Race Report: Sgt. Ednah Kurgat + 2023 USATF 6km National Championships

Sgt. Ednah Kurgat tells how it all went down at the recent USATF 6km National Championships in Canton, OH, July 15. Krugat runs as a member of the US Army's WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) and has primarily focused on cross-country and distance track racing, with a particular focus on the 10,000-meter.

In January 2023, she won the USATF Cross-Country National Championships; this earned Kurgat her first spot on an international team, representing the US at the Cross Country World Championships that took place in February in Australia.

Kurgat is relatively new to road racing, having only started last year, but she's clearly learning quickly. Listen to hear how, despite a busy race calendar coming into the 6k Championships, Krugat ran a smart, decisive race.

A special note of thanks here to race founder and director Tina Oprean Ryee, who is also the director of Cross-Country and Track and Field at Malone University. This is the only women's-only event on the Grand Prix Circuit (the men have a corresponding 8km race in Tennessee), and Krugat was mindful of how the energy felt different at this race and it felt empowering.

The USATF 6km National Championships is a part of the championship series of races that happen throughout the year, beginning with the Cross-Country National Championships. Racers earn points based on finishing places that go toward the overall series placing. Kurgat is current in second place overall, behind Nell Rojas.

You can catch up on earlier road races in the series through our Race Reports. Each report features one runner's perspective on how it all went down.

Stay tuned for the next race in the series, happening this weekend, Saturday, July 29: the USATF 7-mile National Championships in Davenport, IA.

Keep up with Ednah Kurgat

Instagram: @ednah_kurgat

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Website: theplantedrunner.com

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