By David Rogers. KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Make it two weeks in a row that husband and wife Andrew and Tristin Colley swept the men’s and women’ divisions of the 35th annual Ballad Health and Niswonger Children’s Hospital “Crazy 8s” 8K run. Almost 2,000 athletes competed in the hot and muggy conditions.
Both of the Colleys are members of the Blowing Rock-based ZAP Endurance elite distance running team and they were all smiles after back-to-back winning sweeps, having also won a week earlier in the Cook Medical “Beat the Heat Elite 5K” in Winston-Salem.
ZAP’s Party Central
For ZAP Endurance, the finish line was party central of sorts. Teammate Ryan Ford also had a podium finish at No. 3 (23:14), and middle distance specialist Dan Schaffer crossed the line at No. 5 (23:42).
Tristin Colley was the No. 1 female finisher (26:37) and No. 10 overall. Teammate Annmarie Tuxbury was No. 23 (28:28).
The course started at the intersection of Fort Henry Drive and Legion Dr., and finished with a 100-yard sprint down the center of the Dobyns Bennett High School football field, in Fred Johnson Stadium.
Among other area runners competing in the event, App State cross country and track standout, Emma Russum — now living in Boone but a graduate of Dobyns Bennett High School, — was the runner-up to Tristin Colley in the women’s division and No. 18 overall (28.18). A transfer from UT-Chattanooga to App State for her senior year, Russum was named the Sun Belt Conference “Newcomer of the Year” in track and field, winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase crown and one of 10 Mountaineers to earn all-conference honors.
Pacing
Andrew Colley led the Crazy 8s race early, but broke free from the pack after two miles, clicking off each mile at about a 4:33 pace the rest of the way. For his winning effort (22:36), Colley picked up the winner’s check of $2,000, bettering his runner-up finish time from a year ago.
This year, the runner-up was North Carolina’s Graydon Morris almost half a minute later (23:02).
As the No. 1 women’s finisher in a personal best for the 8K distance (26:37), Tristin Colley also picked up a check for $2,000.
