Strong finishes propel Cheserek, Lipari to victories at inaugural event as part of Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series on Las Vegas Strip; Schneider secures third in mile, then doubles with 10th-place effort in half marathon

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Complete with boxing gloves and championship belts being awarded to the winners, the inaugural Brooks Beasts Desert Throwdown had a big-fight feel to it Sunday on the heart of the Las Vegas Strip.

And two of the best pound-for-pound athletes in the sport both relied on strong finishes to prevail in the one-mile road races, sprinting to the finish between Harrah’s and The Mirage hotels in a special showcase added to the annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series in Las Vegas.

INTERVIEWS

Edward Cheserek, representing Skechers, won the men’s race in 4:01 and adidas professional Emily Lipari secured victory in the women’s competition in 4:37.

Cheserek, a 17-time NCAA champion at Oregon and the second-fastest indoor miler in history at 3:49.44, had enough left in the final sprint to hold off former BYU standout Abraham Alvarado, who clocked 4:02 in his professional debut for Atlanta Track Club.

Lipari, who had already secured victories this year at the Grand Blue Mile, Medronic TC 1 Mile and Guardian Mile, timed her move perfectly in the final 100 meters and edged fellow Americans Katie Mackey (4:37) and Rachel Schneider (4:38).

Schneider, who finished the women’s race at 3:52 p.m. PST, returned to the starting line at 4:30 p.m. for the half marathon, which she completed in 76:45 to place 10th among the elite women’s field.

American Kellyn Taylor, who made a late switch to race in Las Vegas after the Monterey Bay Half Marathon was canceled because of air quality concerns due to the “Camp Fire” in Northern California, won in a personal-best 70:14.

Former Arkansas standout and adidas professional Nikki Hiltz placed fourth in the women’s mile in 4:39, with ASICS pro Heather Kampf taking fifth in 4:42, as the top five were separated by less than five seconds.

Brooks Beasts Brannon Kidder (4:02), Dillon Maggard (4:03) and Josh Kerr (4:04) completed the top five for the men’s race. Maggard, a former Utah State star, and Kerr – an NCAA indoor mile champion and collegiate 1,500-meter outdoor record holder at New Mexico – are both in their first years with the Seattle-based training group, along with Furman graduate Allie Buchalski, who placed eighth in the women’s race in 4:48.