She won the Bluegrass 10,000. What's next for former UK standout?
Former University of Kentucky track and field and cross country star Katy Kunc kicked off her post-college racing career in a big way on Wednesday, winning the female division of the 42nd annual Bluegrass 10,000.
This was the first time Kunc, who grew up in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., competed in the race and she finished the 10-kilometer course with a time of 35 minutes, 52 seconds, coming in 12th overall. She finished 44 seconds ahead of Caitlin Phillips, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Kunc just wrapped up her UK career in early June at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oregon where she placed 12th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She entered Wednesday's race with one goal in mind.
"I definitely wanted to be the first girl to cross the finish line," she said.
So how did she make it happen?
"I just kept my eye on the girl that was a little bit ahead of me starting out and every mile tried to get closer and closer," said Kunc. "Then finally when I passed her I just tried to keep a good pace then I found groups ahead of me to run with and guys to chase down."
Kunc took the lead for good heading away from downtown on Richmond Road, near the race's halfway point. After making the turn to come back toward downtown Kunc said the throng of spectators that lined the street, growing bigger and rowdier the nearer she got to the finish line, pushed her to close strong.
"All of the cheering gave me goose bumps the last couple miles," she said. "That was really great motivation and it made the last couple of miles really fun."
Kunc said that coming out of high school she wanted to compete for a program in the Southeastern Conference. When former UK track and field and cross country coach Edrick Floreal offered her a scholarship she jumped at the opportunity. Kunc was the SEC champion in the 3K steeplechase in 2017 and was a Second-Team All-American in the event the past two seasons. She earned First-Team All-America honors in cross country in 2016.
Kunc plans to stay involved with racing as she continues her post-UK education. She graduated with a degree in economics and marketing and is looking for a graduate assistant coaching position with the track team at a school that offers a masters in marketing. She also plans to start training for some half-marathons soon.
"I'm still figuring things out but I'm definitely going to keep racing," she said.
Top female finishers
1. Katy Kunc, 35:52
2. Caitlin Phillips, 36:36
3. Camilla Whishaw, 36:47
4. Varinka Ensminger, 39:05
5. Alexa Lua, 39:20
This story was originally published July 4, 2018 at 11:51 AM.