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Drake University Athletics

Gear USATF 1 Mile win
Jeff Corcoran

Drake Relays Drake Athletic Communications

Ciattei Repeats, Gear Chases Down American Record in USATF 1 Mile Road Championships

Quarter of elite milers emerge from field of 35 to qualify for Team USA

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield returned to Downtown Des Moines on April 22 for another installment of the men's and women's USATF 1 Mile Road Championships and the Grand Blue Mile recreation and competitive divisions.
 
This year's USATF event served as a qualifying race for Team USA ahead of the World Road Race Championships later this year. The top two finishers in the men's and women's elite fields punched their ticket to represent the United States on the global stage.
 
The night commenced with the inaugural running of Spike's Sprint youth race made up of three separate age groups from six to 10 years old. Over 2,100 participants then hit the pavement for the recreational division with entrants of all ages and abilities maneuvering their way through the heart of Des Moines. Drake mascot Spike blitzed his counterparts in the Mascot Madness race, marking the second time in three years that Spike has been victorious in his hometown. Finally, the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships capped the night with a pair of nail-biting finishes.
 
2025 USATF 1 Mile Road Championship
35 total milers brought their elite talent to Des Moines for their shot at an American crown and a spot on Team USA. The women kicked off the professional events with a 15-person field before 20 men's runners put an exclamation point on a lovely evening.
 
2025 Women's USATF 1 Mile Road Championship
Native Iowans and Olympians Shelby Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer had their eyes on the prize from the gun but could not hang on towards the finish. A late push from Krissy Gear, one of the premier American steeplechasers, hunted down Houlihan and Schweizer in the last quarter mile to finish first in 4:23.98. Gear's mark established a new American record on the women's side, besting Nikki Hiltz's national record set in Des Moines two years ago. Schweizer joined Gear as an automatic qualifier to Team USA as the runner-up while Houlihan took fourth.
 
2025 Men's USATF 1 Mile Road Championship
Vince Ciattei hit a personal trifecta on Tuesday night as he outran the men's field for this third career USATF 1 Mile Road Championship, all of which have come in Des Moines. Ciattei, who also won at last year's Grand Blue Mile, led a tightly packed group through the downtown streets and pulled away just enough at the end to win in 3:54.55. Sam Ellis, in his road mile debut, took second place and joined Ciattei as Team USA qualifiers.
 
2025 Women's USATF 1 Mile Road Championship Top 10
1. Krissy Gear, 4:23.98
2. Karissa Schweizer, 4:24.40
3. Gracie Morris, 4:24.73
4. Shelby Houlihan, 4:25.06
5. Eleanor Fulton, 4:27.81
6. Rachel McArthur, 4:30.43
7. Taryn Rawlings, 4:31.18
8. Jenn Randall, 4:33.89
9. Angelina Ellis, 4:35.40
10. Colleen Quigley, 4:41.10
 
2025 Men's USATF 1 Mile Road Championship Top 10
1. Vince Ciattei, 3:54.55
2. Sam Ellis, 3:54.95
3. Craig Engels, 3:55.09
4. Josh Thompson, 3:55.14
5. Casey Comber, 3:55.65
6. Damien Dilcher, 3:55.97
7. Olin Hacker, 3:56.37
8. Sam Prakel, 3:56.66
9. Isaac Basten, 3:57.01
10. Kasey Knevelbaard, 3:58.33
 
Drake Relays week continues tomorrow night back on the campus of Drake University with the debut of the World Shot Put Series in historic Drake Fieldhouse. Drake Stadium will also get its first action of the Relays with the start of the decathlon and heptathlon. Several of Tuesday's runners, including Schweizer and Houlihan, will be back on the Blue Oval this weekend for more Relays action.

 
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