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POWERED BY CARL’S AUTO GROUP. ONLY AT THE GRAND BLUE MILE CAN YOU GET RUNNERS OF ALL AGES AND SKILLS RUNNING ON THE SAME TRACK AS OLYMPIANS. AND IT WAS THOSE OLYMPIANS THAT PUT ON A SHOW TUESDAY EVENING. SHANNON EARHART HAS MORE FROM DOWNTOWN DES MOINES. WELL, THE CLOCK IS STILL RUNNING BEHIND ME. THE DRAKE ROAD RACES ARE OFFICIALLY OVER. IT WAS CAPPED HERE AT THE GRAND BLUE MILE WITH THE USA TF ONE MILE ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS. IT ENDED IN UNBELIEVABLE FASHION. FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE TOP TWO FINISHERS IN THE ROAD RACE WOULD EARN A SPOT ON TEAM USA AT THE WORLD ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS. IOWA’S OWN KARISSA SCHWEIZER, DOLLIVER GRAD AND TWO TIME OLYMPIAN, WAS THE FAN FAVORITE, BUT SO WAS SIOUX CITY’S SHELBY HOULIHAN. BOTH WERE FIRST TIME COMPETITORS IN THE USATF ROAD MILE. THE RACE CAME DOWN TO THE FINAL SECOND FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, IT’S HOULIHAN SCHWEIZER IN 2023, US STEEPLECHASE CHAMPION CHRISSY GEER. IT WOULD BE THE FINAL STRIDE. GEER GETS THE STRETCH, RIPPING THE RIBBON IN FOUR MINUTES AND 24 SECONDS. THAT IS A SECOND FASTER THAN SCHWEIZER AND A NEW AMERICAN RECORD. WHEN I GOT TO THE FRONT, I WAS LIKE, I GOT TO GO FASTER NOW, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO COME BACK. SO YEAH, JUST REALLY TRYING TO SPRINT AS LONG AS I COULD, GOING BACK DOWN TO BE ABLE TO RUN A ROAD MILE IN THE STREETS OF DES MOINES, LIKE THAT’S JUST A DREAM FOR ME. SO IT WAS REALLY, REALLY COOL. I GREW UP LIKE COMING AND WATCHING THIS RACE AND TO BE ONE OF THE ONES FIGHTING FOR THE WIN AT THE END WAS JUST SUCH A SURREAL EXPERIENCE. THE MEN QUICKLY FOLLOWED ISAAC BASTON IN BULLDOG BLUE, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. BASTON IS A THREE TIME ALL-AMERICAN FOR DRAKE AND MAKING HIS ONE MILE ROAD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT. KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE DEFENDING CHAMPION, VINCENT CIOTTI. HE SET A COURSE RECORD LAST YEAR AND HE’LL FINISH AHEAD OF THE REST AGAIN IN THREE MINUTES AND 55 SECONDS. THIS TIME IT’S HIS SECOND STRAIGHT ROAD MILE TITLE IN THIRD OVERALL. BUT THAT’S NOT WHY HE’S SO EMOTIONAL. YOU KNOW, I’M 30, NOT A SPRING CHICKEN ANYMORE. I STARTED TO COME CLOSER THAN I HAVE BEFORE, EVER HAD BEFORE TO TO MAKING TEAMS. THIS MIGHT NOT BE AN OLYMPIC TEAM, BUT IT MEANS JUST THE SAME TO ME TO TO BE QUALIFYING FOR MY FIRST U.S. TEAM. IT JUST MEANS SO MUCH