Ostrander claims junior title at World Mountain Running Championships

  • By Staff Report
  • Saturday, September 19, 2015 11:55pm
  • Sports

2015 Kenai Central graduate Allie Ostrander announced her arrival on the global stage by seizing victory Saturday in the junior women’s race at the World Mountain Running Junior Championships in Snowdonia, North Wales.

The 18-year-old distance phenom became only the second United States junior to win at the world championships, following Mandy Ortiz’s win in 2013.

Ostrander bested a world-class field of 43 junior women to claim victory in 19 minutes, 44 seconds, beating Michaela Stranska of the Czech Republic by 38 seconds. Elsa Racasan of France finished third in 20:31.

American teammate Lily Tomasula Martin finished 30th, over three minutes behind Ostrander.

The accomplishment came barely a week after Ostrander won her collegiate cross-country debut as a freshman for Boise State University in San Francisco.

Saturday’s 4.7-kilometer (2.92-mile) mountain course featured 820 feet in elevation change, starting with a steep incline up a forested trail, which eventually crested and dropped down a sharp downhill run. On the initial climb, Ostrander averaged a 9:40 per mile pace, but on the downhill plunge, that dropped to a 4:37 per mile pace, which allowed her to pull away from the field.

In the junior boys race, Kodiak graduate Levi Thomet gave Alaska another podium result with a second-place finish, the first medal performance ever for an American boy. Thomet finished the junior boys 8.9K course in 35:50, almost two minutes behind race winner Ferhat Bozkurt of Turkey, who won in 33:56. Bozkurt’s Turkish teammate Mustafa Geksel took third place, just three seconds behind Thomet.

More in Sports

tease
Kenai girls, boys lose state openers

The Kenai girls and boys basketball teams lost their opening games at… Continue reading

tease
Kenai girls, boys basketball ready for state

The Kenai Central girls and boys basketball teams open play this morning… Continue reading

Anchorage's Jenna DiFolco skis to victory in the 42-kilometer women's race at the Kachemak Nordic Ski Marathon outside of Homer, Alaska, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Kachemak Nordic Ski Marathon draws 96

The Kachemak Nordic Ski Marathon was held Saturday in windy conditions. In… Continue reading

Ninilchik fans celebrate the team's second straight Class 2A boys state basketball championship Saturday, March 18, 2023, at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Robin Moore)
Ninilchik boys win 2nd straight Class 2A state title

The Ninilchik boys basketball team defended their Class 2A state title with… Continue reading

tease
CIA girls take 5th place at Class 1A state tournament

The Cook Inlet Academy girls basketball team took fifth place in the… Continue reading

tease
Ninilchik boys advance to title game; CIA girls, boys lose

The Ninilchik boys moved to the championship game of the Class 2A… Continue reading

tease
Ninilchik boys, CIA girls move to state semis; CIA boys upset on a last-second shot

The Ninilchik boys moved to the semifinals of the Class 2A state… Continue reading

The Engineer Lake Public Use Cabin, a favorite cabin to enjoy on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by USFWS/Dan Saxton)
Refuge Notebook: A winter’s night among the stars, wolves of the refuge

“Did you hear that?” I said to my wife and our young… Continue reading

Most Read