Elite Athletes
2024 Open Track & Field Grand Prix
Grand Prix Sign Up, Events and Prize Money Info
Double points will be awarded to valid USATF Pacific members (who must have signed up for this Grand Prix in their highest scored event at the PA Open Track & Field Championship. The meet will be held in conjunction with the 64th Annual Golden West Invitational on the weekend of June 1 & 2.
Meet your Athletes Committee Pacific Association Executive Board Representative,
Athlete’s Chair Jestena Mattson.
Jestena, a Fresno State alumna with record-setting collegiate performances, is also an Olympian, both at the Summer Olympics for Heptathlon and at the Winter Olympics on the Bobsled Team. She received a USATF Pacific Foundation training grant in 2021, folllowing exceptional performances in her post collegiate career.
- Definition of a USATF elite athlete: an athlete who has competed or who has qualified to compete in a USA National Track & Field Championship or U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
- Below are links to Pacific Association elite athlete news, and to the right are links to information to assist you with your pursuit of athletic excellence.
News for Elite and Emerging-Elite PA/USATF Athletes
- CLICK HERE to review reports about PA athletes at the 2016 & 2020 Olympics.
Archived PA News - 2019 PA Open T&F Grand Prix Awardees
► RR CIM! PA-Connected Gregg Wins; 1st Woman sets CR!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sunday, December 5, 2021 Contact: Kevin Liao, (408) 667-5650 Davis Native Brendan Gregg, Debut Marathoner Sara Vaughn Win ‘Comeback’ California International Marathon 9,000 Registered to Run the Full Marathon After Cancellation of 2020 Race SACRAMENTO — In the return of the California International Marathon after the cancellation of the 2020 race due to COVID-19, Davis, Calif. native Brendan Gregg and first-time marathoner Sara Vaughn captured victories today at the 38th edition of the signature Northern California race....
read more► RR PA’s Hitchings and Pilcher top US Masters Road Runners of 2021
Brian Pilcher and Jenny Hitchings were voted the Overall Male/Female US Masters Road Runners of the Year at the 2021 USATF Annual Meeting. Hitchings won based on three very strong performances: at the Boston Marathon she ran a 2:45:32 for a jaw dropping age grade of 101.40%; a new F55-59 AR at the Buffalo Stampede 10 Mile, in a time of 1:01:15 which age grades at 99.86%; and a 1:20:24 at the Clarksburg Country Run Half Marathon for an age grade of 100.27% and a pending F55-59 AR. Age Grades greater than 100% are extremely rare and for a...
read more► PA Dave Shrock receives USATF’s Highest Accolade!
The Robert Giegangack Award The Robert Giegengack Award was established in 1982 in recognition of the late Yale track & field coach’s half-century of “superior and outstanding contributions as an official, a coach, and an administrator in the sport and to the organization.” It is awarded annually to a person “who excels in contributing to the excellence and high standards of the sport of Athletics.” The Award is USA Track & Field’s only accolade not limited to one of the sport’s three...
read more► MUT PA’s Backstrom & Hanna: 2021 MUT Runner of the Year Nominees
PA’s Jonah Backstrom & Rich Hanna: 2021 MUT Runner of the Year Nominees Jonah Backstrom – age 48 – San Francisco, CA USATF 100 Mile Road Championships 3rd master 19:08:25 (8th overall male) USATF 50k Road Championships 1st master 3:30:40 (11th overall male) Rich Hanna – age 56 – Sacramento, CA Jed Smith 50 Mile New American Age Group Record of 5:50:52, breaking a 39 year old record. Complete list of Open and Masters Men and Women Nominees USATF MUT Webpage Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share...
read more► RR PA’s Jenny Hitchings sets pending W55-59 Half Marathon AR; PA’s Jacob Nur does the same for Men’s 65-69!
At the Clarksburg Country Run Half Marathon race in Clarksburg, CA today, Nov. 14, 2021, Jenny Hitchings, 58, broke her own American Age Group 55-59 record for the Half Marathon road racing distance (pending) by running a 1:20:20 at this USATF Pacific certified and sanctioned race. Her previous record’s time was 1:21:14 set in 2018. Jacob Nur, 66, also broke the American 65-69 AG record in the half marathon at Clarksburg. His time was 1:18:25 which broke the previous record of 1:23:50. Results Share this:Click to print (Opens in new...
read more► MTF Welcome Back Meet Results
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read more► RR PA Masters runner, Brian Pilcher, sets 7 ARs in one race!
Yesterday, 10/30/2021, Tamalpa Runners’ Brian Pilcher (65) ran the River Oaks Invitational Half Marathon in Houston TX. The event features a certified course consisting of multiple loops of ~1.0 mile with verified splits of: 8K, 10K, 12K, 15K, 10 Mile & 20K. Here are Brian’s M65-69 AR splits and H Mar finishing time: 8K – 29:12 (old M65 American Record, 29:41) 10K – 36:35 (old M65 American Record, 37:04) 12K – 44:04 (old M65 American Record, 46:58) 15K – 55:15 (old M65 American Record, 55:16) 10 Mile...
read more► RR PA’s Jenny Hitchings wins the Boston Marathon W55-59 Division!
More about this performance: Jenny’s 2:45.32 finish time also beat the leaders in the W50-54 division and all but one in the 45-49 division. Her closest competitor in the 55-59 division was an hour behind her. According to https://www.usatf.org/special-pages/usatf-american-records, she also demolished her 2019 NY Marathon American and World Marathon Records of 2:50:36, but since the Boston course parameters keep it from qualifying for American and World Records, this performance will be categorized as American and World...
read more► PA USATF Annual Meeting details
2021 USATF Annual Meeting update: Due to ongoing COVID concerns, this years USATF Annual Meeting will be a hybrid meeting of virtual and in-person attendance. The meeting will take place from Thursday, December 2 through Sunday, December 5, and you once again can participate from the comfort of your own home! In-person registration will be limited to primarily one representative per association, national committee chairs and members of executive committees, AAC athletes, and national office staff. Individual members not in one of these...
read more► MTF Registration is OPEN! for the PA’s Welcome Back Track Meet
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