- Bowerman Track Club runners won every race at the Prickly Pear Invitational, hosted on Saturday, February 6 in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Gabriela DeBues-Stafford’s 3,000-meter time puts her third on the Canadian all-time list, and Marc Scott is now fourth on the U.K.’s all-time list for the 3,000 meters.
Download Your Training Plan Prickly Pear Invitational, a COVID-19-adjusted track meet featuring elite races at an undisclosed location in Phoenix, Arizona.
The competition was a season debut for several of the runners, with running events still being widely canceled as a safety precaution in response to the pandemic. Meet details were announced a few days prior to the start of the meet, and fans could watch on a livestream provided by RunnerSpace.
Almost 30 athletes total competed in four races—the women’s and men’s 800 meters, and the women’s and men’s 3,000 meters—and runners from the Bowerman Track Club won each event, with several runners reaching historic all-time marks and personal bests.
The women’s 3,000 meters featured an impressive season debut from Canadian Olympian Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, who joined Four Men Run Under World Half Marathon Record.
The Portland, Oregon-based training group established a pack up front with the help of pace-setter Katrina Coogan who brought the field through the halfway point in 4:43. After Coogan stepped off the track, Bowerman training partners, Karissa Schweizer, Elise Cranny, and DeBues-Stafford, plus 2016 Olympian Colleen Quigley took over to lead the top end of the field.
With 200 meters to go, DeBues-Stafford stretched out a considerable lead over her teammates to reach the finish line first in 8:38.51, the third-fastest time ever run by a Canadian.
Behind DeBues-Stafford, a tight battle for second ensued. Quigley finished second in 8:40.23, Schweizer reached the line in 8:40.25, and Cranny finished fourth in 8:40.33.
This was Quigley’s first race since announcing her departure from the Bowerman Track Club on Thursday, February 4. On Saturday, she raced with the intent to fundraise for Nutrition - Weight Loss, a Phoenix-based organization dedicated to empowering women through mentorship. By Sunday morning, Quigley had raised more than $4,000—far surpassed her $3,000 fundraising goal.
Bowerman standout Marc Scott won the men’s 3,000 meters, kicking past his training partners on the homestretch to cross in 7:36.08. The time puts him at No. 4 on the all-time list for the U.K., and the performance is also a seven-second improvement on his previous career best.
This was Quigley’s first race since Sean McGorty—former Stanford teammates and now Bowerman standouts—finished second in 7:37.21 and third in 7:37.47, respectively. Both achieved personal bests.
In her debut representing the Bowerman Track Club, Sinclaire Johnson won the women’s 800 meters in 2:01.70. Johnson, runner-up Elle Purrier, and third-place finisher Heather MacLean all ran faster than the U.S. Trials standard of 2:02.50.
Bowerman Track Club runners also went 1-2 in the men’s 800 meters. Josh Thompson won the heat in a personal best time of 1:49.15, followed by teammate Amos Bartelsmeyer in 1:49.24.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
