Hall gets pass, Hastings loves LA

In the NYC Half-Marathon on March 20, the weather was a chilly 37 degrees, but didn’t leave Mammoth runners out in the cold.

Alistair Cragg of the Mammoth Track Club set a new “Irish” record for the half- marathon, placing 6th in 1:00:49. Meb Keflezighi was 15th, nursing what trainer Andrew Kastor called a “niggling” in his right knee.

Ryan Hall faded from the lead pack after the first five miles and ended the day a respectable 21st in 1:30:53.

“Obviously I wasn’t on today,” Hall told Universal Sports. “I was a little  flat. Everything I’ve been doing is geared toward the marathon, so I didn’t really get the turnover going.”

On the other side of the country, the weather was rainy for Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon. Amy Hastings of the Mammoth Track Club ran an attention-getting marathon debut, placing 2nd in the women’s division (and 18th overall) with a 2:27:03, just 29 seconds behind the top women’s finisher, Buzunesh Deba.

Hastings later told KTLA TV it was “painful,” saying the first 18 miles felt “really good.” By mile 19 she started hurting, but “worked through it.” As to the rain, Hastings said she didn’t mind it. “I knew it was snowing in Mammoth, so I had a feeling it could be really rainy here. I’m okay with that.”

Local athlete Hilda Adler also had a great day in LA, placing 3rd in her age group running 4:14. –Sheet Staff