Herazo wins national title

Carson City's Victoria Herazo added another national championship to her long list of U.S. titles.

Herazo was the overall women's winner at the John Deere Health USATF Open/Masters 5K Racewalk Championships held on Saturday in Kingsport, Tenn. Herazo, whose goal is to qualify for the 2004 Olympics, won her 28th national title and her fifth in eight tries in Kingston.

Herazo set a new course record and a new masters record in winning in 24 minutes, 47 seconds. She easily outdistanced Cheryl Rellinger, who placed second in 26.06. Rellinger started out strong, but couldn't keep up with Herazo.

"The main thing is to stay with her," said the 42-year-old Herazo about Rellinger to the Kingsport Times News. "When she finally started slowing down I just kept going."

Herazo, a UNLV graduate student, was also a 1996 Olympian. "I need to get a little bit faster, but I haven't done a lot of speed work lately," Herazo told the Times News. "I'd be 45 at the next Olympics, so that would probably be my last. But it would be a good way to go out."

Rellinger, 35, last beat Herazo at the World Masters 5K Championships in July in Australia.