American Record: Shalane Flanagan, 14:44.80
2007 U.S. Champion: Shalane Flanagan, 14:51.75
2004 Olympic Trials Champion: Shayne Culpepper, 15:07.41
Top 5 Seed Times
1.) Shalane Flanagan, 14:44.80
2.) Jen Rhines, 14:54.29
3.) Kara Goucher, 14:55.02
4.) Lauren Fleshman, 14:58.48
5.) Molly Huddle, 15:17.13
Fresh off her win in the 10,000m, Shalane Flanagan will be going for a Trials double in the 5,000m. Like the 10,000m, she will enter the race as American-record holder and favorite. She is also the defending champion.
A pair of local athletes will be among the runners pushing Flanagan. Kara Goucher, runner-up in the 10,000m, and Lauren Fleshman, the 2006 U.S. champion, have both broken 15 minutes and have shown themselves to be in good shape recently.
Jen Rhines, a 2004 Olympic marathoner, has the second-fastest seed time and placed second at the 2007 U.S. Championships and seventh at the World Championships.
Molly Huddle is also doubling back in the 5,000m, after finishing ninth in the 10,000m.
Oregon Track Club Elite’s Cack Ferrell, Oregon sophomore Nicole Blood and Nike Oregon Project’s Amy Yoder Begley, the third-place finisher in the 10,000m Friday night, will give the fans some more local talent to cheer for.
Blood said her goal is to make the final.