MACLEAN SCORES HOMETOWN WIN AT NEW BALANCE INDOOR GRAND PRIX !

BOSTON (02-Feb) — In front of a sellout crowd of 4053 at the TRACK at New Balance, Heather MacLean won the women’s mile in a meeting record and personal best 4:23.32 at this afternoon’s 30th edition of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the first of just two World Athletics gold-level indoor meetings to be held in the United States this year.

MacLean, 29, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian who lives in Boston and trains with the New Balance Boston team under coach Mark Coogan, broke her own meeting record of 4:23.42 set in 2023.

“I feel so grateful,” a clearly delighted MacLean told reporters.  She continued: “It’s amazing to be at my hometown track.  My family’s here, my fiancée, my friends.  I’m just honored to do this.  I have such a cool job.”

Ignoring the fast early pace set by pacemaker Holly Parker of Great Britain, MacLean was content to run with the pack more than three seconds behind. Her halfway split of 2:15.81 was decidedly slow, but she was focused on competing and not running for time.

“I’m just super-excited that I was in it today, that I was competitive,” MacLean explained.  “I really gave it my all out there.”

MacLean took over the lead in the final quarter followed closely by Susan Ejore-Sanders, a Kenyan Olympic 1500m finalist, and Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 USATF 1500m champion.  Refusing to yield, Ejore-Sanders chased MacLean right to the tape, but could not get past the American who grew up in Peabody, Mass., a 35 minute drive from this arena.  MacLean’s margin over Ejore-Sanders was only 23/100ths of a second.

“I think I had it, but she kind of like took it at the end,” Ejore-Sanders told Race Results Weekly.  “It was a great competition; I’m so happy.”

Johnson took third in 4:23.58, and MacLean, Ejore-Sanders and Johnson will face each other again next Saturday in the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in New York.

In the men’s 1500m, USA 1000m indoor record holder Josh Hoey beat double-Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher, 3:33.66 to 3:33.99.  Both men set personal bests and were thrilled with their performances.

“It feels really great,” said Hoey, who was paced this afternoon by his younger brother, Jonah.  “I just think it’s validating for the training that we did over the last couple of months.  I didn’t really take much time off after the outdoor season.  I just felt like there was a big gap.  I was pretty inspired by watching Bryce (Hoppel) run at the Olympics and some of the other middle distance guys.”

Fisher, 27, who hadn’t raced since last August, was nearly put out of the race with six laps to go when his feet got tangled in the pack and he stumbled for a few strides.  But after that, he got in the paceline behind Vince Ciattei, Hoey, and Canadian Kieran Lumb.  He was running second behind Hoey at the bell but Hoey, who has a sizzling 800m personal best of 1:43.80, was just too fast in the homestretch.

“It felt like I was sprinting through most of it,” Fisher told reporters.  “That’s how I expected it to go.  It was a big field.  Got caught-up with guys a few times; that’s what a race is.  I felt like I was in a good position pretty much the whole race.”

Unfortunately, 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman was a late scratch due to a knee injury.

In the men’s 800m, reigning world indoor champion Bryce Hoppel won with relative ease.  The 27 year-old conserved his energy early in the race, and only moved into the lead in the final lap.  He clearly eased up just before the finish line, winning in 1:46.04 over compatriot Abe Alvarado, who clocked 1:46.55.

“I tried to come out conservatively,” Hoppel told Race Results Weekly.  “I never really know where I’m going to be at this time of year.  I tried to take it slower than I did last year, you know, things being shifted with Tokyo being so late in September.”  He added: “I was lucky to be able to bring out the tactics and get the win, so I’m happy with that.”

There were 3000-meter races for both men and women here today, and two New Balance-sponsored athletes –Andrew Coscoran of Ireland and Melissa Courtney-Bryant of Great Britain– got the wins.  Coscoran, 28, a 3:30.42 1500m runner, led a breakaway pack of four –Azzedine Habz of France, Hobbs Kessler of the United States, and Cameron Myers of Australia– with two laps to go.  Coscoran held the lead for the final laps and clocked a world-leading 7:30.75.  That mark broke Alistair Cragg’s Irish record of 7:38.59 set in 2004.

