Making his way through the streets of New Haven with his gracefully powerful strides, Brett Gotcher could barely believe his good fortune as he moved tantalizingly closer to the biggest victory of his blossoming running career.

The pretenders to the crown were languishing behind, leaving Gotcher to battle it out with Mohamed Trafeh and Jason Lehmkuhle for the title at the 2009 New Haven Road Race, which doubles as the U.S. 20-kilometer national championship.

Content to let others set the pace, Gotcher bided his time before making the decisive move that not only made him a national champion, but also made him a major player in the road racing circuit. When he crossed the finish line in 58 minutes and 57 seconds, a mere 4 seconds ahead of Trafeh, the Stanford graduate could barely comprehend the magnitude of his achievement.

As Gotcher heads to New Haven to defend his title on Monday, the 12 months have allowed him to get a sense of perspective of what it was he accomplished on Labor Day 2009.