USATF Utah athletes turned in an impressive performance at the 2026 USATF Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held July 16-19 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The championships, which attracted 1,719 athletes from all 50 states, were significantly impacted by poor air quality caused by the Canadian wildfires. Originally scheduled as a four-day meet, the competition was effectively condensed into two days as organizers moved some events to the adjacent indoor track, revised the competition schedule, and canceled others due to unsafe air quality. Despite the challenging conditions, three (3) USATF Utah athletes combined to compete in six (6) events at the national championships.
Leading the way for Utah was Jared Murphy (Run Elite Program), who captured two national titles by winning the M30-34 5000m in 16:38.50 and the 3000m Steeplechase in 11:11.52. Murphy also added a sixth-place finish in the 800m.
Joining Murphy atop the podium was Jamie West (Unattached), who won the W40-44 80m Hurdles national championship in 12.82.
Rod Thompson (Unattached) added two podium finishes, earning a silver medal in the M75-79 5000m and a bronze medal in the 800m.
The complete Utah results scoreboard can be found here. Next year's championships will be held July 22-25 in Ames, Iowa.