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USATF championship season closes with trail marathon nationals

The Moab Trail Marathon hosted hundreds of runners in the final U.S. national championship race of 2020

allie mclaughlin

The Moab Trail Marathon was held in Utah over the weekend, and it doubled as the 2020 USATF Marathon Trail Championships. Hundreds of runners showed up to compete in the event (which also featured half-marathon and 5K options), and the final national championship wins of the year went to Montana’s Adam Peterman and Allie McLaughlin of Colorado. Peterman won the race in 2:57:04, finishing well ahead of second place, and McLaughlin crossed the line in 3:36:48, with an equally large buffer of five minutes between her and the next closest female finisher.

USATF COVID-19 restrictions

With more than 800 runners participating across the three race distances, event organizers enforced COVID-19 restrictions in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved. There were waves to limit interaction between participants, and the start had lines painted on the ground that kept runners six feet apart. Organizers wrote that, at the finish, “it will be tempting to high-five and hug and kiss others at the finish, but please restrain.” Athletes were asked to mask up after crossing the finish line, and after receiving their shirts, medals and post-race food, to leave the venue. 

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A second straight win for Peterman

With his win on Saturday, Peterman repeated as champion of the Moab Trail Marathon after having won the race in 2019 as well. He set the course record last year with a time of 2:57:28, and although his time this year was quicker, the American Trail Running Association noted that, due to COVID-19 precautions, the course was shorter, so his time won’t count as a course record. 

RELATED: USATF holds COVID-friendly trail half-marathon championships

Although Peterman won by a solid five minutes, it wasn’t an easy race, and he only grabbed the lead in the final 10K. Until that point, Colorado’s Andy Wacker held the lead. After Peterman passed him, Wacker was able to hold onto second, finishing in 3:02:20. Wacker also finished in second place at the Moab Trail Marathon in 2018. California’s David Sinclair rounded out the podium race in 3:05:45. 

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Big win for McLaughlin 

The women’s race was much less dramatic than the men’s, with McLaughlin leading from start to finish. The win is the second of McLaughlin’s season, joining her top finish at a 12-mile run in Silverton, Colo., in July. Finishing a few minutes back in Moab was McLaughlin’s fellow Coloradan Brittany Charboneau, who crossed the line in 3:42:27. Five minutes behind Charboneau was Janelle Lincks in 3:47:24, making the women’s podium an all-Colorado trio.

RELATED: USATF 50-mile trail championships run as planned

Full results from the USATF Marathon Trail Championships can be found here.

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