Fast Women: Parker Valby breaks the collegiate 5,000m record
Fourteen women earn Trials qualifiers at CIM.
Issue 268, sponsored by Oiselle
Parker Valby runs the NCAA’s first sub-15:00 5,000m
It’s become a tradition for many of the top collegiate athletes to test out their cross country fitness on Boston University’s lightning fast track, at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener the first weekend in December. It’s an opportunity to knock out a qualifying time for the NCAA Indoor Championships before taking a post-cross country break. With each year, the meet becomes more popular. In 2021, 24 women broke 16:00 in the 5,000m. In 2022, the number jumped to 34. And on Saturday, a staggering 50 women did so.
Leading the way was newly-minted NCAA cross country champion Parker Valby of Florida, who also broke the 15:00 barrier, becoming the first NCAA woman to do so. The race didn’t have a rabbit, so Annie Rodenfels, of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, took matters into her own hands, leading the first 4K. Rodenfels, who won this race the past two years, went through 1K in 2:59.97, 2K in 6:00.94, 3K in 9:02.59, and 4K in 12:03.20.
And then Valby, who had been looking antsy, made her move, dropping from 36-second laps, to 34-second laps. She covered her final kilometer in 2:52.82 and won the race in 14:56.11, breaking the collegiate record. There was some debate about what the previous NCAA indoor 5,000m record was. Many considered Emily Sisson’s 15:12.22, from 2015, run on a standard 200m track, to be the record. But others believed it to be Jenny Simpson’s 15:01.70 from 2009, which Simpson ran on an oversized track. Valby’s time is also faster than Katelyn Tuohy’s outdoor collegiate record of 15:03.12.
Valby barely looked winded and said after the race that this wasn’t as hard as her NCAA cross country win. She ran straight through the finish line and into the arms of her teammate Flomena Asekol, who was waiting on the side of the track. Valby said that she isn’t the biggest fan of indoor track, and the time surprised her. “I thought it would be a struggle to run 15:20, to be honest,” she said. But she admitted that the enthusiastic crowd helped her. Now she will take a break before resuming training for the track season.
Rodenfels finished second in 15:03.97, a personal best. She said she was hoping to break 15, but she was sick leading up, and her Achilles tightened up halfway through the race. Ella Donaghu of the Union Athletics Club took third in a PR of 15:16.97. Alabama’s Hilda Olemomoi finished fourth in 15:17.44, a small PR, and Great Britain’s Hannah Nuttall took fifth in an indoor PR of 15:17.84.
In the third heat of the 5,000m, NCAA DIII cross country champion Fiona Smith of St. Benedict set a DIII record of 15:50.48. I could fill an entire newsletter with the school records and NCAA all-time performances this meet produced. It’s clear something special is happening in women’s running right now, particularly at the collegiate level. Sure, super shoes have a lot to do with the recalibration of what’s a national-class time, but the depth in women’s collegiate running is simultaneously growing.
Olivia Markezich moves to second on the NCAA all-time list
Notre Dame’s Olivia Markezich, the reigning NCAA steeplechase champion, also impressed, winning the 3,000m in 8:40.42, which makes her the second-fastest woman ever in the NCAA. Only Tuohy, who holds the collegiate record of 8:35.20, has run faster. Markezich followed rabbit Kate Mitchell through the mile and then began to slowly inch away from the field. With 1K to go, she picked the pace up a little more and won by six seconds over Harvard’s Maia Ramsden (8:46.84), the reigning NCAA 1500m champion.
Duke’s Amina Maatoug finished third (8:46.89), Oklahoma State’s Billah Jepkirui was fourth (8:49.08), and Anna Camp Bennett, of Taylor Made Elite, finished fifth in 8:49.87. The top five all set personal bests.
Oklahoma State’s Gabija Galvydyte won the mile in 4:33.29, and Harvard’s Sophia Gorriaran, running her first collegiate track race, finished second in 4:36.66, a personal best. Later in the meet, Gorriaran returned to rabbit BYU’s Meghan Hunter through 600m of the 800m. Hunter won the race in 2:03.54, an indoor PR.
