 | 5:29 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
5 | Joel Reichow | 29:59 | 4:50 | Minnesota Distance Elite |
5 | Katie Wasserman | 20:17 | 5:27 | Northern Arizona Elite |
3 | Scott Fauble | 15:01 | 4:50 | Northern Arizona Elite |
2 | Dani Shanahan | 16:28 | 5:18 | Northern Arizona Elite |
5 | Sid Vaughn | 18:11 | 4:53 | Northern Arizona Elite |
2 | Lauren Paquette | 32:33 | 5:15 | Northern Arizona Elite |
4 | Nick Hauger | 29:38 | 4:47 | Northern Arizona Elite |
6 | Alia Gray | 20:29 | 5:30 | Roots |
5 | Aidan Reed | 15:08 | 4:53 | Roots |
3 | Lexi Zeis | 16:37 | 5:21 | Roots |
2 | Frank Lara | 17:40 | 4:45 | Roots |
4 | Maggie Montoya | 33:36 | 5:25 | Roots |
2 | Sydney Gidabuday | 29:35 | 4:46 | Roots |
3 | Carrie Verdon | 19:57 | 5:21 | Team Boulder |
4 | Jake Riley | 15:07 | 4:52 | Team Boulder |
5 | Ericka Waterman | 18:17 | 5:53 | Team Boulder |
6 | Akis Medrano | 19:03 | 5:07 | Team Boulder |
6 | Melissa Dock | 34:14 | 5:31 | Team Boulder |
6 | Chase Weaverling | 31:21 | 5:03 | Team Boulder |
Prize Money
- $50,000 in Prize Money
- $20,000 1st Team
- $10,000 2nd Team
- $5,000 3rd Team
- $2000 for the fastest leg of each stage ($12,000 total)
- $500 for 2nd fastest leg of each stage ($3,000 total)
#MichiganProEkiden is off! Watch LIVE at @runnerspace pic.twitter.com/9Vj31JEZqV
— David Monti (@d9monti) November 17, 2021
This squad was second today at the #MichiganProEkiden!! Fun times. Congrats @BowermanTC on the W. Thanks @HansonsDistProj for hosting. Thanks @hansonsrun for the vision and execution of this awesome event!! pic.twitter.com/F1XfgSbMk1
— HOKA NAZ Elite (@NAZ_Elite) November 17, 2021