by Clay Shaw

New York, NY, Abbott Dash to the Finish Line, November 6, 2021—Weini Kelati of Flagstaff, AZ broke away early and went on to win the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5k in New York’s Central Park.  Kelati won the race in 15:18. The race started at the United Nations on the East Side of Manhattan and finished at the same finish line that the New York City Marathon will use the following day.  Kelati, a native of Eritrea, gained citizenship earlier this year.  Kelati was a star runner for the University of New Mexico, where she was the 2019 NCAA champ in cross-country.

Grace Barrett of Mammoth Lakes, CA took second in 15:45 in an all-out dash to the finish line.  Erika Kemp of Brookline, MA was third in 15:46, just one second back.  Natosha Rogers of Denver, CO was fourth in 15:48.  Lauren Paquette of Flagstaff, AZ was sixth in 15:49.  2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Gold Medalist Gwen Jorgensen of Portland, OR was sixth in 15:50.

Drew Hunter of Boulder, CO led a huge pack sprinting to the finish to win the USATF 5K championship in 13:53.  2016 Olympic 1500 Gold Medalist Matthew Centrowitz of Portland, OR was second in 13:53.  Sidney Gidabuday of Boulder, CO was third, also in 13:53.  Graham Crawford of Burlington, NC was fourth in 13:54.  Eric Avila of San Diego, CA was fifth in 13:55. The first twelve men were separated by just seven seconds; the first nine men were all under 14:00.

The elite men started nearly five minutes prior to the elite women. They were followed by nearly 7000 runners making the early morning run from the United Nations to Central Park, via East 42^nd Street and the Avenue of the Americas.

Top Women

1. 15:18 Weini Kelati, 24, Flagstaff, AZ
2. 15:45 Grace Barnett, 26, Mammoth Lakes, CA
3. 15:46 Erika Kemp, 26, Brookline, MA
4. 15:48 Natosha Rogers, 30, Denver, CO
5. 15:49 Lauren Paquette, 35, Flagstaff, AZ
6. 15:50 Gwen Jorgensen, 35, Portland, OR
7. 15:51 Amy Davis, 24, Rochester Hills, MI
8. 15:53 Kim Conley, 35, Flagstaff, AZ
9. 15:53 Sammy George, 27, Boone, NC
10. 15:55 Maggie Montoya, 26, Longmont, CO
11. 16:00 Katie Izzo, 24, San Diego, CA
12. 16:04 Danielle Shanahan, 27, Flagstaff, AZ
13. 16:06 Katie Rainsberger, 23, Boulder, CO
14. 16:12 Ayla Granados, 30, Castro Valley, CA
15. 16:14 Marissa Howard, 29, Boise, ID
16. 16:14 Maddie Alm, 28, Boulder, CO
17. 16:21 Aisling Cuffe, 28, Providence, RI
18. 16:21 Grayson Murphy, 26, Flagstaff, AZ
19. 16:23 Alycia Cridebring, 29, Flagstaff, AZ
20. 16:27 Erin Gregoire, 24, New York, NY

Top Men

1. 13:53 Drew Hunter, 24, Boulder, CO
2. 13:53 Matthew Centrowitz, 32, Portland, OR
3. 13:53 Sydney Gidabuday, 25, Boulder, CO
4. 13:54 Graham Crawford, 28, Burlington, NC
5. 13:55 Eric Avila, 32, San Diego, CA
6. 13:56 Brian Barraza, 26, Boulder, CO
7. 13:56 Joe Berriatua, 26, Boulder, CO
8. 13:56 Andrew Jordan, 24, Washington, DC
9. 13:58 Abbabiya Simbassa, 28, Colorado Springs, CO
10. 14:00 Willy Fink, 27, Toledo, OH
11. 14:00 Kasey Knevelbaard, 25, Flagstaff, AZ
12. 14:00 Benjamin Eidenschink, 25, Niwot, CO
13. 14:04 Ryan Kutch, 23, New York, NY
14. 14:05 Andy Trouard, 27, Eugene, OR
15. 14:06 Daniel Curtis, 25, Norwich, VT
16. 14:08 Paul Chelimo, 31, Colorado Springs, CO
17. 14:09 Colin Schultz, 26, Flagstaff, AZ
18. 14:11 Tim McGowan, 26, Boston, MA
19. 14:13 Josef Tessema, 32, Castle Rock, CO
20. 14:14 Jordan Mann, 28, Providence, RI

Categories: Race Coverage

Tags: 2021, Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, featured, TCS New York City Marathon, TCS NYC Marathon