by Brett Larner
Japan-based Kenyans Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) and Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC) ran big at the U.S.' Prefontaine Classic 10000 m, both setting new sub-27 PBs for 2nd and 3rd behind winner Galen Rupp's new 26:44.36 American record. Tanui, the Moscow World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist and fastest in the world going into the race with a 27:16.75 two weeks ago at the Kyushu Corporate Track and Field Championships, ran next to Rupp in the front pack for the entire race, twice going to the front in the late going before Rupp got away on the last lap. Tanui first broke 27 at Prefontaine three years ago. Today he took just over a second off his best from that race with a 26:49.41 PB.
Karoki, who runs for the Toshihiko Seko-coached DeNA corporate team in central Tokyo and set a 1:00:02 course record at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon less than two weeks ago, started more conservatively in the second pack before working his way up to join the leaders. Even in the second pack he was on track to beat his 27:05.50 best, but joining the leaders helped pull him to a solid 26:52.36 and bringing the number of current sub-27 Japan-based Kenyans to three.
Waseda University graduate Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin) has spent the last few months training with Rupp, Olympic and World champion Mo Farah (GBR) and others in the Nike Oregon Project under head coach Alberto Salazar and was at Hayward Field to watch Rupp's record shot. Next weekend Osako will run the 10000 m at the Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Fukushima. In a National Championship race he's not likely to have the competition to run a fast time, but if he can match Rupp's 3.64 improvement to his PB Osako will go from 27:38.31 to 27:34.67, just under Toshinari Takaoka's antique 27:35.09 national record. He'll get it sooner or later, but sooner would be nice.
Prefontaine Classic Men's 10000 m
Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A., 5/30/14
click here for complete results
1. Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 26:44.36 - AR
2. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 26:49.41 - PB
3. Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA RC) - 26:52.36 - PB
4. Stephen Sambu (Kenya) - 26:54.61 - PB
5. Emmanuel Bett (Kenya) - 27:21.61
6. Kenneth Kipkemboi (Kenya) - 27:30.94
7. El Hassan El Abbassi (Bahrain) - 27:32.96 - PB
8. Teklemariam Medhin (Eritrea) - 27:38.83
9. Birhan Nebebew (Ethiopia) - 27:42.89
10. Timothy Toroitchi (Uganda) - 27:43.27
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Japan-based Kenyans Paul Tanui (Team Kyudenko) and Bedan Karoki (DeNA RC) ran big at the U.S.' Prefontaine Classic 10000 m, both setting new sub-27 PBs for 2nd and 3rd behind winner Galen Rupp's new 26:44.36 American record. Tanui, the Moscow World Championships 10000 m bronze medalist and fastest in the world going into the race with a 27:16.75 two weeks ago at the Kyushu Corporate Track and Field Championships, ran next to Rupp in the front pack for the entire race, twice going to the front in the late going before Rupp got away on the last lap. Tanui first broke 27 at Prefontaine three years ago. Today he took just over a second off his best from that race with a 26:49.41 PB.
Karoki, who runs for the Toshihiko Seko-coached DeNA corporate team in central Tokyo and set a 1:00:02 course record at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon less than two weeks ago, started more conservatively in the second pack before working his way up to join the leaders. Even in the second pack he was on track to beat his 27:05.50 best, but joining the leaders helped pull him to a solid 26:52.36 and bringing the number of current sub-27 Japan-based Kenyans to three.
Waseda University graduate Suguru Osako (Team Nissin Shokuhin) has spent the last few months training with Rupp, Olympic and World champion Mo Farah (GBR) and others in the Nike Oregon Project under head coach Alberto Salazar and was at Hayward Field to watch Rupp's record shot. Next weekend Osako will run the 10000 m at the Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Fukushima. In a National Championship race he's not likely to have the competition to run a fast time, but if he can match Rupp's 3.64 improvement to his PB Osako will go from 27:38.31 to 27:34.67, just under Toshinari Takaoka's antique 27:35.09 national record. He'll get it sooner or later, but sooner would be nice.
Prefontaine Classic Men's 10000 m
Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A., 5/30/14
click here for complete results
1. Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 26:44.36 - AR
2. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 26:49.41 - PB
3. Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA RC) - 26:52.36 - PB
4. Stephen Sambu (Kenya) - 26:54.61 - PB
5. Emmanuel Bett (Kenya) - 27:21.61
6. Kenneth Kipkemboi (Kenya) - 27:30.94
7. El Hassan El Abbassi (Bahrain) - 27:32.96 - PB
8. Teklemariam Medhin (Eritrea) - 27:38.83
9. Birhan Nebebew (Ethiopia) - 27:42.89
10. Timothy Toroitchi (Uganda) - 27:43.27
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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