Saturday, July 22, 2017

Brilliant night in Belgium for Kimbia athletes

It was a fantastic night for Kimbia athletes at the KBC Nacht meeting in Heusden, Belgium on Saturday night, a meet synonymous with running fast times.

That was exactly what Colleen Quigley did, the London-bound steeplechase specialist carving a whopping eight seconds off her lifetime best to run 4:03.93, coming home ahead of Germany’s Hanna Klein (4:04.15) and Amanda Eccleston (4:04.34).

Later in the evening, Emily Infeld and Shalane Flanagan took to the track in the 5000m, and both managed to dip below the 15-minute barrier. In a race won by Susan Kremins of the Netherlands in 14:53.35, Infeld came home close behind in 14:56.33, with training partner Flanagan just two seconds behind in 14:58.99. Next up for Infeld and Quigley is the IAAF World Championships in London in a fortnight, while Flanagan will soon turn her attention to the roads.

Later in the night, Britain’s Marc Scott set a PB in the men’s 5000m, taking 14 seconds off his personal best to secure the qualifying standard for the World Championships in London. Scott, 23, finished fourth in a race won by Kenya’s Nicholas Kimeli Kipkorir in 13:16.38.

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Thursday, July 20, 2017

Final tune-ups ahead of London

A host of Kimbia athletes will run their final races this weekend before the London World Championships, with Evan Jager, Emily Infeld and Coleen Quigley all set to compete, among others.

Jager, the reigning Olympic silver medalist, will compete in the 3000m steeplechase at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday evening. The 28-year-old has been in impressive form so far this year, winning the US Championships with ease on June 25 in 8:16.88. However, Monaco will represent his first race of the season outside the US, and it’s a hot one, featuring Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto, among others.

Colleen Quigley will also be in her first race in Europe this year, though the Nike Bowerman Track Club  athlete will compete in Heusden, Belgium, a meeting synonymous with fast times in the distance races. Quigley will sharpen her speed ahead of London with a 1500m, and with a 4:24.88 mile to her name indoors this year, it will be no surprise if her personal best of 4:11.61 falls.

Emily Infeld, meanwhile, will also tune up for her 10,000m outing in London with a 5000m race in Heusden, where she will be joined by fellow Kimbia athlete and Nike Bowerman Track Club teammate Shalane Flanagan, who she has been training with in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in recent weeks. Infeld’s last race was when she finished fifth in Lucerne over 3000m in 8:55.41, while Flanagan’s last race came at the US Championships in Sacramento, where she finished fourth in the 10,000m in 31:31.12.

Fellow Kimbia athlete Marc Scott will race over 5000m in Heusden. The 23-year-old clocked a PB of 7:43.37 over 3000m at the London Diamond League last week and looks capable of lowering his best of 13:36.81. Farther afield, Izaic Yorks has been in impressive form in recent weeks, the 23-year-old running a season’s best of 3:37.91 last week in Sainte-Therese, Montreal. He backed that up on Wednesday night with a 3:39.75 run to finish second over 1500m in Seattle, just behind race winner Brannon Kidder (3:39.39).

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Sunday, June 25, 2017

Evan Jager Wins 6th Straight National Steeple Title

With a killer last lap of 56.70, Evan Jager won Sunday’s USATF steeplechase final in 8:16.88. Evan entered the bell lap leading a pack of four, but dispensed of them with his unmatchable finish; second finisher Stanley Kebenei was more than a second and a half back at the end.

The victory not only earned Evan a spot at August’s World Championships but was also his sixth straight U.S. steeple title, dating to 2012, his first year in the event. The only longer streak in modern times is Henry Marsh’s 7-year run from 1981 through 1987.

“I knew it was going to be hard,” Evan said afterward. “It was a little windy, so I didn’t want to be out in the lead for four and a half laps like last year. I wanted to wait and kind of trusted my speed and my hurdling form, my technique, against the rest of the guys.”

Evan is most likely far from his peak, given that Friday’s qualifying round was his first steeple of the year. Looking forward to London, where he’ll be joined by Bowerman Track Club teammates Amy Cragg (marathon), Emily Infeld (10,000), and Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley (steeplechase).

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Sunday, June 25, 2017

Frerichs, Quigley Make World Champs Steeple Team

The dynamic duo of Courtney Frerichs and Colleen Quigley placed second and third, respectively, in Saturday’s USATF steeplechase final to qualify for August’s World Championships in London.

In a race won by American record holder Emma Coburn in 9:20.28, Courtney and Colleen ran 9:22.23 and 9:25.40. This finish replicated the order at last year’s Olympic Trials.

Training partners Courtney and Colleen were in the lead group from the start, and, with Coburn, dropped the rest of the field by the end of the sixth lap.

London will mark Colleen’s second straight worlds appearance. At the Rio Olympics, she placed eighth and Courtney was 11th.

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Friday, June 23, 2017

Emily Infeld Makes 10K World Champs Team

In only her second race of the year, Emily Infeld placed second in the USATF 10,000 Thursday night to earn a trip to August’s World Championships in London. On a day when the meet schedule was scuttled to account for extraordinary heat, Emily’s time of 31:22.67 was a 4-second PR. U.S. record holder Molly Huddle won in 31:19.86.

Emily’s teammate and training partner Shalane Flanagan boldly led the first 20 of the race’s 25 laps before finishing fourth in 31:31.12. The race was only Shalane’s second since last August’s Olympic Marathon, and she knew she needed to keep the pace honest because a lack of workouts wouldn’t serve her well in a kicker’s strategic race.

“This is the least prepared I’ve ever been for a race,” Shalane told Runner’s World afterward. “But I think it’s important to still show up when you are unprepared sometimes. That’s part of the job…I think it’s important to still show up and do your job.”

Colleen Quigley (second in the first heat) and Courtney Frerichs (first in the second heat) easily advanced to Saturday’s steeplechase final.

Izaic Yorks placed eighth in his 1500-meter qualifying round and didn’t advance to Saturday’s final.

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