Werner will compete for first time since February in loaded 1,500-meter field in Nashville that also includes McGee, Coburn, Ngarambe and Monson; Brown, Edwards, Fray and Watson lead women’s 800, with On Athletics Club trio of Hoare, Klecker and Villarreal making pro 1,500 debuts against Willis, McDonald

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Taylor Werner continues to remain hopeful that she will wear an Arkansas kit again and have the opportunity to compete at another NCAA Division 1 final.

Until then, the All-American and member of each championship lineup during the Razorbacks’ 2019 calendar-year triple crown of indoor track, outdoor track and cross country national titles will cherish opportunities like the one presented to her Saturday when she is scheduled to compete unattached against an elite professional field in the 1,500 meters at the 18th annual Music City Distance Carnival at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tenn.

The event begins at 5:15 p.m. CDT, with 13 Masters and elite races on the schedule, before the meet concludes after 10 p.m. CDT with a pair of high school 3,200-meter competitions.

In order for Masters and elite athletes to be allowed to compete, they must have proof of two negative COVID-19 test results since Aug. 8, with the tests taken more than 24 hours apart. 

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Since helping Arkansas capture its first women’s cross country championship Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind., the 22-year-old Werner has raced only twice, both as a redshirt athlete during the indoor season, running personal bests in the 5,000 in December at Boston University followed by the 3,000 in February at the NYRR Millrose Games.

With the outdoor season canceled by the NCAA and Werner already exhausting all her cross country eligibility – although the Division 1 fall championships were also canceled Thursday by the NCAA – she didn’t want to endure the remainder of the year without another opportunity to race.

“I’m so grateful to get to compete against anybody, especially elite athletes. The fact that all these races have been against elite competition has kept me focused, that’s for sure. It’s a great motivator, and if I have a good mindset, I know it’ll bring the best out of me,” said Werner, who hasn’t competed in the 1,500 since last year’s Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships.

“I’m excited to measure my fitness as a result of the race on Saturday. It’s been a while, so I’m antsy to get on that starting line and learn from the best.”

Although Werner boasts a 1,500 personal best of 4:17.79 achieved at last year’s Bryan Clay Invitational, along with a mile personal best of 4:39.52 from 2018, she has been focusing her training in recent months during the Coronavirus pandemic on improving her middle-distance turnover.

Werner will get a true assessment of both her fitness and speed competing against a field that includes eight athletes with sub-4:10 PRs, highlighted by Atlanta Track Club athlete and Swedish standout Yolanda Ngarambe at 4:03.43, along with American athletes Cory McGee – the world outdoor leader this year in the mile at 4:21.81 – and Emma Coburn representing Team Boss, along with Katie Mackey, Emily Lipari and Lauren Johnson. Coburn set the meet record last year, clocking 4:05.24.

“Since I started college, I haven’t really had the chance to improve upon my inner miler, that I may or may not have, and when everything got canceled, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new,” Werner said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to race this summer if I’m being honest. Because of this, I had settled to do a couple of solo time trials. I knew that with the Midwest heat and humidity combo, training by myself was going to be difficult. So shorter, quicker reps milers tend to do seemed like my best option. Plus, I’ve done so much base work, and 5K and 10K work that doing something new was exciting for me.

“I did a time trial a little over a month ago and it went really well. It was around the time I found out about these races, so I thought, ‘why not try and run a 1500?’ I had no idea who was going to race, what the pacing would be, or really anything about it, but now that I know I’m super pumped. It’s crazy I get the opportunity to compete with such an amazing field of women.”

The elite section of the women’s 1,500 also includes former Wisconsin standout Alicia Monson, making her professional debut for the Colorado-based On Athletics Club coached by Dathan Ritzenhein.

Werner competed Feb. 8 against Monson in the 3,000 at the NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory in New York, her last race before Saturday. Werner was the top collegiate athlete in the field, placing fourth in 8:51.91, with Monson – last year’s winner – finishing sixth in 8:53.69 and New Mexico’s Weini Kelati placing seventh in 8:54.66.

