ZAP-Reebok athletes Josh Izewski and Joe Stilin both raced to top 10 finishes this past weekend at the Crazy 8’s 8k road race in Bristol, TN. For both athletes it was their first time racing Crazy 8’s, which up until 2016 was the long time home of the men’s 8k world record. Izewski was running his first race since May’s Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Stilin was coming in on the heels of an 11th place finish at the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th.
The opening mile of the race was characteristically quick and Stilin was embedded in the lead pack while Izewski found himself back in 20th place. As the race progressed Izewski steadily made his way through the field, moving up to the top 10 by halfway and continuing to move past runners through the 2nd half. Stilin maintained his position inside the top 10 throughout the race and finished 8th in a time of 23:54. Izewski worked his way up to 4th place to secure his spot as the highest US finisher in 20 years, a distinction he took from teammate Matt McClintock after his 5th place finish last year, in a time of 23:38.
Stilin and Izewski will both be back in action July 28th at the Bix 7 Mile Road Race in Davenport, Iowa alongside teammates Andrew Colley, Nicole DiMercurio, and Joanna Thompson.