“It’s a very fast track, and there were some very good athletes out there,” Coscoran said.  “I’ve obviously done a bit of training, so I’m in good shape.”

Both Habz (7:31.50) and Myers (7:33.12) set national records in second and third place, respectively, while Kessler ran a personal best (7:35.06).  Myers, 18, was particularly excited to have broken a record set by the legendary Craig “Buster” Mottram who ran 7:34.50 at this meeting back in 2008 when it was held at a different track.

“I knew I was ready to run sub-7:40 and that was kind of the goal,” said Myers.  He added: “Buster was the man, so it’s pretty cool.  Any record that Craig holds is one that’s pretty damn good.”

Courtney-Bryant ran a totally different race than Coscoran.  She ran on the heels of American Olympian Elise Cranny from 1800 meters to the beginning of the final lap, then swept past Cranny with about 120 meters to go.  She clocked a world-leading 8:28.69, which was also a personal best.

“I knew what I was capable of,” said Courtney-Bryant.  She continued: “I’m really happy with that.  It was a really strong field, so to come here today and to win was really more than I could have asked for.”

Cranny, who ran a world-leading 4:20.83 for the mile just two days ago at Boston University across town, was satisfied with her race.  She ran a personal best 8:29.87, well under the World Athletics Indoor Championships qualifying standard of 8:33.00.

“It felt good,” said Cranny.  “The atmosphere here was amazing.  Wish I had a little bit more that last hundred, but it was a good race.”

In her professional debut, former University of Florida star Parker Valby finished third in a personal best 8:34.95.  However, she wasn’t completely satisfied with her race.

“I’d give myself like a B,” Valby told Race Results Weekly.  “I think things could have gone smoother going into the race.  But you know, I rolled with the punches and the plan changed a little bit, but we did it.”

In other events, Tokyo 2020 800m bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers stepped way down in distance and won the 500m in 1:08.98; Paige Sheppard won the Junior Girls International Mile in 4:44.49; and Belgium’s Elliott Vermeulen won the Junior Boys International Mile in a meeting record 4:00.48.  It was his first-ever one-mile race.

“It’s amazing,” said Vermeulen in disbelief.

Top Results:
WOMEN –
500m:
1. Raevyn ROGERS, USA, 1:08.98
2. Helena PONETTE, BEL, 1:09.69
3. Samantha WATSON, USA, 1:10.55
4. Jasmine JONES, USA, 1:10.65
5. Lisanne DE WITTE, NED, 1:10.81
6. Anastazja KUS, POL, 1:11.01

Mile:
1. Heather MACLEAN, USA, 4:23.32 PB/MR*
[60.66 final 440y]
2. Susan EJORE-SANDERS, KEN, 4:23.55
[60.85 final 440y]
3. Sinclaire JOHNSON, USA, 4:23.58 PB
4. Dorcas EWOI, KEN, 4:26.03 PB
5. Gabija GALVYDYTE, LTU, 4:28.42 NR
6. Nozomi TANAKA, JPN, 4:28.54 NR
7. Sadie ENGELHARDT (2006), USA, 4:29.34 PB
8. Maia RAMSDEN, NZL, 4:31.16
9. Sage HURTA-KLECKER, USA, 4:32.68
Hollie Parker, GBR, DNF/pace (2:12:33 at half)
*Meet record; previous 4:23.42, Heather MacLean, 2023
1500m En Route Times:
1. MacLean, 4:07.24
2. Ejore-Sanders, 4:07.42
3. Johnson, 4:07.64
4. Ewoi, 4:08.29
5. Tanaka, 4:09.80
6. Galvydyte, 4:10.12
7. Engelhardt, 4:11.53 PB
8. Ramsden, 4:12.30
9. Hurta-Klecker, 4:12.83

U20 Mile:
1. Paige SHEPPARD, 4:44.49
2. Hanne THOMSEN, 4:44.54
3. Sophia BENDET, 4:46.34
4. Elin LATTA, 4:46.39
5. Pia LANGTON (IRL), 4:52.54
…
1500m En Route Times:
1. THOMSEN, 4:25.21
…

