KIMbia Athletics

The conclusion of the World Athletics Final means that the 2009 track and field season has come to a close for us.  We saw many terrific performances, as our thirteen athletes who hit the track turned in a total of fourteen personal best performances, and with KIMbia talents collecting six top-five finishes in the 5000m and 10,000m races at the US National Championships — including four spots on the American World Championship team.  In particular, we were proud to dominate the Men’s 5000m in Eugene, with five runners in the top nine, and to see OTC member Matt Tegenkamp join one of the most exclusive clubs in US distance running, by going under 13-minutes in the 5000m with his 12:58.56 clocking on a chilly night in Brussels.

If you have questions for any of the members of Team KIMbia about this 2009 season,  please send them to questions[AT]kimbia[DOT]net or post them in the comments below!  If you need a quick refresher on some of the performances from the season, check the athlete bio pages or our race recaps, below.  Make sure you get your questions in by the end of the day Tuesday, September 22! Read the full article

Four KIMbia athletes wore the Stars & Stripes at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany.  Tim Nelson led things off on Monday evening in the 10,000m, where he finished 17th in a field of thirty-one.  With nine sub-27:00 athletes in the field, Nelson was shooting for a top-15 finish, representative of the number of finalists taken in the 5000m. Though he fell just short of that goal, Nelson clocked 28:18 in a credible World Championships debut, wrapping up what has been a banner 2009 year for him.

Three days later, his teammates hit the track in the prelim of the 5000m.  Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky ran intelligently in what turned out to be a rather briskly-paced first heat of two, keeping themselves within reach of one of the five automatic qualifying spots at all times. With six athletes getting separation in the final lap, Tegenkamp would secure automatic qualification to the finals by crossing the line second, behind Kenenisa Bekele, while Solinsky finished sixth, first in line to earn a time qualifier.  Coming home in 13:20, Solinsky admitted to easing back a bit in the final stretch, given that the pace was as fair as it was, and expecting that his time would hold up for one of the five time-qualifiers. Read the full article

Take a peek into the family dynamic of the KIMbia group as they prepare for the World Championships. From the father figure (Matt), to the optimist (Evan), to the Angry Bear (guess who?), and an appearance by Tim Nelson (nickname unknown), the group has a unique and fun attitude toward all the time they spend together while training in Europe.

The summer of 2009 has been a big time learning experience for Evan Jager, and he’s had to do that learning quickly.  At just 20 years old, Evan has gone from college freshman a year ago, to toeing the line against some of track’s best runners in some of the world’s most amazing European venues.  The first major venue for Evan in Europe was the Herculis Super Grand Prix meeting in Monaco where he mixed it up with a very strong field in the 3000m. This race was the subject of episode 4 in the “Wisconsin to Worlds” series at RunnersWorld.com. Check it out after the jump. Read the full article

Across the Atlantic Ocean, there is a vast expanse of majestic landscape, there are bustling city streets, windmills, breathtaking artwork, there’s even something called ”tea time”, AND there is a group of American based KIMbia athletes on the European track circuit. The front half of most of these athlete’s time in Europe is over while some are just getting started. We will be checking in with the athletes to get a full report on how their summer is going. They will be grading themselves on how well they have raced so far and how well their training has been going this season. They’ll also be detailing some of their time off the track to give an idea of what life is like for them on the European circuit.

Today, the wily veteran of the KIMbia group weighs in on his season thus far. If you have read anything about Matt Tegenkamp since he finished college running and turned pro, you know that he has a laser guided focus to one race per year. This year, that race is the 5000m World Championship in Berlin on August 23.

Since winning the 5000m U.S. Championship in late June, Matt has only raced once, a 5000m in Heusden, Belgium, and he absolutely lit up the track. He finished 2nd in 13:07, missing the win by half a second and beating a pair of sub-13:00 runners in the process. After the jump, check out Matt’s report on his European season so far.

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The US 5000m team of Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Evan Jager might just owe their careers to a single decision they each made individually, years apart, but which now binds them together: choosing to attend the University of Wisconsin and put their talent in the hands of Coach Jerry Schumacher. All three now live in Portland and compete as members of OTC, but this past winter, before moving out west, Matt Tegenkamp showed us around the Wisconsin campus where each athlete launched his foray into the world of big-time running.

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The annual summer migration of the American distance runner to the tracks of Europe takes many forms.  Some chase new PB’s and the time bonuses in their contracts, from vacation destinations to tiny Belgian outposts.  Others seek to raise their profile and race their way into a shoe deal.  For Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Evan Jager, trips to Paris and Belgium meant the opportunity to check their fitness and hone their racing instincts for the World Championships in Berlin, set to kick off just one month after their first competitions on the far side of the Atlantic.  Watch those initial efforts, and their reactions, below:  Read the full article

Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky and Evan Jager surprised the US Distance Running scene with a podium sweep in the 5000m at US Nationals. Now hear them talk about how the race unfolded and what it meant to each to compete with his teammates.

Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Evan Jager have all officially touched down in Europe to begin their build up to the Berlin World Championships 5000m.  A new Runner’s World video series (produced by KIMbia.net’s own Jeremy Mosher), entitled “From Wisconsin to Worlds” has launched today at runnersworld.com. The series will follow the three former University of Wisconsin runners on their many travels, races, and general hijinks around the European racing circuit, culminating in the Men’s 5000m World Championship on August 23.  Check back every Monday and Thursday for a new video. The trailer for the series is after the jump…

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After hearing James Carney’s comments on his strong 10.000m effort at US Champs, we wanted to open up the lines and let you pick the brains of the rest of our athletes, with regards to their efforts at Nationals.  You asked, now they respond:

Matt, how do you focus during a race, specifically on the last couple of laps? –Jacob McRoberts

Preparation for a race always starts in practice. (That sounds simple enough, right?) But this has been a very tough year of training and our races actually seem a little easier because of it.  It is always harder to get mentally prepared for practice, so we really try to concentrate on showing up to practice ready to put in the hard work.  Once in a race setting I just try to focus on competition!  If I worry about competing against the other athletes and forget everything else, it allows me to hurt that much more.  I don’t want to get in a situation where another athlete is able to run away from me so competition allows me to push through the pain as the race progresses. In the 5k, the race doesn’t really start until the last 1200m and we have worked on staying very relaxed until that point, trying to waste as little energy as possible. That allows me to stay mentally fresh and really get ready for the grind to the finish line. That last 1200m of the race has been a real work in progress the last few years and I am very confident in my finish. You just have to compete!!! Read the full article