PIERCE AIMING TO REGAIN B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE CROWN

By Chris Lotsbom

(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

BOSTON (16-Apr) -- Anna Pierce is back in New England, ready to add another B.A.A. Invitational Mile trophy to her collection tomorrow.  The 27-year-old grew up in Maine and attended Brown University prior to transferring to the University of Michigan where she blossomed into a champion steeplechaser.

Racing for the first time since August of last year, Pierce will be trying to recapture the B.A.A. Mile title, one she gave up in 2010 to Mammoth Track Club teammate and training partner Morgan Uceny.  

Pierce decided to skip the 2011 indoor season after getting sick multiple times over a two month span, possibly due to the consistent bad weather in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.  Instead, Pierce and coach Terrence Mahon decided to focus on the longer term goal: the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.  

"I feel like I'm definitely ready," said Pierce, sporting a new bright pink hairstyle. "I'm really excited to race out there." 

The course record holder for the event, Pierce remembers the unique mile course from two years ago.  Racing three loops of a city block, Pierce and the other five entrants have to deal with four 90-degree turns.  The course reminds Pierce of an indoor track more than anything, where spectators are very close to the action.

"I thought [the race] had really great energy, which I really liked.  It's more like in indoor where you have people on the inside and outside of the track." 

Pierce was motivated by the crowd, which lined both Boylston and Newbury Street to see her run.  

"I expected going around the block that when you get on the other side of the building, there would be nobody there," she described.  "I actually got to the other side of the block and people were going nuts. So I thought the energy was really, really good."  

Pierce won't be the only Mammoth Track Club member competing on Sunday.  Her husband, Jon, will be racing in the B.A.A. 5-K, as will recent Honda LA Marathon second place finisher Amy Hastings.

Alistair Cragg, the Irishman who is also part of the Mammoth Track Club, is debuting in the marathon on Monday.