Allyson Felix wins U.S. title at 100 meters

Reporting from Des Moines, Iowa – Allyson Felix long ago proved she can run like the wind, even if it takes her awhile to get underway.

In winning three world titles and two Olympic silver medals at 200 meters, Felix has used the strength needed for the longer sprints to overcome her notoriously slow starts.

Friday, that strength was a key to Felix’s first U.S. title in the 100, allowing her to fight through a headwind of 5.6 mph at Drake Stadium.

“I haven’t trained for the 100 this year,” said Felix, who will spend the rest of the season running 200s and 400s.

So this became an unexpected victory for Felix, who is using this meet to get in some speed work and “have some fun doing it.”

The only bad part was the wind kept the runners from being very speedy. Felix won in 11.27 seconds. LaShaunte’a Moore was second at 11.34.

“I don’t want to run races at 11.2,” Felix said, laughing. “That doesn’t sound too good.”

Felix, 24, of Valencia, has run the 100 at four consecutive nationals, with fourth place her best previous result. Friday’s field was missing the top three finishers from last year, when she failed to make the final.

“Obviously, there are a lot of people who aren’t here,” Felix said. “You have to take it all in stride.”

With an injured Tyson Gay absent, Walter Dix was an easy winner in the men’s 100, clocking 10.04 into a 3.4-mph headwind to beat Trell Krimmons by 0.23 of a second. It was the first U.S. 100 title for Dix, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 100 and 200.

The most impressive performance of the meet so far came from an unlikely event: the women’s javelin.

Kara Patterson recently told her hometown paper in Vancouver, Wash, “It’s important for me, for America, to be put on the map in javelin throwing.”

Patterson called what she did Friday “a good step in the right direction.”

A U.S. record throw of 218 feet 9 inches made her the fourth-best performer in the world this year and the 13th-best in the 11 years since the javelin was re-engineered, reducing the length of throws.

Patterson, 24, won a second consecutive U.S. title. She broke Kim Kreiner’s 3-year-old national record by 8 feet 2 inches, earning a $25,000 bonus from Asics, Patterson’s shoe and apparel sponsor.

U.S. women have disappeared from the javelin landscape since Kate Schmidt won Olympic bronze medals in 1972 and 1976.

Patterson hoped Friday’s throw would gain her entry into the top meets on the European circuit.

“I have been trying to force my way into those meets with a bigger mark,” she said.

phersh@tribune.com