KIMbia Athletics

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:

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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: Matt Tegenkamp, who spent the past year making his third global championship final and breaking 13:00 in the 5k, running 12:58.56 in Brussels — a 6+ second PB and just two seconds away from the American Record.

What were you thinking with 800m to go in Brussels? Were you anxious that the pace was slowing too much and perhaps you would not get a shot at sub-13:00 and/or the US record?

With 800 to go, I knew exactly were I was for time and I was disappointed that the pace slowed and by the fact that I didn’t do anything about it.   I don’t think the other athletes would have let me get to the lead but I think if I had just made the effort the pace would have picked back up.  It was tough coming so close to the AR but it was a huge ste p forward and I know I left time on the track that day!

Now that you’re under 13-minutes, does it feel at all like a weight has been lifted? Read the full article

Perhaps appropriately, KIMbia’s Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky finished just three-tenths of a second apart under the shadow of the New York City skyline Saturday afternoon, in the last race of the 2009 season.  Back in June, the two training partners stormed to a one-two finish at the US Championship 5k in Eugene and, just like Saturday, the two finished just three-tenths of a second apart.  The 5k in Eugene launched two of the most successful summers of racing the KIMbia group and American distance running have ever seen. The 5th Avenue mile on Saturday was the perfect bookend for those great seasons.

 Matt and Chris finished 7th and 8th respectively in 3:54.20 and 3:54.51.  The race started on E. 80th St. in Manhattan and ran straight down Fifth Ave. to the finish on E. 60th St.  Matt had a brief glimpse of the lead 1200 meters into the race, but the 5000m specialist was not able to match the kick in a field of almost exclusively milers. 

Both runners have a brief vacation from racing to look forward to.  Chris will be using that time to plan for his wedding coming up in the next few months.  Full results of the 5th Ave. Mile after the jump. Read the full article

The newest member of the American sub-13:00 club took home the 2009 Men’s US 5k Road Championship, held as part of the CVS Downtown 5k this weekend, in Providenc, RI. Using his patented kick, Matt Tegenkamp won in 13:57, defeating two of America’s fastest in Bolota Asmeron and Anthony Famiglietti.  After trying to blister the field last year — only to lose a homestretch battle with Famiglietti –this time around, Tegenkamp sat on the controlled early pace that kept much of the field in contention through the initial miles.  On the course’s most significant hill in the final-third of the race, Tegenkamp positioned himself to kick, then blasted home to claim a 5k road title to pair with his 5000m national title from the track, won back in June in Eugene, OR. Read the full article

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

Saturday was Day One of the IAAF World Athletics Final in Greece, and in a tactical 3000m, Chris Solinsky once again showed himself to be one of the most competitive 3000m runners in the world, taking 6th place in a loaded field.  After a very slow opening mile, Leonard Patrick Komon of Kenya led the field at the completion of the second kilometer, as the pace became much more world-class.  Because athletes can only qualify to the WAF by accumulating points earned with placings at Grand Prix meets throughout the season, the field in Greece was top-notch and all of the competitors in the 3000 remained bunched in a giant pack, eight-wide, at the bell. 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.

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

Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky qualified to the 5000m finals at the World Championships in Berlin last night!  Everyone in the KIMbia family is immensely proud and super pumped for Matt and Chris to battle it out for a medal on Sunday at 10:25am Eastern Time.  As a fan, you are a huge part of that community, and all of the athletes truly apprieciate your support.  To show their appreciation, Matt and Chris want to give back by offering one fan a piece of their USA Track and Field gear that they are wearing in Berlin.  Also, the lucky winner will have the option of having it autographed by the KIMbia guys in Berlin.

 Here’s how it works: Log into your facebook account and go to the KIMbia facebook fan page.  At the page, share your well wishes on behalf of your personal running community.  Whether that is your high school team, college team, running club, or shoe store, just make sure you get your team’s name out there and make sure we know they are supporting Matt and Chris in the 5000m final (ex. “On behalf of the St. Xavier High School Cross Country team, good luck Matt and Chris! Beat Bekele!).  Once you have posted your message, get as many friends as possible to “like” your comment (facebook lingo, if you don’t understand, put your landline phone down and get with the times!).  The commenter with the most “likes” by the end of the 5k final will win a special piece of Team USA gear (Don’t worry, it’s not a sock).

Most importantly, though, tune into the 5000m final this Sunday at 10:25am Eastern Time here and scream yourself hoarse as Matt and Chris chase down a coveted World Championship medal!

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.