Nobody had her on the list of favorites. But on a soaked track in Riverton on Saturday night, Mira Castellanos broke away from the field with 400 meters to go and won the women’s 5,000 meters at the national athletics championships in 15 minutes 31.40 seconds.
The 23-year-old from Cedar Falls, who works part-time in a sports shop and trains in the evenings, started the race ranked ninth of 14 runners. She crossed the line with her arms spread wide and rain streaming down her face, more than two seconds ahead of defending champion Sofia Lund.
A race for the brave
Heavy rain had been falling for an hour before the start, with puddles forming on the inside lane and the temperature barely above 10 degrees. The pace was slow and tactical for the first three kilometers as the favorites watched each other.
Castellanos sat near the back, staying out of trouble. With two laps left she moved up to third, and at the bell she went.
I thought, everyone is cold and tired, so am I, but I want it more. I just did not look back until the last bend.
Mira Castellanos, national 5,000 meters champion
Lund tried to close the gap down the final straight but could not. Hanna Bergström of Northvale took bronze.
From the club track to the podium
Castellanos only started running seriously at 18, after years of playing football. Her coach, a retired teacher who runs a small club in Cedar Falls, has guided her from the start.
She is the most stubborn athlete I have ever coached. In weather like this, stubborn wins.
Paul Reinhardt, coach at Cedar Falls Athletics Club
It was the slowest winning time in a decade, but no one in the stadium seemed to care. Hundreds of fans who had stayed in the stands under umbrellas rose to applaud as she ran a lap of honor wrapped in her club’s flag.
What’s next
The win earns Castellanos a place on the national team for the cross-country season this winter and, according to the athletics federation, a year of funding support. “Maybe now I can cut my hours at the shop,” she said, laughing.
Comments 2
A part-time job and still national champion. I hope she gets the support she deserves now.
Watched it from the stands, soaked to the bone. Best race of the championships by far.