An American holding a world record in a middle distance event?
Though he won’t admit it, Bernard Lagat of the United States may be attempting to break a world record this weekend at the Millrose Games in New York. Already having set a record of seven wins in the Millrose Mile, Lagat, fresh off a 7:34 3,000M win, is in killer shape.
Lagat started off his indoor campaign running a 7:34 world-leading 3K run. This was in Glasgow, and was definitely unexpected of the 38-year-old runner. Though a smoking fast time, Lagat said, “I went in there thinking I could run 7:32; that’s what I had in my mind because last year these guys ran 7:29.” Though the other runners are a decade or so younger than the aging great, and those were mid-season times, Lagat isn't someone to take running lightly. He is a competitor through and through.
While the Millrose Games has prestige for its Millrose Mile (which Lagat helped to make famous) in the last few years, its other distance races have been world renowned. For Lagat to become a world record holder for the first time, he will need to run faster than Kenenisa Bekele’s 8:04:35. While Lagat has run some fast times in the two-mile, he did see Galen Rupp eclipse his American record last season (in that same weekend that he beat Rupps indoor 5K American record).
Along with Lagat, the two-mile field includes Andrew Bumbalough, Edward Cheserek, Evan Jager and Cam Levins. This weekend will also have a stacked mile field including Robby Andrews, Donn Cabral, Lawi Lalang and Matthew Centorwitz. On the women’s side, the mile is the only real distance, which will feature Sarah Brown, Emma Coburn, Jordan Hasay, Emily Infeld and Delilah DiCrescenzo of the “Hey There Delilah,” fame.
Don’t miss this weekend's Millrose Games action. This is one of the hottest indoor track meets of the year, and one of the few elite races on American soil.
Photo courtesy of World Track
