CCSU Cross Country Coach Eric Blake to Run at USATF National Club Cross Country Championships
Central Connecticut cross country and track and field coach Eric Blake will run at USATF National Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, FL, on Saturday. Blake will run in the Masters Men (40-59) 10k race at Apalachee Regional Park on Dec. 11 at 11:00 a.m.
Blake was named the Northeast Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year earlier this month. He guided both the men's and women's cross country teams to conference championships this season, as well as mentoring the individual champions in both races at the championships. He has guided the Blue Devils to a combined 21 NEC championships as head coach (14 cross country, seven track & field).
Blake is also an accomplished runner, having been among the field of 140 elite runners for the Boston Marathon this fall. He has been a member of eight USATF Mountain Running Teams and is a four-time winner at the Mount Washington Road Race. He has competed at the Olympic Marathon Trials and set a world record in 2006, running a marathon on the treadmill in 2:21.40. He will be running with the Central Mass Striders at the club cross country national championships.
A total of $40,000 in prize money will be awarded to winning athletes and teams in the competition. USATF Individual Championship Medals will be awarded to the top-3 men's and women's individual finishers in all 5-year age divisions from 40-44 to the age group of the oldest finisher. USATF Championship Patches will be awarded to the winners of each 5-year age division. USATF Team Championship Medals will be awarded to the declared members of the top-3 men's and women's teams in the following age divisions: 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, and 80+.