When Jacob Klemz made his move, no one in the field could keep up with him. Photo by Cierra Hitner
The University Portland’s Jacob Klemz used a kick with 300 meters to go to win the men’s 5,000 meters Friday night at Hayward Field with a time of 13 minutes, 46.10 seconds.
When the final lap began, Klemz was just behind Yaseen Abdalla of Texas and getting ready to make a big move. When that move finally did come, Klemz put some breathing room between him and Abdalla, winning the race by nearly six seconds.
“I kind of knew that at 800, I was like, I’m gonna move really hard at 300 to go,’” said Klemz. “And when I went I could kind of feel there was no response.”
Klemz ran with a pack of three runners that included Abdalla and BYU’s Joey Nokes for the majority of the race, making sure to stay close to the front.
Klemz also set a new personal best in the race, as he continues prepare for regionals in the coming weeks. “I want to work on tactics – I want to work on closing fast and letting the race kind of come to me,” he said.
Klemz claimed his first win at Hayward Field, and even got to run his first ever victory lap after a race, a Hayward Field tradition. “I’m from Kansas, so I never thought I’d be out here,” he said. “So you know, it’s a mecca of track, and I never thought I’d say I ran out here.”
For Klemz, this win also adds to what has been a long collegiate running journey, one which began at the Division II level. Originally running for Washburn University in his hometown of Topeka, Kansas, Klemz transferred to the University of Portland to continue his running career at Division I.
“I came out here and loved Portland immediately, I mean the team is what made it,” said Klemz. “I’ve gotten my best friends for life from here.”
