Lomong Wins 10,000 For First Outdoor Title in 8 Years

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

DES MOINES – Lopez Lomong gave the USATF Outdoor Championships a Throwback Thursday moment when he won the 10,000 meters at Drake Stadium.

Lomong, of the Nike Bowerman Track Club, won his first national outdoor title since 2010, when he won the 1,500 meters.

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“I’m really blessed,” he said. “So happy.”

Ten years after being elected the flag-bearer of the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, Lomong has re-discovered passion and enjoyment in his running, and it was evident Thursday night when he became the first athlete in meet history to pair a 1,500 title (he has two of them) with a 10,000 title. (Before 1932, the national championships had five-mile and one-mile races and there were four who pulled off that career double).

“The (1,500) and the 10, it’s good,” Lomong said. “It’s a good thing and I’m just going to continue doing it. I run for joy now. I run for this great nation. My strength brought me to where I am today. The distance doesn’t matter. I am just happy to have this opportunity and this platform.”

Lomong has become one of the country’s elder statesman in elite distance running and has now demonstrated the kind of range that very few have before.

After three years of relentless injuries, Lomong said his training was “amazing” so far in 2018.

Last fall in Louisville, Ky., Lomong watched his younger brother, Peter, win an NCAA cross country championship with his alma mater, Northern Arizona. It was an experience that fed his inspiration and motivation heading into 2018.

“I was in Kentucky when I saw not only my brother, but my alma mater went out and ran tough,” Lomong said. “It excited me. It was good to the program I was part of, that brought me where I need to be, giving a lot of opportunity to show these young athletes to open their eyes (that) they too can be a professional runner.”

Lomong studied previous 10,000-meter U.S. championship races on Youtube.com before going to the starting line. He stayed behind race favorite Shadrack Kipchirchir until the end and closed in 54.16, showing leg speed that no one else could match.

A non-pro and former Drake University athlete, Reed Fischer, enjoyed a moment in the spotlight as he led three laps late in the race before Kipchirchir and Lomong went past him with a little over 400 meters to go. Fischer lives in Colorado and is part of a coach Tom Schwartz's training group, which includes Drew Hunter.

Lomong was clocked in 28:58.38 and Kipchirchir was second in 28:59.67. Elkhanah Kibet was third in 29:05.51 and Fischer was fourth in 29:06.81.

Molly Huddle became the first American woman to win four straight 10,000-meter titles and demonstrated her mastery of the event. Competing in her 14th USATF Outdoor Championships, Huddle controlled the pace from the front, burned off every contender but one, and then dusted Marielle Hall over the final lap to claim the victory in 31:52.32.

“I was thinking I would finding myself in the lead so I wanted something that was comfortable for me that would still drop a lot of people so I settled into a groove with 77-second laps,” she said. “I just think if you’re strong you need to tire people out of there’s too many people there at the end.”

Huddle came back from a painful experience at the Boston Marathon, and subsequent surgery to remove her wisdom teeth.

“I’m really glad I made it here healthy and fit enough to pull off another win.” Huddle said.

Hall tried to sit on Huddle right to the end but didn’t have the gear to stay with her over a final lap in 64 seconds. Hall closed in 68 and finished second in 31:56.68.

Huddle was grateful to have another national title, and in knowing that four in a row was a first.

“That’s pretty special,” she said. “There are so many talented women on the track, and young women who are really good, like Emily Sisson who I train with. Any time I can win is special. I always treat it like it’s the last one because you never know, but four is great.”

Veteran Stephanie Bruce was third in 32:05.05 and Sisson was fourth in 32:06.31. Bruce's husband, Ben, was 14th in the men's race.

Olympic triathlete Gwen Jorgensen, who has made a switch to full-time running, was seventh in 32:24.09.

Nick Christie, a two-time national indoor champion, captured his first career outdoor title in the 20,000-meter racewalk in a facility record 1:24:53.37, adding to a year that has seen him also produce personal bests at the 10,000 and 50,000 distances.