On Saturday (24-June) two (2) USATF New York members competed in the USATF Masters 1 Mile Road Championships in Indianapolis. The championships were held in conjunction with the Monumental Mile.
Jennifer Harvey, 55, (Central Park TC - Tracksmith) and Fiona Bayly, 55, (unattached); both of New York battled to the line as Harvey edged ahead of Bayly in the final meters to win the W55 national title by just .3 seconds. Harvey’s official time was 5:25 while Bayly’s time was 5:26 (per USATF rules all times in road races are rounded up to the next full second).
Both broke the existing U.S. W55 record of 5:27 set in 2019 by Marisa Sutera-Strange. Harvey’s time, pending ratification, will be the new record.
This race was on a gorgeous course - flat, fast, and run past a line of grand monuments in downtown Indianapolis. As my first-ever USATF Masters 1 mile championship, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I experienced was a the rare chance to run with a deep and talented womens’ masters field, that was both awe-inspiring and very fun to race with. During the race, I tried to be patient and not go out too fast. This paid off because I felt strong in the final 400m, which helped me eke out a very narrow win. As for getting the record (pending ratification), this is a highlight of my time as a runner. It wasn’t a personal best but it was my fastest time on a record-eligible course, which makes me want to try to run one even faster. I am grateful to have been able to race this cool course and have a good day!