Faces in Races: Rhines, Fleshman, and Lambie Looking for Olympic Berths in Women’s 5000m
Posted July 4th, 2008 at 12:03 PM by Jared Markowitz
Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics
The Women’s 5000m at the 2008 US Olympic Trials will feature several women who could be legitimate medal contenders in Beijing. Leading the pack will be Shalane Flanagan, the American Record holder in both the 5000m and the 10000m. Joining her will be fellow 10000m Olympian Kara Goucher, who was third in the that event at the World Championships in Osaka last summer. Another favorite will be Villanova alum Jen Rhines, a two time Olympian (10000m in 2000, marathon in 2004). Former Stanford star Lauren Fleshman has been outstanding in 2008 and rounds out the group of four women who have broken 15:00 in the qualifying window.
As in the other distance races, the A standard will be in play for this final. That is, the Olympic team will be comprised of the top three finishers who have run the A standard previously or in this race. The A standard in the women’s 5000m is 15:09, and the aforementioned four (Flanagan, Rhines, Goucher, Fleshman) are the only runners in the field who have reached that mark. It is likely that the three Olympians will be among this group, but there are several other strong contenders. Below we profile three runners in this final: Rhines, Fleshman, and Massachusetts native and Stanford alum Arianna Lambie. Finally, we make some picks for what should be yet another fantastic distance final.
Jen Rhines
Jen Rhines got her start in running as a middle school sprinter before moving up and becoming a force in the NY state high school ranks. She continued her standout career at Villanova winning NCAA titles in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track in 1994 and 1995 before graduating with a degree in civil engineering in 1996. Rhines was the runner up at the 2000 Olympic Trials in the 10000m and was third in the marathon at the 2004 Olympic Trials, qualifying for the U.S. team both times. She is also an accomplished 5000m runner, placing seventh in that event at last summer’s World Championships in Osaka. Rhines is married to renowned distance coach Terrance Mahon (Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor’s coach) and should be regarded as a strong favorite to make the U.S. 5000m team in these Olympic Trials.
Lauren Fleshman
Lauren Fleshman is another favorite in the 5000m final thanks to her 14:58 5000m and 4:09 1500m times earlier this year. Lauren is a California native and Stanford alum who now trains in Eugene with former Stanford coach (now Oregon coach) Vin Lananna. Fleshman won three straight NCAA titles in the 5000m while at Stanford studying human biology. She graduated in 2003 and made the US team for the World Championships that summer. Three years later she added the USATF national championship at 5000m to her resume and has also improved her PR’s in the 1500m and the 3000m over the last few years. In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Lauren is an accomplished pianist and guitar player as well as a respected blogger.
Arianna Lambie
Among runners without the A standard, Arianna Lambie is perhaps the most likely runner to make the Olympic team. Lambie is a native of Harvard, MA and got her start in running as a high school standout, posting the fastest times in both the mile and two mile in the nation her senior year. She was the 2003 US Junior National champion in the 1500m and continued her success at Stanford where she became a fourteen-time All-American. She also received numerous academic awards before graduating with a degree in Earth Systems.
So how will this race pan out? From a statistical perspective (i.e. previous performances) one would expect the four women with the A standard to be well ahead of the rest, fighting for three Olympic spots. However, one has to wonder whether Flanagan and Goucher have much left in the tank after their solid 10k last weekend and their front running performances in the 5000m semis. One also has to consider the possibility of one of the runners who don’t have the A standard pulling “The Begley” (placing top 3 and getting the A standard in the Trials race), especially with the favorable weather conditions predicted for this evening (low 60s, 65% humidity). All of the favorites looked great in the prelims, as did Lambie and University of Pittsburgh alum Maureen McCandless. In the end I think Flanagan, Rhines, and Fleshman finish in the top 3 with Goucher and Lambie close behind. This race could go many ways, however, so look out for some fireworks!
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Tags: 5000m, Arianna Lambie, Eugene, hayward field, Jen Rhines, Kara Goucher, lauren fleshman, Olympic Trials, oregon, Shalane Flanagan, Team USA, track & field trials, track and field, track trials, u.s. olympic track & field trials, womens 5000m
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The Final Sprint