In Colorado, Erica Hawley breaks the national record for the 5K.
Erica Hawley warmed up for her maiden appearance in triathlon at the Paris Olympics by setting a Bermuda women’s road running 5K record of 17min 9sec in Thursday’s FireKracker 5K in Fort Collins, Colorado. The 26-year-old Hawley’s exploits in the United States, where she finished twelfth out of 24 elite female runners, saw her smash Merernette Bean’s time of 17:12, set in March 1982 in the Chariots of Fire race. Bean’s time is not completely wiped off the Bermuda National Athletics Association books, as it remains a national record accomplished on the island, by a resident and all-comers.
Hawley was delighted to gear up for her first-ever appearance at the Olympics by improving in the last of the three disciplines in triathlon. “A nice little tune-up pre-Paris and it got me super pumped to get in race mode again,’’ Hawley said on Instagram. “I had the chance to race in the elite field here, and managed to snag a little altitude personal record of 17:09. “And what’s cooler? I smashed a 42-year-old record for the Bermuda women’s road running [Feeling thankful that @floraduffy hasn’t done many road running races]. “I know it’s America’s Day, but I’m feeling extra proud to represent Bermuda at every level of competition.”
Hawley’s feat on US Independence Day proved to be an awesome time for Bermuda’s road runners in overseas competitions. Christine Dailey, the women’s runner-up in this year’s Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby, also achieved a personal best time of 38:31 in the 10K at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Peachtree Road Race, the biggest 10K in the world, where 42,710 runners competed. The 37-year-old Dailey’s time was still some four minutes outside Bean’s national record of 34:49, set in Ohio, in November 1982.
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