Jeremy Bahr-Worley (left) and Shawn Magee (right) competed in a racewalk for the first time this season. With his finish, Bahr-Worley qualified for the NAIA national championships.
Concordia Racewalkers Open Season at USATF World Cup Qualifier
EUGENE, Ore.- Concordia University’s racewalk program received national recognition last Sunday as Jeremy Bahr-Worley and Shawn Magee competed in the USATF World Cup Racewalk 20-kilometer qualifier. The competition featured the United States’ best 20k walkers all racing for a birth to compete in the IAAF World Racewalking Cup held May 10-11 in Cheboksary, Russia.
The Concordia duo were invited to compete in their first 20k event from the local USATF Racewalk Chair Jim Bean based on their merits from last season’s results at the NAIA national championships where Bahr-Worley finished ninth overall and Magee finished 11th overall in the 5,000-meter competition in Fresno, Calif. The athletes were both attempting their first 20k competition as the standard distance for racewalking at the NAIA level is 5k for men.
The duo battled through tough, cold conditions and a fast field. The pair traded pacing duties for the first 5,000 meters and then Bahr-Worley raced ahead as Magee succumbed to a lingering knee ailment that forced him to withdrawal from the competition after 12 kilometers. While they both walked under the provisional “B” standard in the 5,000 for Nationals (28:54), only Bahr-Worley’s mark of 28:22 was allowed because he finished the entire distance.
The duo received high praise from the fellow competitors and judges after their first crack at the grueling distance. Former NAIA four-time national racewalk champion and two-time Olympic Team member Tim Seamon spoke with both walkers before, during and after the competition, praising their efforts on such a big stage in their first attempt at the 20k distance.
“These guys look really good,” said Seaman, “I look forward to seeing big things from them if they keep up their great efforts in the next few years.”
In a 10th-place result, Bahr-Worley finished with an average pace of 9:51 per mile to cross the line in 2:02:22, just two seconds shy of the NAIA “A” qualifying standard.
Both walkers are looking to improve their 5,000 times and national rankings in their next competition at the Pacific Northwest Track and Field Master’s Racewalk Competition on April 26th in Seattle, Wash.
For more results from this event please visit the event website at: http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/USATeamTrials-IAAFWorldRWCup/