NEW YORK CITY, October 31 — Rachael Rudel capped off her impressive season, while NCAA standout Habtom Samuel showcased a remarkable transition to the professional ranks at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, organized by New York Road Runners. This event took place the day before the NYC Marathon and concluded on the same Central Park finish line. Both athletes secured $6,000 for their victories.
Men’s Race Highlights
The men’s race commenced first from the United Nations in a cool, windy morning at 50F (10C). Samuel, representing Eritrea, and defending champion Amon Kemboi, who previously ran for Kenya but is now a U.S. citizen, quickly positioned themselves at the front of the ten-man pack along 42nd Street. As they approached the mile mark and turned onto 6th Avenue, Samuel surged briefly, but the group soon regrouped.
Racing became intense upon entering Central Park at around the two-mile mark. Samuel made a decisive move that effectively stretched the field. “I tried to make it an honest race, but it was really windy,” Samuel reflected, noting his original goal was a time of 13:10, which would have beaten the course record of 13:23.5. “It didn’t go as I planned, so I changed my plan, [and decided] OK, let me just think about the win only.”
Samuel ran without any challengers during the hilly final mile, finishing with a time of 13:31. He was followed by Edwin Kurgat of Kenya at 13:38, Kemboi at 13:40, and Australians Jackson Sharp and Morgan McDonald, who finished in 13:41 and 13:46, respectively.
“When I made the move I didn’t know who was following me and we had a long way to go, but I wasn’t doubting myself,” Samuel shared. He previously won five NCAA titles in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track for New Mexico before turning professional this summer. “I wanted to make it hard. I knew they were following me, so I just pushed more and more.”
After graduating from New Mexico in December, Samuel plans to relocate to Flagstaff, Arizona, to train full-time with the Hoka NAZ Elite team. His professional career has started strong, with victories at the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine and the Falmouth Road Race 7M in Massachusetts in August.
Women’s Race Overview
Five minutes after the men’s race, the women’s competition began, following a similar pattern. A tightly packed group of nine runners established their rhythm in the early stages, with Josette Andrews taking the lead.
“I didn’t really want to push it hard too hard. I just wanted to run with the pack,” Andrews said. She had returned to racing in September after battling various injuries earlier in the year, achieving a commendable second-place finish in the 5th Avenue Mile. “I know people have said that the race really takes off in that last mile once we turn into Central Park.”
As anticipated, the pace accelerated during the final mile climb to the finish. Andrews held her position at the front, with Rudel, Ednah Kurgat, Bailey Hertenstein, and Kenyan Hilda Olemomoi still in contention.
“I heard everyone’s breath get a lot heavier. And… that’s when it’s time to go,” Rudel recalled. “At 800 [to go] I was like, ‘Rachael, you only have two laps left on the track. Just black out and go, you have no excuse.’”
Her final push proved unstoppable, as she crossed the finish line—marked by a costumed Cookie Monster mascot in a fitting Halloween theme—in 15:35.
“I’m very strong with hills. I don’t do very well with flat courses,” she noted. “I like something that has hazards, give me a lot of sharp hills. So we knew getting into the park after mile 2, that was when I would have my advantage.”
Andrews finished second at 15:41, just ahead of Kurgat at 15:42, while Hertenstein and Olemomoi rounded out the top five with times of 15:46 and 15:47, respectively.
Rudel’s Journey Back to Running
The 32-year-old Rudel was the Mountain West 10,000 champion for Colorado State back in 2014. However, she faced challenges with illness, injuries, and eating disorders for nearly a decade before returning to serious running a few years ago. Last winter, she began training with new coaches, David and Megan Roche, and the outcomes have been remarkable.
Rudel, based in Denver, Colorado, has had a successful 2026 road racing season that included victories at the USATF 20K Championships in September, earning her a spot on Team USA for the 2027 World Road Running Championships in Yangzhou, China, and at the Boston 10K for Women in October, clocking an impressive 31:12.
While her training volume has increased under the Roches—she previously ran just three days a week alongside cross-training—she credits their emotional support as crucial to her success.
“I’ve built up the aerobic base. So physically they have been helping me a ton, but it’s more the mental side,” she explained. “Running is mental and you need to have unconditional love and support which are helping build you up into something great.… It really was the mental change that happened this year. I took 8 years off to just figure out my stuff and figure out how to learn to love running again.”
DASH TO THE FINISH LINE 5K MEN’S RESULTS
1. Habtom Samuel (Eri) 13:31; 2. Edwin Kurgat (Ken) 13:38; 3. Amon Kemboi (Ken) 13:40; 4. Jackson Sharp (Aus) 13:41; 5. Morgan McDonald (Aus) 13:46; 6. Anthony Camerieri (US) 13:46; 7. Bob Liking (US) 13:47; 8. Reid Buchanan (US) 13:49.
DASH TO THE FINISH LINE 5K WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Rachael Rudel (US) 15:35; 2. Josette Andrews (US) 15:41; 3. Ednah Kurgat (US) 15:42; 4. Bailey Hertenstein (US) 15:46; 5. Hilda Olemomoi (Ken) 15:47; 6. Madie Boreman (US) 15:50; 7. Annie Rodenfels (US) 16:03; 8. Ella Donaghu (US) 16:09.