INDIANAPOLIS -- Camille Herron captured yet another road championship Saturday, winning the USATF 50 Mile Championships on October 24 to earn her USATF Athlete of the Week honors. Herron (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) finished the course in 5:38:41, a feat made even more impressive by the extreme weather conditions faced by the athletes competing in the Fall 50 in Door County, Wisconsin.
The reigning IAU 100K World Champion blew away the previous course record and was the fastest female finisher by nearly two hours. Herron ran under the 50 Mile American record and world record, but the event was not record eligible due to the separation in the course layout. The American and world records still stand at 5:40:18, but Herron’s effort in running sub-5:40 was nothing short of remarkable, running as the second competitor overall until the final half mile. The athletes in the event ran in extreme weather conditions, facing cold rain and a strong headwind from the Southwest for the whole race.
"It felt like a lifetime best performance for me,” Herron said. “I had to give it everything I could to get under 5:40 in those weather conditions."
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; June 10, Grant Fisher; June 17, Ben True; June 24, Candace Hill; July 1, Justin Gatlin; July 8, Evan Jager; July 15, Christian Taylor; July 22, Shannon Rowbury; July 29, Anthony Bailey; August 5, Harrison Williams; August 12, Flo Meiler; Sept. 2, Ashton Eaton; Sept. 18, Camille Herron; Sept. 24, Don Pellmann; Sept. 30, Deena Kastor; Oct. 7, Molly Huddle; Oct. 14, Deena Kastor; Oct. 28, Camille Herron.
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.