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Heath, Grace take Grand Blue Mile

Sports

April 24th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Garrett Heath and Kate Grace each set course records in winning the Grand Blue Mile race in downtown Des Moines on Tuesday night.  Heath, a former All-American at Stanford, crossed in 4:02.79 to claim the $5,000 purse and an extra $2,500 for setting a new course mark. Grace, a U.S. Olympic Trials semifinalist, also won $7,500 for her efforts.

Heath topped a field that included 2012 London Olympics 1,500-meter silver medalist Leo Manzano, who finished third. Grace beat two-time race champion Sara Hall by less than a second. The fourth annual Grand Blue Mile was connected to this weekend’s Drake Relays. Many of Tuesday night’s runners are expected to also compete at Drake Stadium.