Flotrack Preview of Jager's Run for Gold

2017 US Championships

2017 proved to be another successful year for the Bowerman Track Club at the USA Championships.  The goal of US Championships beyond winning is to qualify to represent the US team at the World Championships by finishing top 3 in one's event.  In total, the club qualified 6 athletes from the US Championships to this year's World Championships, taking place August 5-13 in London.  Below is a recap of the races BTC athletes competed in at the US Championships.

10,000m Women

The opening event of the US Championships for Bowerman TC was led off by an outstanding performance by team USA 10K veteran, Emily Infeld. Toeing the line with Infeld, and offering an equally inspiring performance was Shalane Flanagan, who displayed the confidence that comes with experience.  With her relentless racing style, Shalane  ground the field down to a final four competitors throughout the course of race. In an exciting last kilometer of the race, both Emily and Shalane faced off against training partners Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson, with a Portland based training group against a Providence based one. Coming off her debilitating back injury undaunted, Shalane led the majority of the race falling off just short in the last 800m, while Emily Infeld broke up the Providence pack by finishing second to Huddle.  With a final time of 31:22.67, Emily qualified for her third consecutive US 10k team, finishing ahead of Emily Sisson in third, and Shalane in (31:31.12).

10,000m Men

A lot can happen in 25 laps around an oval, and during the 10,000m final, viewers were treated to one of the most entertaining and brutal 10K finals in recent history. Chris Derrick led the charge for Bowerman Track Club, braving a race of surging pace and lead changes.  After a pedestrian first mile and a half, Sam Chelanga began to make things interesting by alternating hammering off the front and letting the pack back in. Covering these moves during the slower side of the surge was Galen Rupp, Diego Estrada, and Derrick. After six kilometers of Chelanga’s back and forth pacing, the pack approached a mile to go and the race dynamic became even wilder. Rupp took the lead, as he historically does with a mile to go, before Leonard Korir and Hassan Mead covered his move, cutting down the pace metronomically over the next three laps. At the bell, Chris Derrick fearlessly swung around the pack and challenged Korir all the way down the backstretch. With 200m to go, Hassan Mead made his bid for home and ended up claiming victory on the day. Finishing with the lead pack grouped behind the top three spots, Chris Derrick came in 8th in a time of 29:12.08.

5,000m Women

Building on her momentum from the Olympic Trials last summer, Shelby Houlihan is no longer a fresh face in the American 5K field. With a decisive victory, Houlihan ran a smart race, confident in her ability to strike for home before anyone else could take it away from her. Leading the race early, Natosha Rogers strung out the pack, coming through 3K in 9:22. Bowerman teammate, Sammy Silva, hung on throughout the course of the race, but when it came to the last kilometer, and especially the last 400m, the title was to be decided between Molly Huddle, Shelby Houlihan, Marielle Hall, and Samantha Rowbury. Shelby took the lead at the bell from Huddle, only to be met by a decisive move from Rowbury who swung wide. Coming off the last turn however, Shelby fully sent it down the final 100, pulling away from Huddle and Rowbury, winning the 5K title in 15:13.87 in spectacular fashion.

5,000m Men

It is a rare thing for meet records to fall when it comes to championship racing. Balancing tactics, speed, and strength, Ryan Hill and Lopez Lomong displayed the patience that comes with experience, even in the surprisingly strange race dynamic set by Paul Chelimo’s early full frontal assault of the pace. Racing the peloton (chase-pack), Ryan and Lopez broke away with Eric Jenkins, Emmanuel Bor, and Ben True, who heroically set the pace for the pack. Reminiscent of the last Olympic trials, it would be a kickers race between these few men to clinch the last two spots left open behind Chelimo off the front. Coming into the final kilometer, the peloton whittled down to True, Jenkins, Lomong, and Hill. Four men, two spots. At the bell, Jenkins made a decisive move into second with True and Lomong in tow. Waiting patiently however, was Ryan Hill, who conjured up his final push for home in the last 200m. Swinging wide, he surged away from True and Lomong to take third in 13:16.99, behind Jenkins in second in 13:15.74, and Chelimo in first in 13:08.62.

