BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, January 27—Yared Nuguse and Woody Kincaid, like all distance runners, came to the John Thomas Terrier Classic on BU’s legendarily fast 200-meter oval not to race so much as to run fast.
They succeeded wildly, shocking the world and themselves in talking down tough American Records in the 3000 and 5000.
The tempo built throughout the evening, and by the time the 3000 came up as the penultimate event, fans had already seen plenty of speed, including 2 sections of the mile that delivered 15 sub-4:00s. Northern Arizona alum Luis Grijalva had taken over the fast section after halfway and closed with a 1:54.93 final 800 to beat unheralded Nick Dahl, 3:53.53–3:55.82. It was the first trip under 4:00 for both and a Guatemalan Record for the winner.
For the 3000, Austin Dahlquist rabbited through the first kilo in 2:30.80. Nuguse ran 3rd, with AJ Ernst holding the 2nd spot. A lap later Dahlquist stepped off, leaving Ernst to carry the pace through 1800 (1600 in 4:01.20). When he dropped, Ethiopia’s World Junior 5000 champ Addisu Yehune made a bid for the front, but Nuguse soon passed the teenager and dropped the tempo to sub-30 second laps. Only Britain’s Sam Atkin could stay in hailing range of the two, but Nuguse’s lead kept growing. He passed 2000 in 5:00.77 and it became a runaway.
A final 400 of 58.01 brought him to the line in 7:28.23, an absolute American Record that is 0.25 faster than Grant Fisher’s outdoor best of 7:28.48 as well as Galen Rupp’s indoor AR of 7:30.16 from 10 years ago.
Behind Nuguse, the hits kept coming. Atkin crossed in a British Record 7:31.97, Mario García of Spain in 7:34.74. Yehune’s 7:36.13 edged Northern Arizona’s Drew Bosley, whose 7:36.42 broke the Collegiate Record of 7:38.13 that Nuguse set last year for Notre Dame. In 6th came Hobbs Kessler with a significant PR, 7:39.00. While no longer a Junior, Kessler is now the fastest teen in U.S. history.
Nuguse told LetsRun, “I definitely didn’t come in thinking, ‘I’m going to go for the record, I’m going to go for the record.’ It just happened.”
The 5000 certainly didn’t look like a lock for Kincaid until he unleashed his scintillating kick on the final lap. Cruz Culpepper took care of the early pacing, hitting 1200 in 3:07.61 after a 2:35.86 kilo. Then Atkins, who still had some legs after that 3K, leading to the 2K mark where Olli Hoare (5:12.67) took over. He paced through 3K in 7:47.88, with teammate Joe Klecker staying close. Dylan Jacobs of Tennessee and Kincaid trailed. Soon Hoare stepped off, leaving Klecker and Kincaid in contention, while Jacobs faded.
Finally, with little more than 3 laps left, Klecker broke contact with Kincaid and built a 10-meter-plus lead. At the bell, it appeared he had victory assured. But he was starting to rig up as Kincaid turned on his kick. Looking absolutely fresh, Kincaid jetted to the lead on the backstretch and claimed the win going away, his last circuit 26.27 to his opponent’s 31.03.
The 30-year-old Kincaid had broken Fisher’s AR of 12:53.73 with his 12:51.61, and Klecker’s 12:54.99 made him No. 4 among Americans all-time (in/out). Behind them, 7 others broke 13:20, with Jacobs in 4th running 13:11.01, the No. 3 collegiate performance ever.
Kincaid has left the Bowerman TC and of late has been training in Flagstaff with Mike Smith. “Joe did a lot of the work,” he said. It was kind of the perfect race. It’s easy to have that second boost when you have a really loud audience and you have someone right there, just out of reach.”
The second day belonged to the women, and Canada’s Lucia Stafford ran the fastest-ever 1000 by a North American, her 2:33.75 handling Allie Wilson’s 2:36.31. The mile went to Krissy Gear (4:29.67), and the 3000 saw a thrilling finish as Canada’s Regan Yee barely held off Colorado alum Abby Nichols, 8:48.53–8:48.58.
THOMAS TERRIER MEN’S RESULTS
(200 banked; men on 1/27, women on 1/28)
60: 1. Rikkoi Brathwaite’ (BVI) 6.68.
800: 1. *Crayton Carrozza (Tx) 1:46.28 PR (=9, x AmC);
2. **Reed Cherry (NEn) 1:47.84 PR; 3. Jack Salisbury (unat) 1:49.24 PR; 4. Daniel Nixon (AtlTC) 1:49.77.
1000: 1. Andrew Coscoran’ (Ire) 2:19.25 PR; 2. *Parker Stokes (Gtn) 2:23.35.
Mile: I–1. Luis Grijalva’ (Gua) 3:53.53 NR; 2. Nick Dahl (unat) 3:55.82 PR; 3. *Matthew Rizzo (Gtn) 3:56.20 PR; 4. Cruz Culpepper (Hoka) 3:57.19 PR; 5. Austen Dalquist (RootsRP) 3:57.33 PR; 6. **Abel Teffra (Gtn) 3:57.76 PR; 7. Austin Miller (TinE) 3:57.90 PR; 8. Jacob Brueckman (RootsRP) 3:59.60 PR.
