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What better way to kickstart the New York City Marathon weekend than with a lightning-fast 5K?
Professional runners from across the country gathered in Manhattan to compete in the USATF 5K Championships, which coincided with the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K presented by New York Road Runners (NYRR). Runners start on the west side of Manhattan, dash through midtown, and conclude their journey in Central Park—at the same finish line as the marathon.
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With Olympians like Jenny Simpson and Hillary Bor on the starting line, it was destined to be a great race. Here’s how it all played out.
Weini Kelati does it again in record fashion
At this point, it would be weird if viewers didn’t see Weini Kelati leading a major road race. The 25-year-old grabbed the front position early and didn’t give it up the entire race. She set a new event record with her finishing time of 15:16.
Kelati told Runner’s World that she wasn’t planning to run right to the front, but was feeling good so she went with it. It’s déjà vu for the Flagstaff, Arizona-based athlete, who won this race last year—also in an event record time.
With Kelati so far ahead, it was easy to lose sight of the battle for second. Emily Infeld followed Kelati closely through 1200 meters, but when she saw the mile split coming up, she realized how fast they were running.
“I think I might have been under 4:50, which is the fastest I’ve run since July,” she told Runner’s World.
She felt the chase pack behind her, which included Erika Kemp, who came up alongside Infeld to maintain their pace. Going into the last 1200, Infeld was confident she’d get second. But Kemp had a better kick in the final 400 meters. Kemp and Infeld shared 15:30 finishing times.
Infled summed up the experience: “Man, this race is hard. It’s fun, but it’s hard.”
Jenny Simpson, who recently declared her intent to focus on road racing, finished a distant 16th. “I need some time to build up to what I want to do. Today kind of proved that. I really wasn’t ready for today,” she told Runner’s World. “I’m disappointed, but it’s good to be back in a uniform.”
Abdihamid Nur nearly makes wrong turn, but pulls out victory
Hillary Bor didn’t spend any time playing around. After the gun, the 32-year-old steeplechase specialist shot to the front, taking former Northern Arizona University NCAA champion and newly professional Abdihamid Nur and Kirubel Erassa with him.
The three of them were clear of the field by the halfway mark, but by the second mile marker Bor and Nur dropped Erassa. The two athletes traded the lead back and forth all throughout Central Park, but Bor began to fade in the final quarter-mile. Nur, who just turned 24 last month, stormed down the final 200 meters. He looked over his shoulder for a sign of Bor, and when he realized there was non, he turned to face the grandstand full of fans with a big smile on his face.
But as he neared the finish line, the lead vehicle swerved left through an opening to leave the course. Nur, who said that it was his first road race, followed the vehicle thinking it was still leading him to the finish—but the finish was just a few meters straight ahead of him. Before Nur fully made the turn, onlookers were able to point him in the correct direction.
“I’m glad it was a mistake I could afford and nobody was close enough,” he told Runner’s World.
He finished in 13:24, a new event record despite the lead vehicle debacle. Bor finished second in 13:29, Erassa third in 13:37.
Nur and Kelati earned $12,000 each for their victories. A total of $60,000 in prize money was distributed through 10th place in both races.
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
