October 27, 1996 

Complete Results

In its fourth and final year as a part of Reebok’s USA Cross Country Grand Prix, the Mayor’s Cup fielded its largest men’s and women’s races to date. The women’s individual race was tight to the wire. Kate Fonshell and Kristin Beaney ran stride for stride until Fonshell took a slight lead with 300m to go, resulting in a first place finish (16:37), a mere two seconds ahead of Beaney (16:39). The men’s race was not as close a contest, as Kenyan Silah Misoi easily pulled ahead of the pack to claim victory and clock the second-fastest time on the course (23:12). Jeff Campbell was runner-up. In the team competition, the Central Mass Striders were victorious for the women with a combined time of 1:29:01. On the men’s side, Team New Balance accepted first place honors (2:00:03). Already a niche sport, cross country on the national level would begin to be further fractured as USA Track & Field elected to create a Fall and Winter national cross country championship. During the next four years, many formerly popular fall events would lose their appeal, but the Mayor’s Cup would fight to be a staple of Autumn cross country racing.

280 male finishers.

154 female finishers.