U20 Men’s 8K Race

The U20 men’s race arguably had the most dramatic moment of the event. The race began and was well underway with 4-6 athletes jostling for the lead. But as the frontrunners approached the 2KM last loop of the 8KM distance, an incredibly unfortunate shoe malfunction befell De Lange, resulting in his shoe coming apart making it impossible for him to continue until he unlaced and removed it. Losing valuable time and momentum, he was forced to get rid of the shoe and finish the race with one bare foot. De Lange didn’t give up, however he missed a top 10 finish.

Tyle Dozzi won the race, Andrew Alexander placed 2nd and Evan Burke was third, overall. View all the race results here.

A cautionary tale. Lead runner for the Men U20 suffered a complete shoe self-destruction, which cost him a top 10 finish. This Nike shoe came apart 2km from the finish, forcing the runner to take the time to remove it, and run with one bare foot.