At the Diamond League meet in Monaco on Friday, Molly Huddle broke her own American record in the 5,000 meters, . The time is more than two seconds quicker than her previous mark, set last summer in Belgium.
“I am happy I was able to chip away at the record and take advantage of the famously fast Monaco track,” Huddle told the , the major newspaper in her hometown of Elmira, New York.
The 29-year-old, who was a 10-time All American when she ran for Notre Dame, that race conditions were ideal for her to run a PR.
“Fortunately for me, it was the the perfect race for me,” Huddle said. “I just tried to get into a comfortable spot and pay attention to my splits. I knew it would be a gut check with five laps to go and then again with two laps to go and then again with one lap to go. I just pushed until I went past it.”
The American also benefited from very fast company. The winner of the race was Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, who ran 14:28.88, the fastest time in the world this year.
If you’re into breaking records but think a 14:42 5K might be a little brisk, two-time Olympic gold medalist Mo Farrah just set the world record in the 100-meter sack race last Monday; 39.91 is the time to beat, should you feel up to the challenge.