B.A.A. teammates steal the show on a rain soaked night

By Scott Bush

Watch the Races: Men’s Elite Race | Women’s Elite Race

While rain may have slowed down the finish times Wednesday evening at the HOKA ONE ONE Long Island Mile, the action on the track simply couldn’t be cooled, as the Boston Athletic Association’s Chris O’Hare and Emily Lipari outlasted talented and deep fields to take home top prizes on the night.

In its third year, the HOKA ONE ONE Long Island Mile offered up more than $21,000 in prize money and bonuses, bringing together international fields that showcased Olympians, World Championship qualifiers and national champions.

As the women’s race got underway, fans at the track put their jackets on and hoods up as the rain fell, lining the track in lane four and on the infield, providing an intimate setting for the pros to run through.

Rabbit Heather Wilson took the field out aggressively, on pace to break 4:30 for those strong enough at the end of their seasons to handle the quick pace. When Wilson dropped out, Brenda Martinez and Leah O’Connor took over, with Martinez pushing the pace, using her big-race experience to try and tactically break down the rest of the field.

With 250 meters to go, Martinez continued to challenge, while Lipari crept up onto her shoulder. Hannah Fields and Emily Infeld rolled past O’Connor, who was starting to struggle. Martinez and Lipari put a few strides on the rest of the field and a two-woman battle to the finish was underway.

Coming off the final turn, Martinez seemed as though she had enough momentum to best Lipari, but in the final 50 meters of the race, Lipari stormed by Martinez, putting in one final surge to cross the line in victory, 4:28.84 to 4:28.96.

Behind the duo, Fields was able to hold off Infeld, using her middle distance speed to outkick the long distance star, 4:30.32 to 4:30.78. For both Lipari and Infeld, Wednesday’s results earned them personal bests in the mile, showing just how impressive the race on the wet track was.

Olympian Linden Hall rounded out the top five, closing fast and holding off Heidi See, 4:31.07 to 4:31.56. Australian steeplechase standout Genevieve LaCaze took seventh in 4:32.06, capping off a strong season.

As fans readied themselves for the men’s race, a tribute to the late David Torrence was shown, capturing the spirit and passion of the event record holder. Last week, event director Kyle Merber renamed the men's elite race for Torrence, and as the field lined up to compete in the David Torrence Mile, the Peruvian Olympian was in everyone’s thoughts.

From the gun, rabbit Daniel Winn took the field out at an honest pace, with a stretched out line behind him, following his every stride. After the first lap, Garrett Heath and Eric Avila followed closest, ready to take over lead once Winn stepped off the track. As Winn dropped out, the two waged a battle to lead for the next 100 meters.

As Heath and Avila battled it out for a $250 bonus at 1,300 meters, which Heath ultimately earned, the duo fell off the pace almost immediately, as World Championship finalists O’Hare and Nick Willis jumped to the front, each challenging the other.

With 200 meters to go, O’Hare put space on Willis and the lead continued to grow heading into the final home stretch. As the runners charged to the finish, Willis started to surge, gaining ground on O’Hare. But the New Zealander couldn’t catch O’Hare, as he crossed the line victoriously, arms raised, celebrating a hard-fought win, 3:56.22 to 3:56.41.

A late sprint to the finish from John Gregorek gave the fellow World Championship finalist a third-place finish in 3:57.50, while new Nike Oregon Project runner Craig Engels outlasted Merber to take fourth, as the two finished in 3:58.58 and 3:58.75 respectively.

With the conclusion of the HOKA ONE ONE Long Island Mile, the 2017 track and field season comes to a close in North America. How fitting that the two elite races offered dramatic finishes and fast times, capping another great year of track and field.