3,000m Steeplechase Women

As if staring in a mirror, the steeplechase world team ended up being a direct reflection of the USA women sent to Rio last summer. For Bowerman Track Club, that meant that both Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley re-punched their tickets to the world stage by taking second and third respectively. Both Bowerman women had to focus on running their own race while simultaneously gauging their tactics against 5-time defending USA championship winner and Olympic bronze medalist, Emma Coburn. Coburn’s race was dominant, but in an interview said she wanted, “to take the sting” out of the legs of Courtney and Colleen, acknowledging their closing speed. Capitalizing on strength in numbers, Colleen and Courtney played it smart, working together throughout the race to trade the lead and match Coburn’s surges. Courtney noted how calming it can be to have a teammate like Colleen in the race, and together they stayed calm, cool, and collected, as they blazed through the last kilometer.  At the finish, the three women had distanced themselves from the rest the field with Courtney finishing second (9:22.23), Colleen in third (9:25.4) abd Coburn taking another title (9:20.28).

3,000m Steeplechase Men

The phrase “3 times a charm” seems to mean nothing to Evan Jager, who has now doubled his domination in the Steeplechase by taking his Sixth USA outdoor championship title…not to mention in charming fashion. With a slower pace in the early stages of the race, most of the pack was still present as the racing began to happen over the final kilometer. Pulling away at this point was Harun Lagat, Hillary Bor, Stanley Kebenei, Andy Bayer, and Evan Jager. With 800m to go, Lagat and Bor attempted to further string out the field to avoid a completely tactical situation in the last lap. Un-phased however, Jager slid up into striking range and took a commanding lead over the second to last water jump. With Bor, Kebenei, and Bayer in tow, Jager would have to hold off a deep field of speed over the final 400m. Making a decisive move again on the last water jump, Jager surged ahead winning in 8:16.88, leaving the final spots open to Kebenei, Bor, and Bayer. Acknowledging the progression of the event, and marking the fast times run by his fellow Americans this year, Jager was thrilled to win and looks forward to contending for the world title in London.

Bowerman 5k

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Weekend Action

The BU crew doing a tuneup workout on Tuesday.

It’s a promising and international weekend of racing for the Bowerman Track Club with marathon debuts in Tokyo and fast track races in Boston. We’ve got the details for your viewing pleasure.

Tokyo Marathon

Andrew Bumbalough and Betsy Saina will both run their debut marathons in Tokyo on Sunday (Saturday in the US). Betsy is coming off of a career year in which she ran 30:05 to place 5th in the Olympic 10,000m and ran 67 minutes for the half marathon. ‘Bumbi’ is returning to form after an 18 month struggle with two major injuries, hernia surgery and a sacral stress fracture. He has been rebuilding his fitness slowly since the summer of 2016 and ran 28:06 for 10,000m in November in Tokyo, a solid stepping stone to his marathon buildup. First marathons are unpredictable, but both Betsy and Bumbi have had a good block of training to prepare them for the challenge.

When: Saturday February 25th, 7:10 ET

Where to Watch: NBC Sports

BU Last Chance Invitational

Most of the professional men of BTC will be taking to the track in Boston on Sunday evening. Steeplers and rivals Dan Huling and Matt Hughes are in the mile along with a big portion of the deep NJ/NY Track Club middle distance squad. Watch this one with attention as there is a burrito bet* on the line between Matt and Dan.  The remainder of the squad (Ryan Hill, Moh Ahmed, Evan Jager, Lopez Lomong, Chris Derrick, and Woody Kincaid) will be in the 5,000m which has the makings of a cracking race. Word on the street is that the race will be rabbited at around 8:00 for 3,000m (13:20 pace). The very solid field also includes sub-13:10 performers Ben True, who edged Ryan and Moh at the Millrose Games two mile, and Eric Jenkins, who won the Millrose mile. 