II–1. **Steven Jackson (BC) 3:57.70 PR; 2. **Joe dosReis (David) 3:58.34 PR; 3. *Camden Gilmore (Gtn) 3:58.45; 4. **Lucas Guerra (Gtn) 3:58.94 PR; 5. Oisin O’Gailin’ (Ire) 3:59.07 PR; 6. Dage Minors’ (Ber) 3:59.35 PR; 7. Jack Sheffar’ (Can) 3:59.79 PR; 8. ***Zane Powell’ (Prov-NZ) 4:01.12 PR.
3000: 1. Yared Nuguse (OnAC) 7:28.23 AR (old AR 7:30.16 Galen Rupp [Nik] ’13) (9, x W) (in/out: 1, 1 A— absolute AR 7:28.48 Grant Fisher [NikBowTC] ’22);
2. Sam Atkin’ (GB) 7:31.97 NR; 3. Mario García’ (Spa) 7:34.74 PR; 4. Addisu Yihune’ (Eth) 7:36.13 PR;
5. **Drew Bosley (NnAz) 7:36.42 CR, absolute CR (old CR 7:38.13 Nuguse [NDm] ’22; old absolute CR 7:37.70 Rudy Chapa [Or] ’79) (5, 10 A);
6. Hobbs Kessler (adi) 7:39.00 PR; 7. **Yaseen Abdalla’ (Tn-Sud) 7:42.23 NR; 8. Adam Fogg’ (GB) 7:44.14 PR; 9. Olin Hacker (NAzE) 7:45.46 PR; 10. Samuel Firewu’ (Eth) 7:51.78 PR.
5000: 1. Woody Kincaid (Nike) 12:51.61 AR (old AR 12:53.73 Grant Fisher [NikBowTC] ‘22) (4, 4 W; in/out: 2, 2 A);
2. Joe Klecker (OnAC) 12:54.99 PR (7, 7 W; 3, 3 A; in/out: 4, 6 A);
3. Jonas Raess’ (Swi) 13:10.96;
4. Dylan Jacobs (Tn) 13:11.01 AmCR (old AmCR 13:11.80 Alex Maier [OkSt] ’22) (3, 3 C; in/out: 5, 5 C; 2, 2 AmC;
5. Ben Flanagan’ (Can) 13:11.12 PR; 6. Mike Foppen’ (Neth) 13:11.60 NR; 7. Sam Parsons’ (Ger) 13:12.78 NR; 8. Geordie Beamish’ (NZ) 13:14.64; 9. Morgan Beadlescomb (adi) 13:15.82; 10. Athanas Kioko’ (Ken) 13:22.12 PR; 11. Wesley Kiptoo’ (Ken) 13:22.52 PR; 12. Eduardo Herrera (UArmDS) 13:23.30; 13. Mason Ferlic (adi) 13:29.33 PR.
60H: 1. **Jayden Smith (David) 7.82.
THOMAS TERRIER WOMEN’S RESULTS
60: 1. Mia Brahe-Pedersen (OrHS) 7.35.
200: 1. Felicia Brown Edwards (GSTC) 23.36; 2. Brahe-Pedersen 23.49.
800: 1. Olivia Baker (AtlTC) 2:00.78; 2. Heather McLean (NBal) 2:01.33; 3. Brenna Detra (unat) 2:01.65; 4. Dani Jones (NBal) 2:01.68; 5. Valery Tobias (Tx) 2:02.25.
1000: 1. Lucia Stafford’ (Can) 2:33.75 NR (9, x W); 2. Allie Wilson (AtlTC) 2:36.31 PR (8, 9 A);
3. Gemma Finch (AtlTC) 2:37.48; 4. Presley Weems (AtlTC) 2:41.10 PR; 5. Jessy Lacourse’ (Can) 2:41.93 PR; 6. Ellie Shea (MaHS) 2:44.51 PR (7, 10 HS).
Mile: 1. Krissy Gear (NAzE) 4:29.67 PR; 2. **Alexandra Carlson (Rut) 4:31.51 PR; 3. Annie Rodenfels (BAA) 4:34.74; 4. Katherine Mitchell (BC) 4:35.43 PR; 5. Jessica Lawson (Puma) 4:36.26; 6. *Andrea Claeson (Gtn) 4:36.51 PR.
3000: 1. Regan Yee’ (Can) 8:48.53 PR; 2. Abby Nichols (Hoka) 8:48.58 PR; 3. Katie Wasserman (NAzE) 8:49.65 PR; 4. Emma Grace Hurley (AtlTC) 8:51.34 PR; 5. Charlotte Prouse’ (Can) 8:59.68 PR; 6. Maddie Alm (TmBoss) 9:03.67 PR; 7. Angelia Rafter (CCt) 9:06.82 PR; 8. Adva Cohen’ (Isr) 9:07.45 PR; 9. Jasmine Fehr (Tn) 9:09.51 PR.
