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.

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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).

Grant Fisher dominated the anchor leg. Photo via @ChrisChavez

Results

  1. Bowerman Track Club 2:08:24
  2. HOKA NAZ Elite 2:12:01
  3. Hansons-Brooks 2:12:27
  4. Roots Running 2:13:01
  5. Minnesota Distance Elite 2:14:36
  6. 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)

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