It was Valbys debut at the distance, and her time makes her the 11th-fastest American in history DJ Diplo Is Starting His Own Race Series, added the 10,000-meter collegiate record to her résumé on April 11, running 30:50.43 at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.
Valby’s time takes almost 28 seconds off the previous collegiate record (31:18.07), which was set by Lisa Koll of Iowa State in 2010.
It was Valby’s debut at the distance, and her time makes her the 11th-fastest American in history.
Calli Thackery of Great Britain, who is a 2:22 marathoner, was the pacesetter for Valby and led her through the first half of the race in 15:30. But once Thackery stepped off the track, Valby was alone for the last 12 and a half laps of the race, which she covered in 15:20. She lapped the entire field and finished more than 2 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, Jenna Hutchins of BYU, who ran 32:52.
For an elite runner, Valby does a lot less mileage than most runners of her caliber. She detailed in a Runner’s World article her unusual routine, which includes hours of cross-training every week on an Arc Trainer at a high intensity. At most, Valby currently runs four days per week.
With the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in Eugene, Oregon, fast approaching, Valby is now part of the conversation for two events—the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters. She missed the automatic Olympic qualifying standard (30:40), but it seems likely she could achieve it in the right race, perhaps the Olympic Trials.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World DJ Diplo Is Starting His Own Race Series, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