I’m excited for the return of indoor track season, because Boston is the unofficial indoor hub, thanks to its nice indoor facilities. (BU’s track might be faster than ever after it was recently resurfaced.) As the BU meets become more and more popular, they get longer and longer. I spent more than nine hours at the track on Saturday, and that’s just the warm up for longer meets to come. I took so many photos that I could barely lift my arms by the end of the day. I’ll post some of them on Instagram. The others I will bust out in 10 years, when someone who finished 12th in heat five of some race does something big. (All results)
There will be more incredible performances in Boston this winter, but the NCAA Indoor Championships, which take place March 8–9, might be the best event of all. The TRACK at New Balance will host for the first time. And the event has a more compact schedule, compared to the BU meets. If you’re interested in going, I’d recommend buying tickets now. I suspect the meet is going to sell out.
Roughly 173 women qualify for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
The qualifying window for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials closes tomorrow, which made this past weekend the last chance for athletes to earn a qualifying time of 2:37:00 or faster. Most Trials hopefuls flocked to Sacramento’s California International Marathon, known for being a great place to run fast, thanks in part to its net downhill course and relatively reliable weather. CIM has produced more Trials qualifiers in this cycle than any other race.
At CIM in 2019, the last edition before the 2020 Trials, 63 women hit a new Trials qualifying time (Runner’s World). And while many women lined up for this year’s race with high hopes, there’s a big difference between the 2020 qualifying standard—2:45:00—and the 2024 standard—2:37:00. CIM’s finish line has become a popular place to capture athletes’ emotions as they dip under the standard. But with only 14 new qualifiers this year, I imagine this year’s finish line was less of a party than it was four years earlier.
Kenya’s Grace Kahura led throughout and won the race in 2:29:00. Allie Kieffer completed her first marathon in more than five years and took second in 2:33:26, earning a Trials qualifier. She ran impressively even splits, with a 1:16:44 first half and a 1:16:42 second half. And Ava Nuttall, who ran cross country for Miami University this fall, took third in 2:35:09. (CIM results | Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers)
Behind them 12 more women hit the standard:
Kaylee Flanagan (fourth, 2:35:24), who will join her sister, Lindsay, on the starting line in Orlando.
Trail and ultra standout Rachel Drake (fifth, 2:35:28)
Peyton Thomas (sixth, 2:35:50), who ran at the 2020 Trials, and then PRed by more than seven minutes here to earn a return trip.
Sakiko Minagawa (seventh, 2:35:52), who overcame injuries to make it back to the Trials as well.
Former Stanford runner Abbie McNulty (eighth, 2:36:00), who was making her marathon debut.
Former Vanderbilt runner Claire Benjamin (ninth, 2:36:01).
Elaine Estes of the Philadelphia Runner Track Club (10th, 2:36:08)
Stephanie Rouse (11th, 2:36:22), who qualified for her second Trials.
Mary Denholm (12th, 2:36:31), who is coached by fellow Trials qualifier Neely Gracey.
Sofie Schunk (13th, 2:36:33), who is a Type 1 diabetic and part of the Diabetes Sports Project.
Heather Kampf (14th, 2:36:33), a former pro 800m and 1500m/mile runner, who moved to the marathon this year. This is her fifth time qualifying for the Olympic Trials, but she’ll be going much, much longer this time.
And on what was essentially the last day of qualifying, Tammy Hsieh hit the standard exactly, with a chip time of 2:37:00. Talk about cutting it close. It initially looked like Hsieh might have narrowly missed, because her gun time was 2:37:04, but chip time counts for women, so she’s in.
And for every woman who has qualified, there’s at least one more who thought she could but didn’t. To run a 2:37:00 marathon, a lot of things need to go right. There are countless stories of women who didn’t hit the standard, but did do incredible things. Like Maria Langholz, who lowered her PR from 2:58 to 2:38. And Emilee Risteen, who ran her first marathon in 4:03, and is now a 2:38 marathoner.
Brianna Boehmer, now 44, ran a 2:33:20 marathon two years ago, three weeks before the Trials qualifying window opened. She thought she’d have the opportunity to run another qualifying time, but injuries got in the way. She had planned to give it one last shot at CIM on Sunday, but she ultimately decided to put her long-term health first.
And it seems like a safe bet to say that Carter Norbo had one of the best stories of the final weekend of Trials qualifying, even though she missed by 73 seconds. When I saw Keira D’Amato trying to recruit a pacer to help a runner hit the Trials qualifying time at Saturday’s Tidewater Strider Dismal Swamp Marathon in Chesapeake, Virginia, I was already cheering for her, whoever she was.
It turns out it was Norbo, who won the low-key race outright, by 43 minutes, in 2:38:14. But get this—Norbo had twins only 15.5 weeks earlier. (And for anyone tempted to compare their timeline here, we’re all different. When I had twins, it took me about three years to feel like myself again while running.)
