Colley, Venters win national championships at Crazy 8s

KINGSPORT – Make it two in a row for Andrew Colley. This time it was for a national championship. The former North Carolina State long distance runner claimed the United States Track & Field 8km national championship during the 36th edition of the Crazy 8s 8K on a muggy Saturday night over a five-mile trek filled with spectators enjoying the always-popular Fun Fest event. Colley certainly had a good time. "I just have fun," he said. "The first thing a baby does when it can show joy is to run so I just have fun. A lot of my friends run. It is just a good time." Colley, who also won the non-national championship race last year, finished the five miles in 22:38, well ahead of James Quattlebaum (23:12) of Greenville, S.C., and Murphy Smith (23:14) from Brighton, Mass. "It is really nice. Last year was cool, but I did a lot of it by myself," Colley said. "Ironically I did all of it by myself again, but I think I went out a little too hot and I paid for it at the end. Luckily, I made everyone else pay for it too so it was alright." Former University of Utah distance runner Emily Venters won the women's title, crossing the finish line inside J.Fred Johnson Stadium in 25:05. She was followed by Allie Ostrander (25:42) from Louisville, Colo., and Averi Lowen (27:11) from Helfin, Ala. Venters, who won the USATF 6km national crown last weekend in Canton, Ohio., made her first venture to the Crazy 8s, and left with a pair of national titles in just over a week. Venters also recorded the second fastest time for a woman in Crazy 8s history, while Ostrander's time ranks eighth. "It was awesome. I didn't expect the community to be out as much as they were, along the streets, especially at night," Venters said. "It was amazing, it was so cool. For as little of a race as it is compared to a lot of major races, the amount of spectators was really cool. It was cool from the community out there." The American 8K men's record of 22:04 has been held since 1981 by Alberto Salazar, and Colley was hoping to challenge that mark, but it will continue to be safe for now. "I went into hoping that I could run closer to the American record," Colley said. "It a bit windy out there, it was thick and I went out in 8:42 for two miles so I went out too hot and I paid for it. That is a lesson for everyone. It is hard to not get ahead of yourself with the crowds, they are hyping me up.... "I think a lot of people dropped out which kind of disappointed me. I was hoping if we worked together we could go after that record a little bit, and maybe we would have executed a little smarter. That part was disappointing, but there was still a really good field here." Colley, who won the USATF 25km national championship in May in Michigan and the Medio Half-Marathon in Guatemala in May, is a recognizable figure with his trademark long hair, and has developed his own cheering section in Kingsport. "I am a Southeast boy so whenever I can put on a show for my people I do it," he said. "The long hair makes it a little easier and the running community is a lot smaller than you think. If anyone is at any races, come up to me and say 'hey.' I would love to get a new friend." Venters, who finished fourth in the New York Mini 10K last month and participated in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Florida in January, didn't quite reach her goal, but wasn't going to complain. "I wanted to get under 25 minutes. On a good day I knew I was kind of running pretty fast, but it was really humid," Venters said. "I had no idea what kind of pace I was running so I am happy with that. "I ran with the guys most of the time which was really actually helpful. If I had nobody it would have been a little bit harder, but I kind of kept trying to keep chasing the next guy ahead of me and that helped a lot." Venters, who will follow a vacation next week to Hawaii with several 10Ks in the fall to prepare for the Valencia Marathon in Spain in December, has big goals ahead. "I would love to make the Olympic team in 2028, not sure which I am going to go for, the 10K or the marathon," Venters said. "I am kind of in between, but I would like to get as close to the American record in the half-marathon this fall as I can." Colley picked up some hardware and a nice check for his victory, and that cash will come in handy with his wife, Tristin — who won the women's Crazy 8s 8K race last year — at home after giving birth to a child. "There is a pretty good prize purse for it so there is some money," he said, with a laugh. "I have got a 31/2 month old at home so some diaper money." Being a national champion isn't bad either. "Just being a U.S. champ," he said, "it is a great honor." *** Crazy 8s 8K Men - Top 10 1 Andrew Colley (Raleigh, NC) 22:38; 2 James Quattlebaum (Greenville, SC) 23:12; 3 Murphy Smith (Brighton, MA) 23:14; 4 Jack Aho (Charlotte, NC) 23:16); 5 JP Flavin (Rochester, MN) 23:24; 6 Aidan O'Gorman (Port Orange, FL) 23:45; 7 Jack Mastandrea (Greenville, SC) 23:51; 8 Emmanuel Bor (Colorado Springs, CO) 23:56; 9 Simon Heys (Wilmington, OH) 24:03; 10 Jason Weitzel (Greenville, SC) 24:18. Age Group Winners Age 1-9: Tilden Rasnake (Abingdon, Va.) 34:59; 10-12: Keith Warner (Abingdon, VA) 31:31; 13-15 Caleb Scott (Greeneville, TN) 29:04); 16-19 Joaquin Miranda (Cypress, TX 25:53): 20-24: Hudson Hurst (Franklin, TN) 24:19; 25-29: Keeton Thornsbury (Louisville, KY) 24:26; 30-34: Aaron Slabach (Blacksburg, VA) 26:46; 35-39: Michael Craig (Lynchburg, VA) 27:37; 40-44: Marc Runyan (Knoxville, TN) 30.00; 45-49: Michael Farkas (Louisville, KY) 32:15: 50-54: Littman Bustamante (Kingsport, TN) 32:32; 55-59: Andy Brockmyre (Bristol, VA) 33:08; 60-64: William McSpadden (Kingsport, TN) 34:29; 65-69: Paul Beers (Roanoke, VA) 33:29. 70-99: Jon Mather (Kingsport, TN) 41:00 Male Masters: Jack Brunecz (Kingsport, TN) 29:59. CODISPOTI: Dixon Armstrong (Kingsport, TN) 27:33. WOMEN - Top 10 1 Emily Ventura (Salt Lake City, UT) 25:05; 2 Allie Ostrander (Louisville, CO) 25:42; 3. Averi Lowen (Heflin, AL) 27:11; 4 Mary von Laarhoven (Osseo, MN) 27:28; 5 Gabriella Smith (Lynchburg, VA) 27:33; 6 Amanda Martin (Knoxville, TN) 27:34; 7 Mackenzie Caldwell (Boulder, CO) 27:39; 8 Savannah Roark (Mammoth Lakes, CA) 27:47; 9 Lucy Ndungu (Wichita, KS) 28:04; 10 Emily McCullough (Colby, KS) 28:35 Age Group Winners Age 1-9: Eden Brockmyre (Bristol, VA) 46:41; 10-12: Grayson Reynolds (Bristol, VA) 34:42; 13-15: Olly Arrington (Bristol, TN) 33:14; 16-19: Savannah Piazza (Jonesborough, TN) 33:22; 20-24: Emma Russum (Greenville, SC) 29:51; 25-29: Zanelle Williams (Johnson City, TN) 32:12; 30-34: Annette Stevens (Kingsport, TN) 38:06; 35-39: Lili Lilly (Elizabethton, TN) 33:54; 40-44: Katie Hodge (Kingsport, TN) 39:33; 45-49: Leslie Stanley (Mount Carmel, TN) 39:22; 50-54: Stacia McDermott (Cookeville, TN) 40:07; 55-59: Kris Murphy (Kingsport, TN) 42:33; 60-64: Lori Church (Vilas, NC) 49:17; 65-69: Sheri Nemeth (Elizabethton, TN) 44:38: 70-99: Lois Haney (Morristown, TN) 1:00.34. Female Masters: Katerina Cassidy (Big Stone Gap, VA) 38.31. CODISPOTI: Grace Crow (Kingsport, TN) 34:11.