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Following in the footsteps of fellow Wisconsin Badgers Matt Tegenkamp and Simon Bairu, Chris Solinksy has announced that he will continue to train in Madison, Wisconsin, under University of Wisconsin coach Jerry Schumacher, and will be represented by the KIMbia Athletics management group as he embarks on his professional running career.
On June 8, Solinsky dusted the field in the final 1,000 meters of the 5,000 at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Sacramento, California, and won the race by more than four seconds in 13:35.12. The victory gave Solinsky his fifth NCAA individual title. It was a good weekend for his training group as two days later, Matt Tegenkamp smashed the American two-mile record at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing third overall and running 8:07.07. Both athletes will next compete in the 5,000 at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 22, where the top three runners, provided they have a qualifying time, will be selected to represent the U.S. at the World Track & Field Championships later this summer.
Both athletes feel that their training arrangement is mutually beneficial. "Definitely it's encouraging when [Tegenkamp] goes out and runs the American record," says Solinsky. "We feed off of each other, and it bodes well for both of us when one of us performs well, because we know we're in the same training group and doing the same workouts." Solinsky also explained that the transition to post-collegiate running has been made easier by his training partners having gone through the same process. "It's been amazing because it's taken a lot of stress off of me...It's definitely helped having Matt and Simon around to bounce ideas and questions off of."
Tegenkamp says that he is trying not to overlook anyone—including his training partner—heading into the 5,000 at the USA Championships, but he is also expected to be one of the race favorites, particularly after his record-breaking performance last weekend. While Tegenkamp expected to be ahead of where he was last year at this time, his 8:07.07 in the Prefontaine Classic two-mile was a little better than he expected. "I knew I was fit, I just didn't think that I'd be able to close as hard as I did. I'm not very sharp yet, so just feeling comfortable over the last 1,200 meters and being able to pick it up, that was just surprising."
After the USA Championships, both athletes will head over to KIMbia's summer training base in Teddington, England, just outside of London. While Solinsky's European schedule will depend on how the USA Championship race goes, Tegenkamp is hoping to post a fast time when he races the 5,000 in Lausanne, Switzerland on July 10. "One of the big goals going into [Lausanne] is treating it as, 'I belong on that stage now.' At Pre, I wasn't quite sure where my fitness level was, and I ran a bit tentatively over the last mile. But in [Lausanne] I really need to show that I belong up there... Obviously sub-13's the goal. I'm at that level right now and hopefully the race will be there," says Tegenkamp.
While Solinsky's not talking about sub-13 times just yet, he's confident that he can improve significantly upon his 13:27.94 5,000-meter PR, and at least make it down into the 13:10 to 13:20 range.
Neither runner is looking past the USA Championships, however. "There are eight guys with the [World Championship] 'A' standard," Tegenkamp points out. "I'm sure there will be more [contenders] out there who all want the [World Championship] spots, and only three will go." Regardless of how the race plays out, Tegenkamp is confident that he can contend. "Up until last year, I always was worried that I might not be able to keep up and run the last 400 or 600 meters with anybody, but I think I'm at the point now where I've got the finishing speed to really excel in the championship-style races."
After having a rough race at the USA Championships last year, Solinsky is confident that this year will be different. "Last year, the NCAA [5,000] was definitely the focus of the season," says Solinsky. "This year, the focus for the season has been the U.S. Championships. I used the NCAA meet as another championship meet, to work on the championship racing skills, but the focus has definitely been the U.S. Championships all year. I'm expecting a better result this year and I'm going in feeling a lot better physically and mentally."
Posted by Alison Wade at 1:13 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features | Comments (0)
The most recent episode of ChasingKIMBIA's video blog, "The sky's the limit," is now available at the popular web site, www.chasingkimbia.com. In this episode, the KIMbia contingent visits Tambach Teacher's College, where Richard Kiplagat got his start. They're all forced to give impromptu speeches, and they perform admirably. (Conveniently, site creator Matt Taylor edits out most of his own speech.)
Make sure to read Taylor's "show notes" as well (scroll down the linked page to view them).
Posted by Alison Wade at 12:25 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features, Web Sites, Webcast, Movies and Videos | Comments (0)
In the past 24 hours, we've added three new interviews with diverse subjects. So you don't miss any of them...
Zach Sabatino pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the 2007 USA Cross Country Championships by finishing sixth and qualifying for the teams that will represent the U.S. at the NACAC Championships and IAAF World Cross Country Championships in March.
