May 02, 2010
Chris Solinsky Runs 26:59.60 for AR in Debut 10K!
Leading up to the weekend, there was a lot of talk about the potential for an American Record in the 10000 meters. Much of the talk focused on Galen's Rupp decision to duck (no pun intended) unfavorable conditions in Oregon and run at Stanford's Payton Jordan Invitational instead. It turned out that the talk was well justified. Rupp headlined a deep and talented field that included NCAA XC champ Sam Chelanga, Simon Bairu, Tim Nelson, Brett Gotcher, and Chris Solinsky, who was running his 10K debut. Our own Chris Barnicle was also in the 30-person field.
The old record was 27:13.98, set by Meb Keflezighi back in 2001 at this same meet. After a fast opening lap, the pace settled down and hovered around 27:20 pace as the miles went by.
Some posters on LetsRun.com speculated that Solinsky's job was to pace Rupp through a 13:36 5K. That turned out to be a gross under-estimation of Solinsky's potential. After following Rupp and the pacers for most of the race, Solinsky looked visibly impatient with 1200 to go. At that point, Rupp had been working for several laps, but Solinsky looked entirely untroubled by the pace. He seized the lead for the first time on the homestratch of the 23rd lap and immediately powered away from Rupp, Chelanga, and Kenya's David Salel. What followed next sent the Flotrack announcers and the crowd into a state of frenzied disbelief, a penultimate lap of 60 followed by a final lap of 57. Solinsky's final 800m was ~1:56-57, a Bekele-like finish that brought him home under 27:00 in his first attempt at the distance. Do yourself a favor and watch the entire race on Flotrack. Unreal!
The other Chris -- Barnicle, that is -- ran a patient race, settling in near the back of the pack and avoiding the hot pace at the front. It looked like his 5K split was around 14:00 (couldn't tell from the video), and he was hitting the gun lap just as Chelanga and Rupp were finishing in 27:08. He kicked hard to finish in 28:10.59, a 43-second personal best!
A truly remarkable race -- American record for Solinsky and Rupp under the old record as well. A collegiate record for Chelanga and a Canadian record for Bairu.
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11 comments:
I can honestly say that the 10k at Stanford was hands down the most amazing race I have ever watched in person. Barnicle definitely looked solid out there, holding his own against an almost entirely professional field. What Solinsky did was unbelievable, and being trackside at the finish line was an experience I'll never forget.
Great job by both Chrises! I think the 28:10 is an AT BSC alum best as far as I can tell.
Great jon by both the two guys named Chris. i think barnicle's 28:10 is an AT BSC best.
has riley ever run a 10k?
Riley ran 28:33.71 in his 10K debut back in 2001. While, I would be surprised if that was his only race, I haven't found a faster time listed for him.
mcardle maybe?
Wow, Dan I am jealous of you for being there. The buzz you can tell even form the back of the stands is pretty awesome.
Tom McArdle (Brookline '99?) ran 28:18.21 at the Mt. Sac Relays in 2002.
I haven't been able to find a faster time for him, although I haven't searched exhaustively.
fine, i guess we're gonna have to give this one to barnicle. on a slightly related note, do you happen to remember an indoor race (possibly the class a 2-mile) our freshman year in which ciaran and barnicle were running but then both dropped out? and if so, who dropped out first?
If I didn't know better, Ankit, I would think you were compiling some sort of evil scrapbook of career lowlights for Chris.
If memory serves, the race you're referring to was Outdoor Class A's back in 2002. After falling out of the front pack of 6-8, Chris and Ciaran dropped out to save something for the 4x800 relay. I seem to remember also that Ciaran claimed he had dropped out after Chris, and therefore "beat" him -- as though you could beat someone in a race in which you drop out!
haha i think that's exactly what i'm talking about. thanks, i knew i could count on you. and as for that scrapbook, not a bad idea...
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