Christo Landry gambled in the final mile and won The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race to become the U.S. 10K champion Friday.
After a fast start, Landry and Tyler Pennel began to break away from the pack of 32 elite runners at mile 5 of the 6.2-mile race. As they began to run uphill in the last 500 yards, Landry made his move. He finished in a time of 28 minutes, 25 seconds, which was five seconds ahead of Pennel.
“I figured the easiest way to break away is to make that one hard move,” said Landry, who was draped in a U.S. flag after the race. “If he didn’t make a split-second decision on an uphill, I was going to be able to get a big step on him, and it would be pretty hard to catch me.”
Pennel, the 10th seed, said he had nothing left to give as he saw Landry passing him.
“I kept trying to peel him off my shoulder,” Pennel said. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to shake, I’ve got to shake him.’ I just couldn’t do it.”
Racing in surprisingly cool temperatures, Landry, a 28-year-old who trains in Ann Arbor, Mich., pulled away in the final 400 yards to win his third consecutive U.S. championship. Earlier this year he won titles in the 10-mile and 25K. The Peachtree payout to Landry was $15,000.
“Boy is that something special,” Landry said.
The pack started fast, with third-place finisher Shadrack Biwott jumping to a lead that he later described as “stupid.” Girma Mecheso also set a quick pace, but they began to tire as Pennel and Landry kept pushing.
“I think we went under 8:50 from the 1-mile mark to the 3-mile mark,” Landry said. “We were absolutely flying.”
The top three finishers said they liked the change to this year’s race format that saw the Atlanta Track Club put the focus on hosting the men’s and women’s championships by declining to offer prize money to international elite runners. As a result, none entered.
“It puts the spotlight on the American athletes on the All-America day,” Landry said.
Landry tied the time set by Matt Tegenkamp at last year’s 10K national championship, also hosted by the Peachtree. The U.S. championship record is 27:48, set by Mark Nenow in 1985.
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