A cool, overcast sky and devoted fans from California to Florida set the scene for runners to shatter records and expectations at Missouri’s Gans Creek Classic meet, Friday morning.
The previous men’s 8k course record stood at 23:33.5 since 2021. With over 300 runners and 36 teams, the largest men’s race in event history saw that record broken by not one, not two, but the top 15 finishers, including Missouri’s Ryder James, who surprised himself by finishing in 11th place in 23:24.8.
“I’m going to have to re-evaluate my goals now a little bit,” James said after setting a 12-second 8k PB.