Runner’s World Previews Pre Classic with Matt Tegenkamp
Runner’s World chatted (briefly) with Matt Tegenkamp in the final days before Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic, the sixth stop in the inaugural season of the IAAF Diamond League. Along with teammate Chris Solinsky, Tegenkamp will compete in the Men’s 5000m against many of the best in the world, including World Championship-medalists Tariku Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge and Joseph Ebuya, and the hottest name in the 5000m event at the moment, Imane Merga, winner in Oslo and Rome, and third in Doha. Fans are hoping to see the first-ever sub-13:00 clocking on US soil, and both KIMbia athletes figure to be in the mix.
However, while Solinsky ran 12:56.66 in Oslo on June 4th, Tegenkamp’s sterling 12:58 PB was logged last summer, with his 2010 season spent only on under-distance to this point: three runs at 1500 meters. As Runner’s World spent its recurring “A Brief Chat With” feature with Matt, interviewer Peter Gambaccini focused largely on Tegenkamp’s entering the unknown of his first 5,000m of the season. Tegenkamp was quite candid on his plan of attack, even offering up some first-rate racing advice:
As we move into 2010, our athletes will each be sharing a look back at 2009, which we will be running throughout the next two weeks. Next up: 

