Patience pays off for Elise Cranny, and a dominant last lap gives her the U.S. 10,000-meter title
Elise Cranny of Bowerman Track Club wins the women’s 10,000-meter national title at the 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships Thursday night at Hayward Field. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs
By Israel La Rue
Elise Cranny’s backstretch kick propelled her to the women’s 10,000-meter national title at the 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships Thursday night at Hayward Field, finishing in 32:12.30.
“I was trying to channel the end of a 15 at the end of the 10,” said Cranny, who runs for the Bowerman Track Club.
Cranny finished five seconds ahead of the American record holder in the 10,000 meters, Alicia Monson.
Cranny, a two-time 5,000-meter national champion, hung in a slow starting race, sticking behind Monson before taking the lead in the final 350 meters. She ran her final lap in 62.16.
“I was looking at the screen trying to see who was coming up, and she was right on my heels,” Monson said. “Amazing kick. She closed really hard.”
Cranny was also entered in the 1,500-meter race, and the first round was 25 minutes before the start of the 10,000. She ended up not running it to focus on the 10,000.
“Sunday and Monday night, I was waffling,” Cranny said. “That was the biggest thing in making the decision is I don’t want to get into a race and regret and wish that I did the other one. So I’m very grateful that I wasn’t thinking about that during the race.”
Before Cranny and Monson took leads in the race's final stages, they hung back and waited for other runners to make their moves.
“I think it was really about being patient,” Cranny said. “I thought that a couple of people might take it, and so I was a little bit shocked when we came through 1,200. And I was like, ‘Oh, man, we are bunched up.’ So I just tried to find a good spot on the rail and stay as relaxed as possible.”
Cranny cruised in ninth place for 10 laps before being passed up by Monson 11 laps in. She stayed behind Monson for the rest of the race – when Monson moved up a place or two, Cranny was right behind her.
“I thought Alicia might take it at some point – wasn’t really sure when – so I was just trying to be ready for her move,” Cranny said.
Monson made her move with a mile left in the race and took the lead, moving up from third place and setting the fastest lap at that point in the race, 69.5 seconds. Cranny kept up with Monson’s pace, passing her Bowerman Track Club teammate, Karissa Schweizer.
With three laps left, only 2012 NCAA 10,000-meter champion Natosha Rogers and Cranny were keeping up with Monson’s pace. Rogers couldn’t hang, falling behind Cranny and Monson in the final 600 meters. She finished 10 seconds behind Cranny after leading for two laps.
Cranny waited until the final lap to make her move. It paid off sticking by Monson the whole race as her explosive kick left Monson behind.
Cranny and Monson secured their spots in the World Athletics Championships by placing first and second and having the world standard time.
Rogers hasn’t made the time of 30:40.00 yet, but she is currently 23rd in the world rankings, and the top 26 athletes can compete in Budapest. She has until the end of this month to either make that time or stay ranked in the top 26.
Schweizer has the world standard, so she would likely get the spot if Rogers doesn’t qualify.
Cranny said that she feels like in an entirely different place five weeks out from her fourth-place performance at the USATF LA Grand Prix – “just trying to completely wipe that from your mind and be a different athlete.”