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Kipyego and company shine at the Oregon Preview - OTCElite.com

Published by
ross   Mar 20th 2011, 2:11pm
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Kipyego and company shine at the Oregon Preview

By: Becky Radliff

EUGENESally Kipyego paced a crew of victorious OTC Elite athletes in their 2011 outdoor opener at the Oregon Preview on Saturday afternoon at Hayward Field.

In the 3,000 meters, Kipyego showcased the type of shape she’s in, setting a meet and personal record in a blistering time of 8 minutes, 51.07 seconds.

“This is a good indication of how my fitness is coming along,” Kipyego said. “Anytime I can go out there and run a good effort, it’s a good indication of things going well. I’m happy that we’re going in the right direction.”

It was the second straight year Kipyego broke a meet record at the Oregon Preview. In 2010, she set the 1,500-meter mark of 4:10.17.

“Sally was great,” OTC coach Mark Rowland said. “She’s trained hard the last two weeks, so I anticipated her to be a little more sluggish. She looked a little fresher than I anticipated.”

Tyler Mulder also looked fit in the 800, racing to a meet-record time of 1:46.86 and doing it all by himself.

“I told myself, if I got 1:46, I’ll be happy with that,” Mulder said. “It’s early. A year ago, this was about my PR, so that’s a pretty good progression.”

Added Rowland: “Tyler’s stepped up a level this year. That was impressive to run that time on his own. He looked strong. Now he’s competing on a different tier of competition.”

Adding to the PRs on the day was OTC multi-event star Ashton Eaton, who set one in the javelin, with a throw of 56.59 meters (185 feet, 8 inches).

“185-8 is a good throw,” Eaton’s coach Harry Marra said. “But more importantly, he’s understanding it and if you understand it, then you can continue to improve.”

OTC rookie Bridget Franek opened up Saturday’s meet with a meet-record performance of 6:25.31 in the 2,000 steeplechase. Ben Bruce and Stephen Pifer went 1-2 in the men’s 2k steeple with respective times of 5:40.20 and 5:56.73. Bruce’s winning time was yet another meet record.

Geena Gall was OTC’s third winner of the day and looked strong in the 1,500, leading from start to finish with a time of 4:18.12.

“I’m glad to be back here at Hayward and I’m glad it’s outdoor season,” Gall said. “Last year I had anemia problems that pretty much blew my whole season. This year I’m definitely healthier, stronger and happier. It’s good to be back.”

Next up was Kevin Chelimo in the men’s 1,500. The Texas Tech grad showed how fresh his legs were, closing with a 58-second final lap to win easily in 3:49.31 – his first victory since 2007.

“The first laps were a little slow, so I had a lot left,” Chelimo said. “I haven’t won a race since 2007, I’ve been second a lot, so yeah, it felt good.”

Closing out the action for OTC was Chris Thompson, who clocked a meet record 7:52.64 in the 3,000.

“Thommo had to take a few days off last week and I wanted to make sure his legs were okay,” Rowland said. “He was a little rusty, but he looked okay.”

The majority of the OTC athletes will now head to Flagstaff, Ariz. for altitude training.

 

QUOTES

Mark Rowland:

On Sally Kipyego and Chris Thompson in the 3k:

“Sally was great. Her and (Chris Thompson) were doing a session. They did another two miles on the road, so the race was just half a session. It’s the end of a particular phase of training for them.”

“Sally’s trained hard the last two weeks. I anticipated her to be a little more sluggish. She looked a little fresher than I anticipated.”

“Thommo had to take a few days off last week. I wanted to make sure his legs were okay. He was a little rusty, but he looked okay.”

On Tyler Mulder:

“Tyler’s stepped up a level this year. That was impressive to run that time on his own. He looked strong. Now he’s competing on a different tier of competition.”

On Geena Gall:

“I thought Geena looked really strong today. I was pleased to see how she flowed. She’s had a lot of issues over the last 12 months. Now she’s starting to look like the athlete we recruited.”

Harry Marra on Ashton Eaton’s PR in the javelin:

“I’m thrilled. My charge to him was to take ownership of these events. He understands a lot of the skills in sprinting and jumping, so that’s what we want in the throws. 185-8 is a good throw, but more importantly, he’s understanding it and if you understand it, then you can keep continuing to improve.”