After the Boston meet, Lopez, Evan, Ryan, and Woody will head to Albuquerque for the US Indoor Championships next weekend.

*Burritos are the preferred form of currency for wagers amongst BTC professionals.

When: Sunday February 26th, 3:10 ET (mile) and 4:55 ET (5,000m)

Where to Watch: Flotrack

Shalane Discusses Her Injury and Not Being Able to Run Boston

Andrew Bumbalough Goes to Tokyo For Good Vibes...and His Marathon Debut

Andrew Bumbalough is packing his bags for Tokyo in search of some good vibes.

Okay so maybe that is not the only thing he is going to Tokyo for, but it is definitely on his list.

While he is not a superstitious man, Andrew is the first to admit that he prefers running in certain places more than others. There are specific cities and venues that make him want to up his game (or stride for that matter).

The past two years have been long and grueling ones for Bumbalough. Multiple injuries prevented him from training and competing for most of 2015 and 2016. Injuries are hard to deal with in any year, but especially in an Olympic year. Andrew had his eyes set on running the Olympic Marathon Team Trials in 2016, but was unable to compete due to injuries.

One year and two weeks after the Olympic Marathon Trials were held, Andrew is healthy and ready to make his marathon debut at the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, February 26.

Andrew competing in a 10,000m race in Tokyo in November

Andrew is no rookie when it comes to making the long trip across the Pacific Ocean. In November he traveled to Tokyo, along with teammate Chris Derrick, to race a 10k on the track. The 10k was the main focus for the fall and marked his first race on the track in over a year. Despite not feeling “incredibly fit, I was training really well,” Andrew said.

After returning to the States, Bumbalough and coach Jerry Schumacher knew he was ready for the marathon.

The marathon has been a long time coming for Bumbalough. The marathon seed was first planted shortly after he joined the Bowerman Track Club. He and Jerry first realized his marathon potential years ago during long, winter training blocks. He would rack up serious mileage in training plans that resembled that of a marathoner more than the 5k runner Andrew was. He responded well to running higher mileage and marathon inspired workouts.

After a long gestation period, that marathon seed is finally ready to sprout.

Andrew went through a 10 week build up in preparation for Tokyo, running 115-120 miles a week, an increase from the 90-100 mile weeks he ran while training for the 5k. The biggest adjustment for Andrew was not the increased mileage though. He had to learn how to adjust his approach to the long run. While training for the 5k and 10k, Andrew said the “long run was all about effort and getting the time in. Now, in marathon training, the long run is the focus of the week; the most important day of the week.” He ran many different types of long runs. Some lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes; others were shorter in duration but he ran at an average pace of 5:05 per mile. 

No long run proved to be more important than an 18 miler in January. It was one of the few long runs he ran at his marathon goal pace. It was not easy by any means, but Andrew recalled it feeling effortless. He could not explain what it was exactly, but after completing this run he had a sense of confidence about the marathon he had not experienced before.

Andrew remains confident as he completes his final workout prior to Sunday’s start. Confidence is a major reason Andrew chose Tokyo to be his marathon debut. He wants to finish having had a positive experience. Unlike the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon, Tokyo’s course is flat and will have a large number of finishers in the 2:11:00-2:15:00 time range. As Bumbalough still has goals on the track, he wants to “have a solid day,” finishing healthy and with confidence that he can carry into the spring outdoor track season.

While this is not Andrew’s first trip to Tokyo, he also hopes it is not his last. He might not be frank about it, but he cannot help himself from wanting Tokyo to be one of those places that he enjoys running in more than others. Can one blame him from wanting to feel good vibes in a future Olympic host city though?

Andrew will be joined by BTC teammate Betsy Saina in Tokyo. This will also be Betsy’s marathon debut. Stay tuned to our Twitter account and website for race news and updates.

Interview With Evan after the Mile at Husky

Lopez Interview After Doubling in the 800 and Mile at Husky