There’s nothing better than surveying the previous fifty-two weeks of your life and realizing how fun and gratifying they were. Here’s a look back at just a handful of the memories we at KIMbia Athletics will take away from 2011. If you had your own memory from the year that included us or our athletes, please share it below!

10. Tim Nelson Steps Down and Beats Top-Flight 3000m Field in Seattle
Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? Nelly shocked American running fans when he dispatched middle-distance specialists German Fernandez, Alan Webb, and World Championship bronze-medalist-to-be Matt Centrowitz in a 3000m far below his comfort zone distances… and with a blistering kick, to boot. Read the full article

Fresh off an impressive win at the Pre Classic in the Bowerman Mile, Haron Keitany took to Oslo to take on many of the same competitors, plus additional talents such as Nixon Chepseba, Augustine Choge, and the man who defeated Keitany in Hengelo, Mohammed Shaween. Keitany came home second this time, with reigning Olympic Gold Medalist Asbel Kiprop getting the win by 0.16 over the Land Cruiser. Keitany ran 3:51.02 and was almost three-tenths clear of third.

At Pre, it was hard not to admire Kiprop’s special gold-medalist racing spikes — black with gold trim, and a sheen that make them look almost like leather — and after the race, Keitany said how much he would like to have a pair of those for himself. The two Diamond Race points he picked up in Norway now put him in second on the season, with six total… just one behind Kiprop. Four mile or 1500m competitions remain this year, giving Keitany a chance to lay claim to the “golden spike” position atop the whole world in his discipline. And, as he said after winning in Eugene, “Perhaps in Korea.”

The great mile races around the world have a special cachet in the sport, thanks to the superstars who have won them in the past, and the difficulty in winning them in the present. Like the Bislett Games Dream Mile, The Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic has earned a sterling reputation thanks to a history that features wins by Olympic Gold Medalists and World Record holders like Noah Ngeny, Daniel Komen, Hicham El Guerrouj, and Asbel Kiprop — now The “One and Only Land Cruiser,” Haron Keitany, joins those ranks with an impressive win on Saturday. Read the full article

Although Haron Keitany is already a distinguished international performer, he is a relatively new addition to the KIMbia roster — but he has very quickly shown why we are so proud to have him in our family. On Sunday in Hengelo, the man they call “Land Cruiser” clocked 3:31.86 to take second place behind Mohammed Shaween, a mere four-hundredths away from the win. Left in his wake were thirteen men, including a sub-3:30 rising star in Silas Kiplagat, and the reigning Olympic Champion (steeple), Brimin Kipruto. The time is Keitany’s third-fastest all time, and was just a few tenths away from Nixon Chepseba’s world lead.

One day later, Lineth Chepkurui won Bolder Boulder by over four seconds, claiming an enjoyable victory in the town where she sets up shop for her US season, each year. Along with runner-up Mamitu Deska, Chepkurui broke away from the rest of the field in the third mile, only securing her win over the Ethiopian — and two-time defending champion — with a final kick. Read the full article