Thanks to Oiselle for supporting Fast Women
This is the final week of our partnership with Oiselle, and I am thankful not only for their support of this newsletter, but also for their support of women’s running. If you’re gift shopping for yourself or others, make sure to check out their holiday shop. And if it’s still shorts season where you are, I’m a huge fan of their Roga Shorts, which come in a variety of styles and lenghts.
Other News and Links
Nike and Alberto Salazar have settled a $20 million lawsuit filed by Mary Cain, over alleged emotional and physical abuse, The Oregonian reports. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Lauren Fleshman’s book, Good for a Girl, was named The William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Fleshman said that in the award’s 35-year history, this was the first women’s sports book written by a woman to win. She earned £30,000 (about $38,000), which is better prize money than most road races. If you haven’t already read her book, I highly recommend checking it out.
This year’s Tokyo Marathon runner-up, Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu, has been provisionally suspended for an abnormality in her biological passport. That means that she didn’t test positive for anything, but something about her blood work has changed in a suspicious manner. Until now, there haven’t been a lot of top Ethiopian women suspended (or provisionally suspended) for doping, but along with Zerfe Wondemagegn, that’s two big names in a row. With a PR of 2:16:56, Gemechu is the 11th-fastest female marathoner of all time. (She was ninth when I initially wrote that on Saturday, but these things are changing quickly!)
In an Instagram post, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford opened up about her experience with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. She said she has struggled since her mother died when she was 13, and she didn’t realize how much she relied on running to maintain her mental health until her recent string of injuries. She said that she was hesitant to take medication, but now she wishes she didn’t wait so long. “Medication did not cure my depression, but it was like a life jacket that ensured that I didn’t drown while [my loved ones and I] get me to shore,” she wrote.
A year ago at this time, Paige (Stoner) Wood was winning the California International Marathon, now she’s a new mom. Her son arrived on Wednesday.
Annie Rodenfels talked about becoming a professional runner despite only taking up the sport at age 17 in this piece from the B.A.A.
USATF’s expenses exceeded its revenue by $6.7 million in 2022, reports Sarah Lorge Butler. And CEO Max Siegel made $1.26 million, which is a lot less than the $3.8 million he made the year before, but still high compared to others in comparable roles.
I can relate to the professional runners who don’t want to worry about how many followers they have on social media or how they’re engaging their audience. But this Trailrunner article from Hannah Belles, which discusses the discrepancies between how much running influencers and professional runners make, helps explain why an increasing number of pros are putting more effort into the influencer side of things. (And I don’t want to downplay the work that goes into being a running influencer. I’m sure it’s a different kind of hard work.)
Katie Camarena and Savannah Shaw have joined Tinman Elite.
Additional Results
Worknesh Degefa won Sunday’s Valencia Marathon in a personal best of 2:15:51, which moves her to seventh on the world all-time list. It had been almost four years since Degefa had run a marathon—apparently because she had two children during that time—but to paraphrase Sha’Carri Richardson, she’s not back, she’s better. Degefa pulled away from eventual runner-up Almaz Ayana around 33K, but Ayana reeled her in. Degefa pulled away again shortly after. Ayana finished second in 2:16:22 and Hiwot Gebrekidan finished third in 2:17:59, making it an Ethiopian sweep. The race had incredible depth, with 45 women breaking 2:30 and, if you read this post and the replies, it looks like at least 14 women set national records. (The results are currently only available on the race app, but if you’re on Twitter/X, here’s the top 40.)
The Raleigh Holiday Half Marathon attracted a strong field. Fiona O’Keeffe won in 1:09:34. Allie Hays finished second in 1:12:18, Natosha Rogers was third in 1:14:28, and Taylor Werner was fourth in 1:14:43. (Results)
Jenny Simpson won the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Half Marathon in 1:10:56. Kaylee Bogina finished second in 1:15:06.
