Rancocas Valley graduate Erika Kemp continued her outstanding year on the roads with a 3rd-place finish in the USATF National 5K Championships on Sunday.
Kemp, racing for the Boston Athletic Association, ran 15:46 at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, which also served as the national 5K championship, behind only Weini Kelati, who won in 15:18, and Grace Barnett taking second in 15:45.
Her time is No. 32 in the world this year for a road 5,000, according to the IAAF rankings and is one second off her road PR of 15:45, which she ran in Boston in April 2019.
With the 3rd-place finish, Kemp received 10 USATF Running Circuit points, giving her 56 1/2 with one event remaining, the U.S. Half Marathon Championships , on Dec. 5 in Hardeeville, S.C.. Emily Durgin (49) and Makena Morley (47 1/2) have the next-most points.
A total of $500,000 in prize money goes to the top point male and female point winners at the end of the season. Points are distributed for the top 10 finishers (15, 12, 10, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1], so presumably Kemp would clinch the title by placing in the top three in Hardeeville, because that would give her a minimum of 66 1/2 points and the most Durgin could finish with would be 64 if she wins. That will be her first lifetime half-marathon.
Kemp has been running very consistently this year at a variety of distances that show her tremendous range.
On the track, she ran 4:16.41 for 1,500 meters in New York in May and 15:10.10 for 5,000 meters in Attleboro, Mass., outside Boston, in May, and on the roads in addition to her 15:46 she ran 32:18 for 10K in Northport, N.Y., in September, 50:10 for 15K in Jacksonville in March, 1:06.20 for 20K in New Haven in September and 1:24.01 for 25K in Grand Rapids, Mich., in October.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 