By Will Denner
Kenyan distance runners claimed seven of the top eight finishes at the Prefontaine Classic women’s 5,000 meters Friday, but even the winner wasn’t overly eager to celebrate.
Hellen Obiri won with a time of 14 minutes, 32.02 seconds, including a 63.4 second last lap, which was the third fastest time of the 2016 season. Had it not been for chillier-than-usual Oregon weather in late May, Obiri believed she could’ve run faster.
“Because it was windy and cold, the race had a slow pace,” Obiri said.
Trailing Obiri at the finish were fellow Kenyans Viola Kibiwot, who finished second in 14:35.13, and third-place Vivian Cheruiyot, who finished in 14:35.69. The results could serve as a preliminary measuring stick for the Kenyan Olympic Trials, June 14-16 in Eldoret, which will be the first time Kenyan trials will won’t be held in Nairobi.
The late scratch of Ethiopia’s Genebe Dibaba earlier this week due to injury opened the door for Obiri, who distanced herself in the last lap for a comfortable three-second win.
“I wanted to go through 3,000 meters fast, then I decided to move,” Obiri said.
Sally Kipyego, a Kenyan distance runner who trains with Oregon Track Club Elite, finished seventh in 14:43.98. It was a near 15-second improvement from her 14:58.60 finish earlier this month at the Payton Jordan Invitational.
“I feel like I’m a little bit uncomfortable just in terms of pace, and you can’t simulate that in training – you can only do that in a race,” Kipyego said. “The more I race the better, and I think that showed today.”
Kipyego ran the New York City Marathon last November and didn’t start training for the 2016 season until January. The late training cycle has delayed Kipyego’s progress, but the Pre Classic gave her an idea of how far she has to go.
“14:43 at Pre is OK, I guess, but it’s nothing to scream about…” Kipyego said. “I still have work to do, and I look forward to doing it.”
Just behind Kipyego, Kenyan teammate Betsy Saina finished eighth in 14:44.67. Saina’s finish was only five seconds off of her personal best of 14:39.49, which she hopes to improve on before trials. Her main goal, however, is to qualify for the Kenyan national team in her signature event, the 10,000.
“I’m so excited for that,” Saina said. “It’s what I’m meant to do.”
In an Olympic year, every meet, including the Pre Classic, is secondary to this group of Kenyan distance runners.
“Now it’s just the trials,” Kipyego said.
Outside of the Kenyans, American distance runner Molly Huddle finished eleventh in 14:48.14 – the eighth-fastest women’s mark in U.S. history.
“I actually would have called the race out probably too fast for me,” the 31-year-old said. “Personally I would have just had to focus on the race to race, so this was another level.”
