NB Games: Erin Donohue and Andy Baddeley return to the Armory

Jan 11, 2010

Erin Donohue returns to the Armory in New York City for the women's mile at the New Balance Games on January 23rd. Erin will be looking to continue her winning streak this year having won the NYRR Midnight Run 4 miles in Central Park on New Year's Eve. Erin who graduated from Haddonfield HS in New Jersey will be on familiar terrain at the Armory having won the Eastern States HS mile on this very track, has since gone on to graduate from the University of North Carolina after a stellar collegiate career and represented the USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Erin moved "home" recently buying a house in New Jersey and is now being coached by the legendary Frank "Gags" Gagliano.

Erin will face stiff competition form Canadian Hilary Stellingwerff now recovered from an achilles tendon injury which thwarted her 2009 season and recent college graduates Nicole Edwards (Canada), Sara Bowman (University of Tennessee), Frances Koons (Villanova) while Marina Muncan (Serbia) another Villanove graduate should not be overlooked.

In the men's mile 2008 champion Andy Baddeley (Great Britain-pictured above), who is reported to be in great form, will face stiff competition from New Zealand Olympian Adrian Blincoe, Neil Speight (Great Britain) who was second last year and they will need to keep an eye on Bobby Curtis (USA), Taylor Milne (Canada) and Garrett Heath (USA) who recently graduated from Stanford University.

That being said, Andy Baddeley has taken a liking to competing, and competing well, in New York for it was only last September that he beat Bernard Lagat in the NYRR 5th Avenue Road Mile.

For sure the Armory will also be buzzing on January 23rd with some 6000 high school students creating a lot of heat on arguably the fastest indoor track in the world.

- Ian Brooks