After 12 consecutive days of rain, April 1 dawned rainy and breezy, just in time for the IAAF World Cup Race Walk Trials in Eugene, Ore.

Maine Race Walkers, Abby Dunn and Nicole Court-Menendez, toed the line at 7:02 a.m. with a berth on the World Cup Team on the line. With a goal of 53 minutes for the 10 kilometers on a 1K loop road course, the walkers took off into the steady rain.

Dunn settled in at 5:15/K pace and knew that she had to remain consistent in order to reach the time she needed. She also knew that to do that would require a personal best bytwo minutes. As the laps went by she remained steadily on track, achieving a 10K time of 53:04.1, a new PR by 1:56, finishing second. 

It punched Dunn’s ticket to Saransk, Russia, where the IAAF World Cup will be contested on May 12 and 13.

Court-Menendez Nicole set off at an aggressive 5:40 pace, which was what she needed to hit to qualify for Junior Nationals. She maintained a steady pace hitting 5K only 10 seconds off her 5K PR but with half a race still to go.

At 6K it looked like she was in trouble with stomach distress and vomiting, but after one slow lap she was able to get herself back together and finish the race in 58:44.9. The effort was ggood for a berth at nationals, a PR by 2:53 and a fourth-place finish. Court-Menendez’s time was not fast enough to qualify for the World Cup team, but the speed and determination with which she walked bodes well for the rest of the season.

The next event for the team, other than the start of the high school outdoor track season, will be the Penn Relays on April 28.

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