3000m:
1. Melissa COURTNEY-BRYANT, GBR, 8:28.69 WL/PB
2. Elise CRANNY, USA, 8:29.87 PB
3. Parker VALBY, USA, 8:34.95 PB
4. Sarah HEALY, IRL, 8:35.19 NR
5. Emily MACKAY, USA, 8:35.35 PB
6. Georgia BELL, GBR, 8:36.96 PB
7. Hannah BELL, GBR, 8:36.96 PB
8. Lea MEYER, GER, 8:40.96 PB
9. Melknat WUDU, ETH, 8:42.48
10. Dani JONES, USA, 8:42.83 PB
11. Sintayehu VISSA, ITA, 8:54.94 PB
12. Emma COBURN, USA, 8:56.55
Taryn RAWLINGS, USA, DNF/PACE

MEN –
400m:
1. Quincy WILSON (2008), USA, 45.66 PB/USA HS NR
2. Will SUMNER, USA, 46.27 PB
…

800m:
1. Bryce HOPPEL, USA, 1:46.04
2. Abe ALVARADO, USA, 1:46.55
3. Elvin JOSUE CANALES, ESP, 1:46.60
4. Ryan CLARKE, NED, 1:46.68
5. Mark ENGLISH, IRL, 1:46.82
6. Pieter SISK, BEL, 1:46.88
Grant GROSVENOR, USA, DNF/pace

1500m:
1. Josh HOEY, USA, 3:33.66 WL/PB
2. Grant FISHER, USA, 3:33.99 PB
3. Oliver HOARE, AUS, 3:34.91
4. Tom KEEN, GBR, 3:35.12 PB
5. Graham BLANKS, USA, 3:36.11
6. Jochem VERMEULEN, BEL, 3:36.17 NR
7. Joe WASKOM, USA, 3:36.23 PB
8. Kieran LUMB, CAN, 3:38.57
9. Stewart MCSWEYN, AUS, 3:39.05
10. Vince CIATTEI, USA, 3:42.27
11. Christian NOBLE, USA, 3:44.91
Johan HOEY, USA, DNF/pace
Jake WIGHTMAN, GBR, DNS (knee injury)

U20 Mile:
1. Elliot VERMEULEN, BEL, 4:00.48 DB/MR*
2. Owen POWELL, USA, 4:01.14
3. Josiah TOSTENSON, USA, 4:03.85
4. T.J. HANSEN, USA, 4:03.87
5. Soheib DISSA, USA, 4:06.86
6. Corbin COOMBS, USA, 4:06.89
7. Cole BOONE, USA, 4:07.27
8. Tayvon KITCHEN, USA, 4:07.57
9. Frank BUCHANNAN, IRL, 4:11.98
10. Tamrat GAVENAS, USA, 4:14.37
11. Keegan SMITH, USA, 4:19.50
Grant GROSVENOR, USA, DNF/pace (1:59.94 at 880y)
*Meet record; previous 4:01.11, Rocky Hansen, 2023
1500m En Route Times:
1. Powell, 3:44.70
2. Vermeulen, 3:44.89
3. Tostensen, 3:46.53
4. Hansen, 3:47.37
5. Coombes, 3:47.91
6. Boone, 3:50.20
7. Dissa, 3:50.33
8. Kitchen, 3:50.45
9. Buchannan, 3:54.49
10. Gavenas, 3:55.91
11. Smith, 4:00.10

3000m:
1. Andrew COSCORAN, IRL, 7:30.75 WL/NR
2. Azzedine HABZ, FRA, 7:31.50 NR
3. Cameron MYERS, AUS, 7:33.12 NR
4. Hobbs KESSLER, USA, 7:35.06 PB
5. James WEST, GBR, 7:37.13 PB
6. Sam GILMAN, USA, 7:38.27 PB
7. Neil GOURLEY, GBR, 7:49.95
8. Sam PRAKEL, 7:50.40 PB
9. Luke HOUSER, USA, 8:03.44 PB
Sam TANNER, NZL, DNF
Charles PHILIBERT-THIBOUTOT, CAN, DNF/pace