Top 5: Distance Performances at the World Champs

Nearly two weeks of intense competition came to a close Sunday, as the IAAF World Championships wrapped up. While there are a wide range of thoughts pertaining to the U.S. distance runners, the overall performance was rather strong, especially in the middle distance events. Here are the top five U.S. performances of the championships:

IAAF World T&F Championships Website

5. Dathan Ritzenhein (10,000m) - He's back! Ritzenhein has run some amazing races over the past few years, but seemed to lack that spark that made him so great and so exciting to watch while at Colorado. Ritz changed coaches and the switch seemed to be immediately felt, as he finished sixth overall in the 10k, running a new PR of 27:22.28. While he won't take another stab at the event this season, he seems poised to break Meb Keflezighi's American record in the event next year and hopefully take a stab at running very low 13's in the 5k. Watching Ritz grind it out, passing many of the best runners in the world, certainly puts him in the top five best performances of the World Championships.

4. Nick Symmonds (800m) - Heading into the World Championships, many questioned whether or not an American could actually reach the 800m final. Well, Symmonds proved that it can be done, while running a courageous final, jumping up to the lead early on and pushing the pace. Symmonds faded in the final 100m to finish in 6th (1:45.71), but he showed that Americans can be truly successful at the international level in this event. If Symmonds can find one more gear over the next year or two, he will easily be able to contend for a medal once more, if not coming home with the gold.

3. Jenny Barringer (3k Steeplechase) - What a year it has been for Barringer. Her long season of intense racing finally came to a close in Berlin, watching her shatter her own American record, placing fifth in the steeplechase final with a fantastic time of 9:12.50, less than four seconds from third place. Barringer showed massive improvement this year from 800-5k, running PRs across the board. She didn't have the perfect race in the final, but she ran the only American record in the distance events. Seeing her run so fast was truly inspirational and it'll be fun to watch her this fall at Colorado, once again eyeing a NCAA cross country title.

2. Shannon Rowbury (1,500m) - What a championship it was for Rowbury. First, she gets tripped up in the quarterfinal, needing to petition to advance to the semifinal. In the semifinal, Rowbury needed to sprint hard over the final 100m to solidify her spot in the final. Then, in the final, Rowbury avoids a fall with 200 meters to go, finishing fourth...but wait, first place is DQ'd and Rowbury ends up taking home the bronze medal in 4:04.18, less than half a second from first place. Rowbury, Christin Wurth-Thomas (5th overall) and Anna Willard (6th) showed round after round that the American women will be contenders in the event for the next Olympic cycle, adding to a growing trend of great performances on the international stage by U.S. women.

1. Bernard Lagat (5,000m) - Pure inspiration. That's the exact phrase that best describes Lagat. For any young American runner that wants to learn what it takes to become truly successful on the international stage, follow the path of Bernard Lagat. Lagat once again showed why he's one of the best in the world, winning two medals (bronze in the 1,500m and silver in the 5k), and running with courage throughout.

Lagat showed obvious disappointment after the 1,500m, where he simply got boxed in and made his move too late. In the 5k, however, despite nursing an injured ankle, Lagat ran with Bekele and finished a very close second, running the most exciting race out of the championships for an American distance runner. Lagat is the masterful leader of U.S. distance running these days. Is there anyone better who could lead them? I think not.