You know the times Chris Solinsky has put up this year. Now, here’s a little perspective to go with them, before he finishes up his season in Rieti on Sunday:

• Solinsky owns the #1 all-time American performance for 10,000m. With room to spare.
• He is the only American ever to have run under 12:58 more than once.
• He is the only American ever to have run under 12:59 three times.
• In 2010, Solinsky averaged 12:59 for the 5000m in four races.
• This season alone, he turned in the #2, #4, and #5 all-time American performances for 5,000m… 60% of the five best performances in US history!

By comparison, the fastest 5000m season, prior to Solinsky’s 2010, would have to go to a fellow member of the KIMbia family — Bob Kennedy, in 1996.  Kennedy’s record in 5000m finals that year was a staggering 13:12.14, 12:58.75 (AR), 13:12.35, 12:58.21 (AR), 13:06.12, 13:04.14, and 13:20.24.  At the time, those races notched the #1, #2, #6, #8, #11 and #12 American performances of all time. (#4, #5, #7, and #9 also belonged to him, from prior seasons. The word “wow,” comes to mind.) Kennedy’s average 5000m from that season is an extremely impressive 13:07.

What do all these numbers mean? Read the full article

Chris Solinsky sliced an incredible 16-seconds off of his PB, clocking a 12:56.66 in Oslo on Friday evening. Hot on the heels of his own American Record in the 10,000m, Solinsky approached the standing national record in the 5,000m, a 12:56.27 logged by Dathan Ritzenhein in Zurich in 2009; in Oslo, that record still fell, as fellow American Bernard Lagat ran 12:54.12.

With speculation over a possible AR performance running rampant, given Lagat’s pedigree and 12:59 PB, and Solinsky’s standout 26:59 performance at Stanford, the opening kilometer was reached in a very hot 2:32 — 12:40 pace for 5,000m. As the field in this Diamond League race continued to run positive splits — 2:35 and 2:38 to reach 3,000m — there was reason to doubt a record performance.

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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

In Brussels on Friday, Matt Tegenkamp joined Bob Kennedy, Dathan Ritzenhein and Bernard Lagat as the only Americans to complete 5000m in fewer than 13 minutes.  Clocking 12:58.56, Tegenkamp lowered his PB by six seconds and joined rarefied air, just 5 seconds outside of the top 25 all-time.  After a stop-and-go final kilometer that saw a 65-second penultimate lap, Tegenkamp finished 7th in the race.

Video highlights from the race — including Matt’s finish — can be viewed here. Results can be found here.