Neely Gracey won the Orlando Half Marathon, held in warm, humid conditions, in 1:13:55. (Results)
On Thursday morning in Austin, Texas, NAZ Elite’s Katie Wasserman won the Sound Running Cross Champs, held in conjunction with The Running Event. Very late in the race, Wasserman forked to the wrong side of the flags that marked the course, but Atlanta Track Club Elite coach Tom Nohilly lifted the flags so she could run under and get back on course. (Watch what happened here.) This was Wasserman’s first 8K race, and she won in 26:49.4. Katie Izzo took second, two seconds back. Mercy Chelangat, also of NAZ Elite, took third in 26:54.5, and NAZ Elite dominated the team race. In a post-race interview, Wasserman said her family was already texting her and making fun of her for her wrong turn. (Results)
Those who were aggressive early on at Nike Cross Nationals paid for it. Eventual winner Addy Ritzenhein, a sophomore at Colorado’s Niwot High School, was 17 seconds behind early leader Elizabeth Leachman 2K into the 5K race. Ritzenhein ran a smart race on the muddy course, taking the lead in the final kilometer and winning in 17:10.4. Bethany Michalak, a senior at Colorado’s Air Academy, used a similar strategy and finished second in 17:16.4. In the team race, the results were swapped. Michalak’s Academy team won with 61 points and Ritzenhein’s Niwot team finished second with 72. Not overthinking the race or her season was probably one of the keys to Ritzenhein’s success. “I just kind of was living in the moment,” she said. “I didn’t think about the race until this morning, honestly.” (Results | Race replay)
Chiara Dailey won the Foot Locker West Regional, running 17:42 on the 5K course. Nationals take place on Saturday in San Diego. (Results)
Japan’s Miho Nakata won the 24-Hour World Championships and set a world record, covering 270.363K/167.996 miles. She narrowly improved Camille Herron’s 24-hour road record of 270.116K (167.842 miles). Nakata ran 8:34/mile for an entire day. Herron was in the race but dropped out, saying she didn’t feel recovered from Spartathlon, the 153-mile race she ran nine weeks earlier.
Podcast Highlights
It was good to get an update on all of Alexi Pappas’ latest projects and exploits via her second appearance on The Rich Roll Podcast. Pappas has her own podcast, Mentor Buffet, launching soon. (One thing Pappas, 33, didn’t share on the podcast but did share on social media last week: She’s freezing her eggs.)
On The Build Up with Molly Seidel and Julia Hanlon, Seidel talked about her thrilling trip to Las Vegas to watch Formula 1 Racing, but my favorite part was listening to her geek out when discussing running shoes.
Tristin Van Ord wasn’t the biggest college star, but she has kept plugging away and now she’s a 2:25 marathoner. I enjoyed hearing her tell her story on I’ll Have Another. It was interesting to hear her talk about taking some risks in her Trials buildup, because she’s not one of the favorites to make the Olympic team. She knows being cautious probably won’t land her on the team, so she’s going all in.
Karissa Schweizer talked about recent changes to the Bowerman Track Club’s roster on The Drop. “At the end of the day, some people didn’t want to be in Eugene or didn’t want their coach to have all these other athletes, too,” she said. “I think it’s been a good shift for us because the group we have right now is just very positive about our situation… Now the people that are coming in, they know they’re going to be in Eugene. They know what they’re getting into.” She also talked about her recovery from her second Haglund’s surgery. As of the recording date, she was getting close to running at full body weight again. And according to her Strava, she’s back at it.
On the Citius Mag podcast, Parker Valby discussed her unconventional training, provided her workout playlist, and said her #steepleszn post was serious, and she might be trying out the event this season.
Caster Semenya has done a number of podcasts to promote her book, but I thought her episode of On with Kara Swisher was particularly good.
It was good to get an update from Grayson Murphy, who has been struggling with what she thinks is an autoimmune disease, on C Tolle Run. Murphy has recently been able to get back into training, and even did a three-day 100K stage race over the weekend. Though she qualified, Murphy is not planning to run the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
Additional Episodes: Ari Hendrix on Women’s Running Stories | Molly Bookmyer on Hear Her Sports | Janet Romayko, who just ran her 50th consecutive Manchester Road Race, on Starting Line 1928 | High jumper Vashti Cumingham on Hurdle | Amanda Basham and Justin Grunewald on the BeRad Podcast | Lucy Bartholomew on For the Long Run
Thanks, again, to Oiselle for supporting Fast Women this month. Thank you, also, to everyone who keeps this newsletter going via your support on Patreon and Venmo.
Happy running!
Alison
“I’ll post some of them on Instagram. The others I will bust out in 10 years, when someone who finished 12th in heat five of some race does something big.”
This. I love that you do this and I love that you wrote this. As results kept trickling in from around the world this weekend I kept finding myself thinking, “I am curious to see what Alison has to say about this.”
Thank you!!