“I’m tickled. The shot put is in place. The javelin is in place, and, if it wasn’t for the Oregon rain, maybe the discus would’ve been in place after today too.”

Next up for Eaton:

“We’re going to San Luis Obispo, April 1-2 for the Cal Poly Invite. He’ll do a few events each day.”

Sally Kipyego:

“The goal of today was to come out here and go out and have a good effort. I felt good. I was surprised. Running by myself was a little difficult, but other than that, I felt great. It’s good to just go out there and have a good run.”

“I’m really happy about how it went. I can’t ask for more.”

“This is a good indication of how my fitness is coming along. Anytime I can go out there and run a good effort it’s a good indication of things are going well. I’m happy that we’re going in the right direction.”

On training:

“Right now we’re doing a lot of base training. We haven’t really transitioned yet to track sessions.”

On the weather:

“It was a little bit windy, but I was glad it didn’t rain. We got lucky.”

On trying to make the Kenyan team for the World Championships:

“Yes, right now that’s the plan, to try to go to the World Championships and the only team that I can run for right now is Kenya.”

“It could be the 5,000. I’m also going to do a 10k to try and get the qualifying time. I don’t really know. It depends on how I stack up on the world level to see where my chances lie. I haven’t decided yet.”

Tyler Mulder:

On going for the World Championship ‘A’ Standard:

“The sun came out and I didn’t feel any wind, so I thought: ‘I gotta go for it.’ I was definitely going for it, but at the 200 I was a little confused as to whether I’d passed the rabbit or not. So, for being a solo effort, I thought it was pretty good. If I get in a good race, it will come, so I’m not worried about the ‘A’ standard.”

“I told myself, if I got 1:46, I’ll be happy with that. It’s early. A year ago, this was about my PR, so that’s a pretty good progression.”

On what’s next:

“Hit up some hard mileage and get some altitude training in Flagstaff. Then I’ll open at Penn Relays or at Drake Relays.”

On his recent trip to Australia with fellow OTC Elite athletes:

“Australia was a lot of fun. I gotta surf and me and Nick (Symmonds) got to spend some quality time together. To open up down there, with the nice warm weather, was really nice. And Melbourne is like Eugene almost – you could call it the Track Town of Australia. Everybody is fit. There’s this trail everybody runs on and I got passed by some rugby players.”

Bridget Franek:

“I’m really excited it’s steeple season again. The race felt really relaxed. I probably ran a little bit slower than I should have, but it felt controlled and there were a few things I wanted to work on over the barriers and I felt a lot stronger. So there were a lot of positives.”

“It’s been baby steps since I’ve gotten here and it’s nice to put it all together and I feel like it’s starting to come around.”

On running at Hayward Field in an OTC singlet:

“Hayward’s really cool. This is my first race here in the OTC uniform and it was really neat to feel the energy. It’s amazing. I keep thinking about how cool it is that I’m actually here.”

Ben Bruce:

“Part of being in the OTC is being a part of this event. It’s great, this early in the year, to run a 2k steeple. It gives us the opportunity to put on the singlet and have a good one-time effort.”

Kevin Chelimo:

“I was hoping to run a PR, but it didn’t happen.”

“The first laps were a little slow, so I had a lot left. I haven’t won a race since 2007, I’ve been second a lot, so yeah, it felt good.”

“My focus is going to be the 10K, and I’m hoping to run a PR at Stanford.”

On training with OTC:

“It’s been really good. I like Eugene. The weather’s great for training.”

Geena Gall:

“I didn’t want to take it from the start, but no one else was up there, so I was like: why not, I’ll go for it. It was a good workout and a good race for me. I’m happy with it.”

“I’m glad to be back here at Hayward. I’m glad it’s outdoor season. Last year I had anemia problems that pretty much blew my whole season. This year I’m definitely healthier, stronger and happier. It’s good to be back.”

On her next 800:

“Not until May. I’m gonna keep targeting the 1,500 and hopefully get a PR in the 1,500. It’s been a couple years since I’ve run a 15. I like it a lot, but the 800’s definitely my baby.”

Becky Radliff
OTC Elite Media Relations
(541) 343-7247



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