Winona native wins Twins Cities 1-mile road race
MINNEAPOLIS – Garrett Heath has run all over the world.
Thursday night, the 29-year-old found himself back home in Minnesota.
The Winona, Minn., native was in Minneapolis running, and winning the USA Track and Field 1-Mile Road Championships.
Heath, a nine-time All-American and distance medley relay NCAA champion (2007), now running professionally for Brooks, won in 4 minutes, 8.3 seconds. He blew away the competition down the stretch with a kick that’s second to none in the world. Second place was over a second behind (Jeff See, 4:09.4).
“I’ve always made a point of coming back to Minnesota as much as I can,” Heath told the Pioneer Press. “There is something about racing in the Midwest and Minnesota. It’s nostalgic and fun to be back there.”
Heath (pictured above with women’s winner, Heather Kampf) is seeking his second national title in three seasons. Two years ago, Heath would have broken the all-time record at the event with a 3:57.1. Instead, he finished second, and second all-time, behind Olympic Silver Medalist, Nick Willis, a New Zealand runner who finished in 3:56.1.
Heath went on to win another 1-miler that season in Des Moines, Iowa, overtaking Olympic silver medalist, Leo Manzano, helping him win the national title.
Last year, the event in Minneapolis was cancelled due to weather. Heath did finish second in two USATF 1-mile Running Circuit events in 2014.
At Winona Senior High School, Heath won eighth state titles. He was the 2003 and 2004 state champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in track. He finished with two cross-country championships his junior and senior seasons. And, he also won state twice in Nordic Skiing.
Heath also was a Top-10 finisher in the Footlocker National Championships both junior and senior year and competed in the Olympic Trials in 2012.
Thursday, he came away with $5,000 for winning. Had he broken Willis’ record from the year prior, it would have earned him a $10,000 bonus.
You can re-watch the race clicking here.
Follow Heath on Twitter here.