It should come as no surprise that the men’s 5,000 and 10,000 meters headlined the first day of the Prefontaine Classic given the preferences of the man whom the meet is named after.
Both events were tactical races, serving as the season openers for many of the competitors in both fields. In the end, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha won the 5K (13:10.54) while world leader Mo Farah of Great Britain took the victory in the 10K (26:50.97).
The 5K came first, led by a pair of Americans — Galen Rupp and Bernard Lagat. Rupp should be a familiar name for Oregon track and field fans, as the former Duck has been on a tear since winning a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. He is currently the top-ranked runner in the 5,000. Lagat also has plenty of history here in Eugene, competing in the Pre Classic in 13 of the previous 14 years.
Other notable names in the field included Yenew Alamirew (Ethiopia), Ryan Hill (U.S.) and a trio of Kenyans: Edwin Cheruiyot Soi, Isiah Kiplangat Koech and Lawi Lalang.
The race started quickly at the gun, with the pack following the lead of the two pace setters. Lalang took the early lead, a position he held for most of the early part of the race. Both Lagat and Rupp were running alongside each other near the middle, looking comfortable with the early pace.
“It ended up being not too fast of a race, which suited me,” Lagat said of his first race of the season. “I realized I am in good shape, the only thing I need to do is make sure I fine tune it.”
Early on there wasn’t much movement within the pack, with the runners content to sit in their positions. As the sun went down and the lights came on at Hayward, Rupp moved into second, getting away from some light jostling that occurred within the pack.
“Race was pretty tactical, so I knew I had to try to make it a little bit longer of a drive,” Rupp said. “A lot of those guys have great kicks at the end, so I didn’t want to leave it until 200 meters to go.”
He made his move at the bell, taking the lead on the outside. Though running well, he couldn’t hold on, falling back with 300 meters to go. Kejelcha took control of the race, building enough of a gap that he was able to take the victory. His final time was a personal best.
Rupp couldn’t hold on for second, watching as Soi jumped him (13:11.97). Rupp took third (13:12.36).
“I did my best, did what I thought I needed to do to win,” Rupp said. “Take it going forward, make the right adjustments in training and go from there.”
Lagat finished fourth in 13:14.97, a better finish than what happened last year at the Pre Classic where he was disappointed with his performance.
Following the action, the 10K served as the final event of the first night, featuring a record seven runners with PRs under 27 minutes.
Great Britain’s Farah was the name to watch, as he has been unstoppable since winning the 5,000 gold and 10,000 silver at the 2011 World Championships. He was able to sweep both events at the 2012 Olympics and 2013 World Championships. The 32-year-old is also the fastest British runner in history from the 1500 to the marathon.
Two Kenyan’s looked to challenge Farah in the event — Paul Kipngetich Tanui and Geoffrey Kamworor.
Early in the race the pack was large, as the leaders were content to stick with the group. Farah was content to stay in the middle. Eventually the race shook down to a three-man competition between Farah, Tanui and Kamworor. All three pulled away from the rest of the field.
“It was pretty difficult because we didn’t have a pace maker,” Farah said.
Instead during the beginning of the race all three had a conversation, planning to share the duty of keeping the pace high. They switched who was in the lead, all three sticking together as they sprinted around the track, urged on by the roar of the crowd.
“I like Hayward Field, great support from the crowd,” Farah said. “This track is famous for distance, has great history, so the crowd loves a bit of distance racing.”
In the end it was Farah’s patented kick that won him the race, proving too much for the other two as he sprinted across the finish. Joining him in celebration were his two daughters. Tanui took second (26:51.86) and Kamworor finished third (26:52.65).
Cam Levins took fourth, shattering the Canadian record with a personal best time of 27:07.51.
With the victory Farah maintains his four year undefeated streak in the 10k. The person he considers his biggest rival right now just happens to be his training partner Rupp.
“Off the field we are great friends, we are trying to help each other,” Farah said. “He is still young, and he is coming on.”
Click here for a complete list of results from the Prefontaine Classic.
The meet will conclude tomorrow, with the start of the event scheduled to begin at noon.
Follow Christopher Keizur on Twitter @chriskeizur