Tegenkamp & Solinksy - Heusden, Belgium

Chris Solinsky and Simon Bairu ran big PRs on a perfect night in the quiet village of Heusden, Belgium. In the "A" race, Chris ran smooth and relaxed for the first 4000 meters. With two laps to go the tempo increased; Chris matched the pace. In was clear he would going to run a fast time, but for the American spectators, the question was whether or not he could win the race. With 500 meters remaining, not only did it look like he wouldn't win, but his chance of running a fast time almost went out the window. Two athletes went down in front of Chris, but he was able to hurdle one athlete and step over (or was it on?) the other. The fall gave him "a shot of adrenaline" as he sprinted to catch the leaders. Coming off the final turn he was charging for the finish, but had to settle for 4th place in a time of 13:12.24. Simon Bairu ran a similar race in the following section, biding his time along the rail in the middle of the pack. After Ryan Hall dropped off his pacing effort at 3000 meters, Reid Coolsaet and Ian Dobson continued the charge, putting 20 meters on the pack. But with 800 meters to go, Coolsaet began to struggle as Jonathan Riley began to close the gap. Simon got going with 600 meters to go, finishing with a 9-second PR in 13:25.91, good for 8th place. Tim Nelson ran in the same heat as Simon, but fell on the rail towards the end of the race. He was still able to finish, but the fall hurt his chances of running a fast time. Matt Tegenkamp ran a good race earlier in the evening, finishing 6th in the 1500m with a time of 3:36.48. With 150 meters remaining, it looked like he would use his momentum to push through the chase pack; second place was definitely in reach. But an athlete stepped out in front, causing Matt to slow down. The move killed his momentum and by the time he got back to full speed they were already at the line. Less than a second separated 2nd and 6th place. Just three days earlier Matt ran the 3000m in Monte Carlo. It was a good effort - 7:37 - but "not my best race." Michelle Sikes made her European debut at the same race. She ran 8:44, a 30-second PR, good for 8th place. Next up for Matt and Chris is the 3000m at Stockholm on August 7th. Simon, Tim, and Michelle returned the States today. Simon and Michelle will prepare for the World Championships while Tim heads to the Falmouth Road Race on August 12th.

Blip | July 30, 2007

Tags:. .chances. .chance. .catch. .hurt. .clear