Stanfords Roisin Willis Back on Track, Nico Young became the new collegiate record-holder in the men’s 5,000 meters.
On Friday, January 26, the Northern Arizona University junior shattered the time by running 12:57.14 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic at Boston University. Young took more than six seconds off the previous record set by Harvard’s Graham Blanks on the same track less than two months before (13:03.78). Before Blanks, the record stood at 13:08.28, set by Lawi Lalang in 2012. Young is the first collegian in history to run under the 13-minute barrier indoors or outdoors.
“I knew I could break 13 on my best day, and it was a great day today,” Young told FloTrack afterwards.
Young ran a patient race to achieve the time, which is also well under the 13:05 Olympic qualifying standard. The All-American from Camarillo, California, started in the middle of the pack while the pacesetters brought the field through the mile in 4:12. Over the next eight laps, Young gradually moved up toward the front.
When the rabbit hit 3,000 meters in 7:51, a group of six, including Young, began to separate from the rest of the field. Led by British Olympian Sam Atkin, the pack’s pace picked up over the final mile. With 800 meters remaining, South African Olympian Adriaan Wildschutt made a big move to the front. Young responded by moving up to third behind Wildschutt and Atkin. With two laps remaining, the race was on.
Right before the final lap, Young passed Wildschutt but the Northern Arizona Elite standout had another gear, which he used to break away from Young on the homestretch. Wildschutt won the heat in 12:56.76, just ahead of Young, who improved on his previous personal best by 14 seconds.
The performance comes just one week after Young ran an impressive 3:57.33 in the mile at altitude at the Lumberjack Team Challenge, which converts to 3:48.71 at sea level. After the race in Boston, Young said he was battling some knee pain over the last two weeks and ran shorter distances in training to manage the setback. On Friday, Young said he was pain free.
“I was able to show myself that it doesn’t really matter how much I run, I can still run fast, so I’m happy about that,” Young said.
Including Young, 11 athletes ran under the Olympic standard in the 5,000 meters on Friday night, kicking off an exciting start on the road to Paris this summer.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a precursive NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
