Our own elite runner

02 Monday Mar 2020

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parsons, professional, Tinman Elite, world class

With this post, our very own world-class runner, who grew up in Newark, Del., is officially recognized as a Creek Road Runner.

CRR Sam Parsons, shown here giving his genuine thumbs-up to our association while wearing the classic CRR sweatshirt, is a professional runner with Colorado-based Tinman Elite who has been a force to be reckoned with on the track since his high school days at The Tatnall School. In 2018, he became the first Delaware native to break the coveted 4-minute mark in the mile run.

Past posts have highlighted his rise to the international stage.

Parsons is the son of Newark residents CRR George Parsons and CRR Christina Parsons.

Newark’s own elite “tinman” competes in Doha

29 Sunday Sep 2019

Posted by deshon in Kudos, News, Race Results

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2019, 5000m, Doha, parsons, Qatar, Tin Man Elite, World Track & Field Championships

photo of Sam Parsons competing in Doha, Qatar, among the world’s best

Sam Parsons competes in Doha, Qatar, among the world’s best in one of the 5,000m semifinals.

Newark, Del., native Sam Parsons, son of CRR George Parsons and CRR Christina Parsons, has had quite a running year in 2019, capped off by his competing (for Germany) in the World Track & Field Championships this past weekend in Doha, Qatar.

Competing in the 5,000m race as the German national 3,000m champion (he has dual citizenship), Parsons did not qualify for the final, but he managed to run the 24th best time (13:38.53) at this distance in the semifinals among the world’s elite middle-distance runners, finishing 13th in the second semi, just 13 seconds off of a qualifying time.

With regard to the younger Parsons’ experience at the World Championships, his father noted, “He was [just] happy to be here.” About his son’s finishing 24th overall in an attempt to qualify for the finals, the proud elder Parsons said, “I’ll take it!”

photo of Sam Parsons making eye contact with an Ethiopian competitor

Sam Parsons makes eye contact with a rather surprised Ethiopian competitor at the World Championships in Doha.

On Sept. 8, as a run-up to his trip to Doha, Parsons ran a personal best road mile in the prestigious and nationally televised Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. He led the professional field at the half-mile post (by a wide margin) and collected a $1,000 bonus for having done so, as he had done in 2018 in the same race. Though other runners caught and passed him later in the race, placing him 10th overall, he ran a 3:55.0, smashing his previous best by nearly three seconds and trailing the winner by less than four seconds.

Parsons’ other notable personal bests this calendar year include:

1,500m: 3:37.46 (Portland, Ore., Track Festival, June 9, 2019)
3,000m: 7:44 (IAAF Diamond League, Lucern, July 9, 2019)
5,000m: 13:22 (Payton Jordan Invitational, Palo Alto, May 2, 2019)

Parsons runs for the Boulder, Colo.–based Tinman Elite professional running team. Prior to a successful collegiate running career at North Carolina State, he ran cross country and track in high school locally for The Tatnall School.

Parsons über alles

18 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by deshon in Kudos, News, Race Results, Stories

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3000m, championships, European, german, indoor, parsons

photo of Christina Parsons Sam Parsons, a professional runner from Newark, Del., and son of CRR Christina Parsons and CRR George Parsons, won the 3,000m indoor German National Championship in Leipzig on Saturday. Parsons, who has dual citizenship because of his German-born mother, made the decision last year to compete for her homeland.

The 25-year-old Parsons and another German-American runner, Amos Bartelsmeyer, finished 1-2 and were the only competitors to break eight minutes, Parsons clocking in at 7:53.71.

In a post-race interview, an ecstatic Parsons said, “It was amazing to compete here today. This is something special for me to start for the first time at the German Championships. The people here are so much cooler than in the U.S. The audience loves athletics. Now I am looking forward to running at the European Championships, and I hope to bring home a medal for Germany.”

He later posted, “I wanted to win so badly. I was willing to pour out whatever was necessary to win. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever.”

A Tatnall School and North Carolina State University graduate, Parsons will be off to represent Germany in the European Championships on March 2–3 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Will he be ready? With two Creek Road Runners forming his direct bloodline, we bet he will be. “I’m not afraid of opponents,” he declared.

> See post-race video interview (in German)
> Also see Parsons breaks four-minute mile.

Editor’s Note: Parsons took 12th place in the Euro Championships on March 2.

Turkey Trot 10K, 5K winners

20 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by deshon in Race Results

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10K, 5K, anderson, parsons, repetti, ridge, tague, Turkey Trot

The granddaddy of Newark road racing, the annual Turkey Trot 10K and 5K were contested on Saturday. There were five award winners among the Creek Road Runners.

photo of Christina Parsons photo of Steve Tague In the 10K, CRR Christina Parsons won the 50-54 age group, finishing 40th overall out of 178 runners in 48:36. Parsons margin of victory in her age group was more than seven minutes! CRR Steve Tague, who finished 24th overall, ran a solid 44:37 and took second in the 55-59 age group.

photo of April Anderson In the 5K, the honors go to two 70-and-over seniors, who each won this ever-thinning division. CRR Doug Ridge won in 28:28, and CRR April Anderson won in 42:12 (no doubt walking much of it).