Americans win BAA 5K in record times

Two American runners took home prestigious BAA 5K titles on Saturday two days before the Boston Marathon over strong elite fields. Both wins set new American records in the 5K.

The weather Saturday in Boston was perfect for fast times and spectators. With the sun shining and moderate spring temperatures, athletes capitalized on the day.

New England native Ben True won his third BAA 5K, clocking 13:22 in the downtown Boston road race. The win makes True the first athlete to win the event three times.

“People were calling my name all around the course,” True said about the crowds. “I felt bad for Sambu. They were just cheering for me and not for him. I knew, based on last year, that I might be able to run fast on this course. Now, having this kind of benchmark confirms that I’m on course for the rest of the year.”

Fellow American Molly Huddle also set an American record in her in second win at the BAA 5K. Huddle won in14:50 to take four seconds from Deena Kastor’s 2002 record. It was a huge, 20-second PB for the Rhode Island runner.

“The world 5K record probably will get chipped away in the future, and I think this is a good place to do it, but for me to be anywhere close to that is a lot to wrap my mind around,” commented Huddle about her time being only four seconds slower than the world record at the distance.

The BAA invitational mile was also held Saturday, the other of the two road races which happen in the days leading up to the headline marathon on Monday.

Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia won the men’s mile in a modest 4:04.1. The 25-year-old was the silver medallist behind Mo Farah over 5,000m at at the London Olympics.

In the women’s race, 18-year-old Dawit Seyaum of Ethiopia broke the course record, showing she’s ready to compete with the best. Seyaum’s 4:35.4 broke the course record by over three seconds. Her sub-4:00 1,500m best is one of only four junior athletes to ever run under the mark. Quiet after the race, she told media through a translator that she was happy with her race.