Joey Keillor is a Minnesotan who has learned some important lessons—and is able to convey them in an entertaining way—about competitive running and life in general. It's too bad he spends much of his time running alone, because he seems to be the type of guy whose company could make the hours of a long run fly by.
Allie Bohannon is an all-around talented athlete who originally hails from Tennessee. Now a redshirt sophomore at UCLA, Bohannon has begun to shine this year. During the 2006 cross country season, she narrowly missed earning an individual qualifying berth for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Indoors, her recent 4:41.42 mile PR will almost certainly qualify her for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
Posted by Alison Wade at 1:26 p.m. | Tags: Site News, Athlete Features | Comments (0)
Shalane Flanagan dropped off the face of the competitive planet after the 2005 IAAF World Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Helsinki, but her return to the track on January 27 at the Boston Indoor Games was dramatic. Flanagan firmly established not only that she was back, but that the surgery which removed a bone from her left foot had not only removed the cause of a recurring injury, but was actually allowing her to run harder than before.
If Flanagan's nearly-under-the-radar win at the Manchester (CT) Road Race on Thanksgiving day 2006 was a warning flare, her track comeback race, an 8:33.25 American 3,000m record, was the sun at high noon. In a race originally set up as a world record attempt for Ethiopia's Meseret Defar (who owns the outdoor 5,000m record at 14:24.53), Flanagan stole the show by bridging from the main pack up to Defar halfway through the race, then actually challenging for the lead on the backstretch with a bit more than a quarter mile to go.
The authority with which Flanagan demolished the American record was spectacular enough, but it's almost as breathtaking to hear her looking at the time difference between her new mark, which makes her the sixth- fastest woman ever at the distance, and the world record (8:27.86 by Liliya Shobukhova of Russia).
Flanagan spoke to reporters after signing her way down a lengthy line of kids who came to the edge of the track with meet programs, shirts, and permanent markers.
"I haven't raced [on the track] in a year and a half. I knew I was fit, but you never know what can happen in a race. I knew I had the potential to break the American record, and I'm very glad to see it fall. I just ran as hard as I could, and as smart as I could. They went out pretty hard at the beginning, and I just said to myself, 'Be patient.' My mantras have been 'patience' and 'controlled aggression,' and those two things were in my head. I tried to run conservatively and aggressively at the same time."
"I think Defar is a little sick, and I took advantage of that today. Typically she would be out a little bit farther. She really helped me today, I have to say. If it weren't for her, I don't think that American record would have fallen so far."
"Who knows what would have happened [if Flanagan had succeeded in passing Defar]. I knew I was a little ahead of the pace I wanted to run, but she's a really fast woman and there was no need to get too antsy. Next time around, it would be nice to get even closer. Now it's 8:33, what's the world record? I'll take [8:33] for today, but who knows what would have happened."
"8:54 is my previous PR, but I've never run a really good 3,000m before. It's always extra motivation to run well in front of my home crowd. There's so much support, I feel like I can do no wrong. I feel like no matter what happens, they're going to love me either way. It's nice to know that they care what I do."
Posted by Parker Morse at 8:02 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features, Race Reports | Comments (1)
Later in the week, talk about the upcoming Reebok Boston Indoor Games will center on names like Dibaba and Defar, Mottram and Cragg, or Webb and Brannen. Before they take center stage, it's worth spending a few minutes on another race which might be a headline at some meets.
The men's 800m at this Saturday's meet includes the second, third, fourth and sixth finishers from the final at last summer's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. At the top of that list is Nick Symmonds, a seven-time NCAA Division III champion at Willamette University who hadn't lost a championship 800m final until Indianapolis, where he ran 1:45.83 to finish second behind Khadevis Robinson.
Since Indianapolis, Symmonds has relocated from his hometown of Boise, Idaho to Eugene, Oregon to train with Coach Frank Gagliano and the newly-formed Oregon Track Club Elite training group. Several months of full-time training with "Gags" and—at last—teammates who could push him in a workout led Symmonds to a 3:56.72 mile on the indoor track at the University of Washington on January 13. "At Willamette, toward the end, I had to do workouts on my own, which was very physically and mentally taxing. Out here I can jump in with a group of guys. I thought I could get under 4:00, but to run 3:56 was a surprise."
Symmonds' first time under 4:00 was also his first-ever indoor track race; Willamette doesn't run an indoor track season. Since UW's track is oversized and unbanked, this will be Symmonds' first race on a 200m banked track. Still, Symmonds is eager to bring in his 1:45 personal best and match it against the 1:47.92 event record, set 10 years ago by Rich Kenah. "We've been doing work to get my speed up, to make moves on those tight turns. I think I have a short, powerful stride that will help me out indoors." Kenah, who now works for meet organizers Global Athletics and Marketing, went on to win a bronze medal at the World Championships in Athens that summer.
