British distance runner Eilish McColgan (© Getty Images)
Fast times were the target at The TEN in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Saturday (4) and that’s exactly what Eilish McColgan and Alicia Monson delivered as they both set national 10,000m records at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event.
Commonwealth Games champion McColgan, who is preparing to make her marathon debut in London next month, won the women’s race in 30:00.86 to beat the British 10,000m record of 30:01.09 set by Paula Radcliffe when she won her European title in Munich in 2002.
Monson, meanwhile, finished second in 30:03.82 to improve the North American record of 30:13.17 set by Molly Huddle at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The pair now sit 12th and 14th, respectively, on the world all-time list.
Josette Andrews helped to pace McColgan and Monson to half way in 15:09 and they continued to pick up the tempo. They both ran a 70-second penultimate lap and McColgan kicked past Monson with 300m to go, running 64.87 for her final 400m to add a fifth national record to her CV to go with her marks for 5000m (14:28.55), 5km (14:45), 10km (30:19 European record) and half marathon (1:06:26). She also ran an area best for 10 miles of 50:43 in 2021.
Monson’s final lap was 67.99 and that secured her a second North American record in a month after her 8:25.05 indoor 3000m in New York.
Elly Henes finished third in 30:48.26.
The men’s race was won by Woody Kincaid from his US compatriot Joe Klecker, 27:06.37 to 27:07.57, as they both set PBs.
Australia’s Commonwealth Games 1500m champion Oliver Hoare helped to pace them to 5000m in 13:35 and Kincaid, who set an area indoor 5000m record of 12:51.61 in Boston in January, hit the front with 900m left to run. He moved away from Klecker in the closing stages to win by a second, with Athanas Kioko, who started as a pacemaker, finishing third in 27:23.84.