“I feel as if every athlete is somewhat in the same boat as me. It wasn’t the plan to race this minimally, but again I’m just glad to be healthy,” said Werner, who won the Sharon Colyear-Danville season opener Dec. 7 by clocking 15:11.19 in the 5,000 to elevate to the No. 13 indoor performer in American history.

“Honestly, I’ve had a lot of fun doing new training, and doing workouts without the pressure of racing all the time. I could schedule my weeks 100 percent based on when it was convenient and best for me, it was so nice. If I felt bad or was traveling on Tuesday, I’d just do the workout Wednesday. I’ve never been able to train completely based off myself, so that made it more enjoyable and stress-free.”

Werner is one of several collegiate athletes competing unattached at the deepest distance showcase at an outdoor meet so far in the United States this year.

Gabrielle Jennings of Furman and Elly Henes of North Carolina State are scheduled to race in the second section of the 1,500, with Georgia standout Jessica Drop in the women’s 5,000.

Furman’s Ryan Adams is expected to compete in the second section of the men’s 1,500, Kasey Knevelbaard of Florida State is entered in the men’s mile and Athanas Kioko of Campbell was a late addition to the men’s 5,000.

“I’m so blessed to have stayed healthy, and be in an area that has great running access in the midst of the virus. So I’d say I’m happy with where I’m at, and I feel very lucky to have the resources I do. At the end of the day, this is all just fun for me, and I’m glad I was able to stay motivated and driven enough to train until a race popped up,” Werner said. “I mean it’s hard to say where I’m at, but I’ve worked really hard, so I can’t complain I guess. The time trial I did helped, but I know things are a bit different when you’re in a race environment with people around. It’s definitely different, too, because normally I have my teammates around me or in front of me to help ensure my effort and level of work, if that makes sense. Not having anybody has made it challenging, but it’s helped me dig deep here and there and gain some mental strength.”

Werner has also explored the possibility of also racing the 1,500 again Aug. 22 at the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, but will wait until the outcome of the Music City Distance Carnival race to evaluate her fitness and make a decision.

“If for some reason this Saturday doesn’t go well or I feel ready to hang up the spikes for the rest of the summer, I may forgo it, but I feel the need to race another just to keep me hungry all fall,” Werner said. “It’s been a lot easier to stay motivated simply because I can see results week by week, and it’s a new type of training that I can’t anticipate how it’ll feel or how it’ll go, makes things a bit more exciting.

“I will say though, I’m very anxious to do training where I have somebody timing me and having people around. It makes it a lot easier to get out of your head when you’re not alone on the track.”

During a summer that has seen several time trials and intimate pop-up meets with smaller fields throughout the country, the races at Lipscomb Academy are loaded with talent from many professional groups, many making their outdoor season debuts.

The women’s 800 is highlighted by HOKA ONE ONE athlete Ce’Aira Brown and adidas professionals Kaela Edwards and Sammy Watson, along with Jamaican talent and Texas A&M graduate Jazmine Fray – the reigning Division 1 outdoor champion representing District Track Club – as well as British standout Hannah Segrave.

The women’s 5,000 features Hansons-Brooks athletes Natosha Rogers, Anne-Marie Blaney and Olivia Pratt, along with Saucony’s Sara Sutherland and Team Boss member Maddie Alm.

The top event on the men’s schedule is also the 1,500, with the pro debut of On Athletics Club athletes Joe Klecker of Colorado, Oliver Hoare of Wisconsin and Carlos Villarreal of Arizona. Tracksmith’s Nick Willis, representing New Zealand, and Australia’s Morgan McDonald of Team Boss are also in the field, along with adidas professional Sam Prakel.

The men’s 800 includes former UTEP star and Division 1 champion Michael Saruni, representing Kenya, in addition to District Track Club teammates Alex Amankwah of Ghana and Edose Ibadin of Nigeria.

The men’s mile is expected to showcase Robert Domanic of Reebok Boston Track Club competing against Brandon Lasater of Atlanta Track Club, as well as Jacob Dumford of District Track Club and Eric Holt.

And the men’s 5,000 includes Americans Joe Stilin, Reed Fischer, Mason Ferlic, Zach Panning, Girma Mecheso and Mark Parrish, in addition to Canada’s Ben Flanagan and Farah Abdulkarim.