Elite Fields Announced for Men's 800m Run and Women's Steeplechase
Local products and international contenders to hit the Blue Oval
DES MOINES, Iowa – With exactly two weeks until the action starts in Drake Stadium, the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom announced its lineups for the men's 800m and women's 3,000m steeplechase.
Both fields include over 20 combined world-class athletes who have competed for regional, national, and global championships on multiple occasions.
"These first two fields are emblematic of the nature of the 2024 Drake Relays," Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon said. "The world's greatest athletes come to Drake Stadium each year and each year Iowans are presented with a chance to shine alongside them. Drake Relays fans love it most when Iowans distinguish themselves as world class as a result of their performances on the Blue Oval."
The men's 800-meter is highlighted by one of the fastest men on the planet, Emmanuel Korir. The Kenyan middle-distance runner boasts an 800m personal best of 1:42.05 which he ran in 2018. That mark still holds as the sixth-fastest time in history. Korir owns an Olympic title in the 800 as he took gold at the 2021 Tokyo games and more recently earned a World Championship in 2022. The former UTEP standout will look to stave off a fierce field of contenders.
The 800m challengers include a talented group of professionals and local products. Former Drake University All-American and recent World Champion Adam Fogg will lace up his spikes with sights set on an upset. Isaac Basten, a current Drake student-athlete, will join his fellow Bulldog in this elite field and will look to build upon an already decorated career consisting of an NCAA national runner-up finish, a half dozen Missouri Valley Conference crowns, and three different school records.
Iowa State University will also provide a trio of local runners in recent alumnus Jason Gomez, a two-time All-American, Darius Kipyego, this season's sixth-place finisher at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and Finley McLear, a two-time NCAA podium finisher and 800m All-American.
1,000-meter American indoor record holder Shane Streich, who will also compete in the USATF 1 Mile race earlier in the week, adds to the intrigue with his impressive resume. He finished seventh In the U.S. Road Mile during last year's Relays festivities and was a 2021 outdoor All-American while competing at Lipscomb University. Streich will be joined by other adversaries including Wes Ferguson, a four-time NCAA Division II 800 champion, and Mikuto Kaneko, a Japanese national champion.
"We simply cannot wait for this race," Boldon said. "The local underdogs and fan favorites will get their chance to make history against one of the greatest 800-meter runners in the world. This will undoubtedly be one minute and forty-five seconds that local sports fans won't want to miss."
The field for the women's elite steeplechase will feature another strong group of athletes vying for Olympic qualification.
Lizzie Bird of Great Britain highlights a diverse field with multiple international competitors. She holds the British national record of 9:07.87 and leads the charge of competitors aiming for the Paris Olympic standard (9:23.00). Bird was an Olympic finalist at the 2021 Tokyo games where she finished ninth before earning bronze at the 2022 European championships.
Annie Rodenfels is one of several other high-level runners in the 3,000m steeplechase. The Ohio native is just shy of the Olympic standard with a personal record of 9:25.32, a time she posted in 2023. Rodenfels was a seven-time NCAA Division III All-American and two-time national champion at that level. Logan Jolly, another American standout, has had successful runs at the U.S. Championships and PanAm Games and will look to build upon an eighth-place steeplechase finish at the 2023 Drake Relays. The fourth and final sub-9:30.00 steeplechaser is Katie Rainsberger, another contender for the 2024 Drake Relays title. She has previously earned fifth place honors at the 2022 U.S Championships and a silver medal at the NACAC.
A handful of other international participants including NCAA place-winner Pauline Meyer of Germany, 2021 Olympic qualifiers Simone Ponte Ferraz of Brazil and Aneta Konieczek of Poland, Canadian standout Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Indian champion Preeti Lamba, and Kristel van den Berg of the Netherlands.
The talented group is rounded out by Angelina Ellis, a former Big East gold medal winner at Butler, and Colett Rampf, an NCAA Division II superstar.
"This year's women's steeplechase field is another example of the Drake Relays' strong global standing," Boldon added. "These women will put on an elite display of strategy, athleticism, and toughness that distance races of this echelon require."
The women's steeplechase will be one of the final events during Friday Night at the Drake Relays with a start time just before 8 p.m. on April 26. The men's 800m is the last elite event of the 2024 Relays with a start time slated for just after 3:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Saturday, April 27.