This could sound like bravado coming from a first-year pro fresh out of Division III, but from Symmonds it sounds like nothing more dangerous than enthusiasm. "What it comes down to is that it's a great experience for me because I come to races so hungry. I believe I can run with these guys and know I can run with them. It's a matter of proving to myself and others that I can do it, and being ready to do that."
Symmonds talked to reporters by teleconference on Tuesday. He will face former World Indoor champion David Krummenacker, former U.S. champion Derrick Peterson, former NCAA Division I champion Sam Burley, Jebreh Harris, and Kenyan Justus Koech over 800m at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on Saturday.
Posted by Parker Morse at 9:34 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features, Event Previews | Comments (1)
In the past week, we've added 12 new interviews to this site. Here's a complete list, so you don't miss any of them:
Foot Locker Cross Country Championships: Chad and Ryan Hall, Kathy Kroeger, Steve Murdock, Emily Sisson, Marie Lawrence, Ben Johnson, Neely Spence, Jordan Hasay, Betsy Bies, and Nicole Blood [Foot Locker alum]
Others: Matt Gabrielson and Josh Spiker
Posted by Alison Wade at 1:50 p.m. | Tags: Site News, Athlete Features | Comments (0)
[Content provided by Scott Simmons, interview conducted by Carl Rose.]
Fernando Cabada, a student at Virginia Intermont College, has signed a full-time professional contract with the international shoe company Reebok. Cabada’s contract is annually renewable with bonuses and yearly increases based upon world and U.S. rankings, records, and performances.
Cabada first caught the eye of sponsors last spring when he decisively won the Oregon Invitational 10,000 meters, beating in the process the reigning NCAA Division I cross country champion and the NCAA Division I 10,000 meter champion. He then shocked the running world a few weeks later by winning the USA 25k national title and breaking the 15-year-old American Record, a rare accomplishment for a collegiate athlete.
In the following interview, former Denver Post sportswriter Carl Rose catches up with Cabada, who after much time off came back to finish second in the USA 20k Championships in September. Cabada will represent the U.S. at the IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary this weekend.
On the ups and downs:
"Other people went to one college, ran for one coach, graduated and signed a deal and then you never hear from them again. When I left Arkansas and bounced around to the other schools, a lot of people said I was finished. If I had stayed at Arkansas, I would never have run as fast as the times I am running right now. I had to go to all of those colleges, but I ended up being better. I learned a lot about training and learned what not to do. I had to go through a few bumps in the road but I think it has made me a lot stronger."
On coach Scott Simmons:
"I had a lot of disappointments and frustrations in college for so many years. At one point, I took eight months off from running and didn’t even go to school. But throughout that time, I always had a vision and when I came to Coach Simmons, we were just focused on baby steps and beating people who were faster than me. He believed in me and structured everything so well for me so that between what I had learned at other colleges and what he did with me, I knew I was going to be great if I could just finish school and train uninterrupted for a couple of years."
On his breakthrough year:
"People always said that I had a lot of potential in the past but now after breaking the American record in the 25K, it has made my agent's job a lot easier. When I won the 10,000 at the Oregon Invitational in April (28:25.62), even though it was windy, I had a lot left. I've run a 13:34.92 5,000 and that was good but I was eighth in that race. Winning the 25k shows I know how to win at a high level. And running a national record adds a lot more credibility to it. It shows I know how to win and that I am a champion."
On training in Bristol, Virginia:
"I am finally happy with my running and not just that, but my life too. I went to all of those colleges and had a rough time. But when I came to VIC (Virginia Intermont College) everything started to work out for me. I feel like I have finally found a home right here in Bristol and I am comfortable here."
On the future:
"I think my strength is that I am really realistic about myself. I don’t intend to set myself up for failure. I want to be a world-class marathoner. I don’t know if I can run 27:10 or 27:15 for a 10,000, but breaking the 25K American Record shows where my true talent is. I am 24 years old and there is no guarantee I can get a lot faster in the shorter distances."
"If the Olympics happen, they happen. I just want to do the best I can in 2006 and 2007. In order for me to have a chance at a world record or a medal, it will be in the marathon with my endurance. There was no way in hell I would have thought that I could run that time for a 25k, but now I feel like I could have gone a lot faster. I won by 45 seconds and just broke those guys. The guy in second ran 1:13:40 last year and if he had gone at that pace this year, I could have stayed with him. It felt like I was born for running that race."
