Bowerman Track Club dominates men’s, women’s 5,000 meters at USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships

EUGENE — Bowerman Track Club’s Woody Kincaid feeds off of a crowd’s energy as he’s racing.

As he was running in the men’s 5,000 meters Sunday at Hayward Field, he could even pick out his mom’s voice cheering him on in the crowd of 3,577. But when the time came for the final lap, he could barely hear at all.

The stadium was roaring with fans bearing down on the field, and all that energy helped power Kincaid to a second-place finish in 13 minutes, 6.70 seconds. Kincaid ran the last lap in 54.24 seconds and was gaining on fellow BTC runner Grant Fisher. Pulling ahead in the last lap of the 5,000, Fisher ultimately crossed the finish line first in 13:03.86.

Fisher began to tire heading into the last lap, knowing there was a significant amount of space behind him for a competitor to catch up. He even stole a few glances at the stadium’s video board to see if another runner was gaining on him, he said.

“I had no idea Woody was barreling down on me,” Fisher said, laughing. “I feel great, this is something I’ve wanted for a while.”

For all of that noise on the final lap, Kincaid can thank Bowerman’s fan section: the Bowerman Thunder Crew.

With the Thunder Crew cheering them on in the stands, Bowerman Track Club athletes took first and second place in both the men’s and women’s 5,000 on Sunday.

The section has been in the works for multiple months, BTC teammate Evan Jager said. The club worked with TrackTown USA to secure a section of the stadium for fans, friends and family to cheer on the Portland training group’s runners.

Jager, who didn’t finish the 5,000 but took second place in the men’s steeplechase Saturday, said BTC Chief Operating Officer Emily Pritt has been working to build up the club’s brand for years.

“It’s always great to hear people cheering specifically for you, for your team,” Jager said.

The Thunder Crew even secured housing for the championships by renting out a University of Oregon sorority house on campus. Members of the section have spent downtime around Eugene by giving out Bowerman T-shirts and promoting the club.

Cole Hoff and Nate Mallue, runners with Bowerman’s Elite Program for post-collegiate athletes, were both members of the Thunder Crew in attendance Sunday. With noise-making sticks in hand, the Thunder Crew tried to will Bowerman’s athletes to victory from section 112 in the lower bowl.

“We like to say that the athletes on the track bring the lightning and we’ll bring the thunder here in the stands,” Mallue said. “They definitely make our job easy with their performances.”

After Elise Cranny unleashed a strong kick to win the women’s race in 15:49.15, she fell onto her back to take in the moment. It was mostly due to physical exhaustion, she said, but there was some emotion mixed in after she had to pull out of running the U.S. championship in the 10,000 meters, which was contested last month in conjunction with the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward.

“Having to pull out of the 10k, and just not feeling completely like myself for a little bit,” Cranny said. “That can be pretty taxing, mentally, to kind of get the confidence back.”

Karissa Schweizer of BTC took second place in the 5,000 with a time of 15:49.32. The performance came a day after having run the 1,500, coming up just short of a top-three finish with a time of 4:05.40. Schweizer, who also won the U.S. 10,000-meter title last month, had one word to describe how she felt after the 5,000: exhausted.

“I love being able to dip into the 1,500 and to be competitive in that event and then be able to come back in the 5k,” Schweizer said. “I’m carrying a lot of that confidence into worlds.”

Abdihamid Nur placed third in the men’s 5,000 and Emily Infeld, who used to train with the BTC, finished third in the women’s race. They will join the Bowerman Track Club athletes on Team USA for next month’s World Athletics Championships at Hayward.

Ella Donaghu, who took 11th place in the women’s race with a time of 16:05.67, ran for Grant High School in Portland before competing at the collegiate level for Stanford. She returned to Portland this year to join Union Athletics Club, which she represented Sunday.

It was far from her first time racing at Hayward Field, where she ran throughout her childhood. Her first race at the historic track, a mile competition in middle school, ended with Donaghu winning, she said.

On Sunday, she competed in front of family and friends who made the trip from Portland, cheering her on in the stands.

“I feel like I grew up in this place, coming to track meets when I was like 4 years old,” Donaghu said. “Only now I’m out there competing in this amazing stadium. I have immense gratitude every time I get to come back here.”

— Luke Norton; lnorton@oregonian.com