Second Edition Of Professional Cross Country Meet Set For Thursday Morning In Austin

By Scott Bush for DyeStat

Carol Chen photo

Descending upon downtown Austin on Thursday morning, the Sound Running Cross Champs brings back a unique team-centered competition to the pro racing calendar.

Top training groups and individuals in the United States square off for the second year of the event in an end-of-season clash with bragging rights on the line and a chance to kick off 2024 training on a high note.

Watch the Sound Running Cross Champs Live (Thu., 7:15am CT Start) | Live Results

Year one of the event saw Edwin Kurgat shoot to the lead early and hold off the On Athletics Club duo of Yared Nuguse and Oliver Hoare, winning the 8-kilometer race in 23:27.50. Kurgat is returning to Austin on Thursday with eyes on repeating as champion.

The Under Armour Dark Sky runner hasn’t raced since early August, but is coming off a summer where he ran a new personal best of 13:08.46 for 5,000 meters. 

Entries in the men’s race are strong from top to bottom, but leading the list of challengers to Kurgat up front is former Stanford runner and 2022 NCAA Division 1 cross country champion Charles Hicks, who is also a two-time winner at the U-23 European Cross Country Championships.

Now training in the Bowerman Track Club, Hicks looks to make his mark in Austin as a pro and continue his cross country success.

The HOKA NAZ Elite men enter as the pre-race favorite in the men’s team competition, with multiple runners capable of winning. The squad’s five runners, Olin Hacker, Wesley Kiptoo, Alex Masai, Ahmed Muhumed, and Adriaan Wildschutt, all bring extensive credentials.

Teammates Hacker and Muhumed are having career years. Hacker placed seventh in the 5,000 meters at the USATF Outdoor Championships and later ran a new personal best of 13:09.94. Muhumed placed on spot behind Hacker in eighth at the USATF Outdoor Championships and recently placed second at the USATF 5 km Road Championships in New York City. 

Masai and Kiptoo also found success on the roads this fall. Kiptoo, debuting at the marathon distance, placed 12th at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October, and is the No. 2 returnee to the Cross Champs having finished sixth in last year’s race. Meanwhile, Masai earned multiple podium finishes at a number of road race events throughout the season, while earning a new PR in the 10,000 on the track.

The X-factor up front, however, may be Wildschutt. The South African and former Florida State standout, who was runner-up at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships, lowered his 5,000 meters personal best on the track with a 13:02.46 performance this summer. Then he placed 14th in the 10,000 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Standout James Mwaura, formerly of Gonzaga, placed placed fourth in the 10,000 meters and 10th in the 5,000 at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in June. He is another top runner to keep an eye on, as is Vincent Kiprop, who placed fifth at the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships.

Under Armour Mission Run Baltimore teammates Alec Basten and Casey Comber are two other runners poised to challenge for a top five finish. Basten is a multi-time USATF Outdoor Championships 3,000-meter  steeplechase finalist, placing 11th in Eugene this past summer. Comber is better  known as a miler, having earned bronze at the Pan American Games earlier in the month in the 1,500 meters and running under the 3:40 barrier seven times this season. He was second at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships. 

Competition for the team title in the women’s race is also competitive, with the HOKA NAZ Elite women entering the race as favorites. Krissy Gear, Abby Nichols and Mercy Chelangat are all part of the Flagstaff-based group's lineup. 

Gear is having a career year. The 24-year old won the 3,000-meter steeplechase title at the USATF Outdoor Championships, earning her first spot on Team USA. Gear placed seventh in her heat in Budapest at the World Athletics Championships, while setting personal bests in the mile and steeplechase this year.

Similarly, Nichols is also having a fantastic season, earning new personal bests this year in the 1,500, mile, 3,000 and 5,000. Nichols finished 10nth in the 5,000 at the USATF Outdoor Championships, while also dipping under the 15:10 for the first time in the event, with 15:09.60 in May.

Chelangat is the third top contender entered for HOKA NAZ Elite and should find herself up front in the race as well. The former Alabama star, who placed third in the 10,000 at the NCAA Championships in June, recently ran to a 1:11:37 finish at the BAA Half Marathon. Chelangat also won the 2020 NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championship title. 

Leading the charge for the Hansons-Brooks ODP, the top contender to HOKA NAZ Elite, are veteran Dot McMahan and young pro Kassie Parker. McMahan, 47, continues to be a contender whenever she races. Earlier this year she placed 12th at the USATF 25 km Championships and placed 13th at Grandma’s Marathon in June.

Parker, a two-time NCAA Division 3 cross country champion at Loras College, is having a strong debut pro season. Parker has been competitive on the roads, while also placing ninth in the 10,000 at the USATF Outdoor Championships.

Individually, Emily Venters and Katie Izzo are fully capable of earning top prize in Austin. Venters, who earned a pair of top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships in June, only to follow that up with a seventh place showing in the 10,000 at the USATF Championships, seems poised for a big race. 

Izzo, 26, started her 2023 season placing sixth at the USATF Cross Country Championships. She  represented Team USA at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, finishing 31st overall. She earned personal bests in the 3,000 and 10,000 this season, while placing 15th in the 5,000 at the USATF Championships in Eugene. 

Marisa Howard leads her Idaho Afoot team into Austin with her eyes squarely set on competing for the overall victory. She nearly set a new PR in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USATF Championships, placing fifth. More recently, she finished fourth in the steeplechase at the Pan American Games.

Rounding out the top contenders in the women’s race, Oiselle’s Maddie Boreman enjoyed tremendous track success in her first pro season. The former University of Colorado runner earned personal bests in the 1,500, mile, and 3,000-meter steeplechase, while placing 11th in the steeplechase final at the USATF Championships.