As she approached the final turn toward 10th Street, Amy Hastings didn’t want to look back. The former Olympian never looks back.
But in that final mile of The Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race, Hastings felt the presence of the talented field behind her. She peered over her shoulder and tried to get a glimpse of Sara Hall and Rachel Ward on her heels.
Hastings, Friday’s U.S. 10K champion, didn’t see much else past the sea of spectators. The crowd became Hastings’ blinders, tunneling her vision solely toward the blue structure arching over the finish line.
“I had a feeling they were coming around that bend right after me,” Hastings said.
She finished in an unofficial time of 32 minutes, 16 seconds, besting her previous 10K personal-best time of 32:33.
For much of the race, Hall, Ward and the rest of the field were very much with Hastings, exchanging leads as the course’s hills rolled and leveled.
“I think it was Rachel Ward who kind of came up, and she took the lead for a while,” Hastings said. “That was really helpful to me because I just latched on to her and went with her, and then I was able to pull away on the downhill. After that it was just running scared because I knew there were some really incredible women behind me, and I didn’t want to leave it to the very end.”
With this year’s Peachtree serving as the U.S. men’s and women’s 10K Championships, Hastings benefited from her familiarity with her competitors.
“Knowing these women, I know a lot of their strengths, a lot of their weaknesses,” Hastings said. “I know who has come off a marathon and is just coming back. I know who has been racing a lot lately. There are women who have had babies recently and are just coming back from that.
“Everyone’s getting stronger and stronger. It made me realize that I didn’t want to be with people with a mile to go because I’m more of a grinder racer, and a lot of those girls have incredible kicks.”
Hall, who finished second with a time of 32:28, knew enough about Hastings “surges” to finish 12 seconds behind the leader (32:16).
“That’s the thing about U.S. Championships,” Hall said. “We all know each other and how we run.”
Hastings will now focus more on resting than running after completing three 10K in three weeks. Rest and recovery are important if Hastings wants to keep from peeking over her shoulder at the past.
The course ahead includes a fall marathon, which Hastings said will most likely be the Chicago Marathon, should her training go according to plan. But the Providence, R.I., native didn’t hesitate to look even farther into the future.
“This is my first Peachtree, but it will not be my last.”
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