US Star Hassan Mead Joins 5000m Field For Auckland Track Challenge

Published by Stuff.co.nz on February 18, 2015

In-form American middle-distance star Hassan Mead has confirmed he's coming to New Zealand to join a star-studded 5000 metres field for next week's Auckland Track Challenge.

Event organisers are salivating over the quality of the 5km field they have assembled for the February 26 meet, with Mead confirming his travel plans over the weekend to join a quality line-up including Kiwi Olympians Nick Willis and the Robertson twins, Zane and Jake.

With Kenya's Augustine Choge, Ethiopia's Mekonnen Gebremedhin and Aussies David McNeill and Brett Robinson also on the start-list, ATC organisers are predicting it could be the fastest 5000m race ever run in New Zealand. The all-comers record of 13:14.4 was set by Kenya's Ben Jipcho at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974.

Mead has a personal best of 13min 02.80s, set at last year's Payton Jordan invitational, which is behind only Choge's mark of 12:53.66 which was set some time ago.