Christie and Melville, representing New York Athletic Club, triumph in 42.195-kilometer relay in 3:13:27; Stevens is fastest female competitor with 1:39:27 combined splits, with Segura Zepeda prevailing in 20-kilometer open event, Harris winning 10-kilometer race and Torgersen taking 5-kilometer victory

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Crash Kamon

Nick Christie and Miranda Melville, representing New York Athletic Club, joined forces Sunday to triumph despite competing in rainy conditions at the USATF Marathon Mixed Relay race walk event at Santee Trolley Square in California.

Christie and Melville combined for a mark of 3 hours, 13 minutes, 27 seconds, more than 13 minutes ahead of the next closest pair of Emmanuel Corvera and Celina Lepe at 3:26:28.

RESULTS

The layout was a World Athletics certified 1-kilometer course adjacent to the Trolley Square Mall at Santee Town Center.

The male athletes led off the relay with a 12.195-kilometer leg, followed by the female competitors completing a 10-kilometer leg. The final two legs for each athlete were both 10 kilometers, with the competitors slapping hands in the designated exchange zone.

The U.S. has the potential to have as many as three men and a trio of women – based on USATF, USOPC, World Athletics, and Olympic team selection and qualifying protocols – for the Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay on April 21 at the World Team Race Walk Championships in Antalya, Turkey.

There can also be as many as two female athletes and a pair of men from the U.S., based on the same criteria, who have the potential to represent the Americans on Aug. 1-11 at the Paris Olympics.

Christie produced the fastest men’s overall time at 93 minutes, 13 seconds.

Melville was second overall among the female athletes at 1 hour, 40 minutes, 15 seconds.

Robyn Stevens, who teamed with Arkansas State freshman Clayton Stoil, was the fastest women’s competitor at 1 hour, 39 minutes, 27 seconds. Stoil and Stevens were sixth overall at 3:41:56.

Jordan Crawford was the second-fastest male athlete behind Christie at 1:41:54, with Corvera third at 1:42:46. Jessica Heiser-Whatley and Crawford took third overall at 3:37:17.

Lepe was the third-fastest female competitor behind Stevens and Melville at 1:43:43.

Although John Risch completed both of his legs in 1:48:20, he and teammate Maria Michta-Coffey were unable to finish the relay overall. Michta-Coffey had been ill for several weeks ahead of the event.

Brandon Segura Zepeda of Mexico won the 20-kilometer open competition with a mark of 1:23:15, with fellow Mexican athlete Isle Guerrero the top female athlete at 1:30:36.

Talia Green, a 17-year-old senior at College Prep School in Oakland, placed 10th in 1:47:07 in her debut at the 20-kilometer distance.

Vanderbilt freshman Angelica Harris, 18, prevailed in the 10-kilometer event in 50:28, with 13-year-old Ava Torgersen of the Oakland Cubs clocking 29:12 to triumph in the 5-kilometer competition.

Aniella Zawaty, 11, achieved a 20:56 effort in the 3,000-meter race walk.