On his marathon plans:
"I am running the Fukuoka Marathon on December 3rd. That's where all the Americans used to go to run fast in the 1970s and '80s and I wanted to do my own thing and not go to Chicago and go wherever everyone else is going to go. The people who tell me about dying in a marathon are not the American record holder. I am going to just go out at 5:00 per mile pace with no surges or nothing. I feel like it will feel comfortable and I should be OK."
The World Road Running Championships:
"My next big race is the first-ever IAAF World Road Running Championships next Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary. It is a 20k and takes the place of the world half marathon. Now they are going to have it every year as a series of odd distances like the 15k and 25k. This year it's a 20k and I want to try to break the American record for 20k there (58:42 by Abdi Abdiraham).
Posted by Alison Wade at 10:32 a.m. | Tags: Athlete Features | Comments (0)
We just added an interview with Matt Tegenkamp, who finished second to Bernard Lagat in an exciting 5,000 on Friday night. You might wonder why the accompanying photo is 3+ years old. I do not own most of my photos, and I am working on rebuilding a collection of photos that I do own. In the meantime, Chris Fox kindly let us use his photo of Tegenkamp winning Big Tens in 2002.
Speaking of photos that I can't post here, my photos of the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships are now posted here (women) and here (men). I'll be adding the day five photos later today (the races haven't happened yet) and the captions within the next several days.
Other good sources of photos from this meet are:
TrackAndFieldPhoto.com
TrackShark.com
David Daer's Photos
PrettySporty.com
PhotoRun.net (coming soon)
Posted by Alison Wade at 2:04 p.m. | Tags: Running Photos, Athlete Features, 2006 USA Outdoor T&F Champs | Comments (0)
Lisa Galaviz would not have picked herself for the USA Steeplechase champion. "Carrie Messner won in Brazil in 9:41, so I expected her to win," Galaviz said after taking the victory in 9:57.58. "I'm surprised I won, between the heat and my training."
Galaviz's training suffered due to a strain in her glutes earlier this year, and she wasn't confident enough in her preparation to pursue Messner's brisk early pace. When Messner began to struggle in the heat during the closing laps, though, Galaviz was there to take the opportunity. "It's a slower time than I expected the winner to run," she said.
After being part of the US team for the first-ever World Championship steeplechase last year, Galaviz has found herself, along with other female steeplechasers, in increased demand around the track circuit. "I ran at Stanford, Qatar, and Brazil so far this year. The preliminaries were my fourth race, and this was my fifth." Galaviz plans a four-week training break before heading back to Europe for at least two races, at Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, and Thessaloniki, Greece, but now with the national championship she may find other doors open.
Another athlete who can expect to find new doors opening is runner-up Kristin Anderson. Anderson, the 2005 NCAA Division II steeple champ, who finished out her eligibility at Central Missouri State University in December and was competing unattached. "I won Division II with a 10:31 last year," she said. "I had to run a last chance meet to get qualified for this one; I didn't expect to make the final, and I didn't expect to place second. I'm still looking for a coach," said Anderson afterward. "I knew I had a lot of people praying for me, and I decided I had to take risks and not leave anything on the track." Anderson moved from fifth to second in the last lap, and almost caught Galaviz at the line. "I want to keep running until it's not fun anymore," she said. (Look for more on Anderson on this site soon.)
Posted by Parker Morse at 6:47 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features, 2006 USA Outdoor T&F Champs | Comments (2)
Tiffany McWilliams, a former NCAA 1,500m champion from Mississippi State, was hit by a truck on Friday afternoon while running from her downtown Indianapolis hotel to the track.
McWilliams was crossing in a crosswalk just a few blocks from her hotel when the truck's driver pulled around the right side of a vehicle stopped in the left-turn lane and hit McWilliams while trying to make his turn through the intersection. Heptathlete Hyleas Fountain saw the accident and called McWilliams' coach at the track.
McWilliams was hit and bruised in the thigh, and also suffered abrasions from hitting the pavement. The truck's hood was reportedly dented.
McWilliams has not yet scratched from tonight's 1,500m final. Coach Al Schmidt said, "I don't think she should run, her agent doesn't think she should run, and her sponsor is OK with her not running, but she wants to warm up and give it a shot. She doesn't want people to think she's avoiding competition."
Schmidt explained that while McWilliams didn't suffer any broken bones, the full extent of her injuries may not yet be apparent.
"I hope [the driver] has good insurance," he added.
Posted by Parker Morse at 3:36 p.m. | Tags: Athlete Features, 2006 USA Outdoor T&F Champs | Comments (2)