With less than a quarter mile to go in the BAA 5K, Morgan Beadlescomb was in a scrum of 11 runners, making the hazardous 90-degree turn toward the finish line. He got bumped—but stayed on his feet.
“As soon as that happened, I just had to go,” he said.
Beadlescomb launched his kick along the final 300-meter straightaway into the Boston Public Garden and emerged from a fast crowd to win in 13:25 (averaging 4:19 per mile pace).
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Ben Flanagan of Canada finished second in 13:26 and set a Canadian road 5K record in the process. Edwin Kurgat of Kenya was third in 13:27.
In the women’s race, that corner proved more difficult. While Mekides Abebe of Ethiopia and Agnes Ngetich of Kenya had already pulled away from the pack—Abebe won in 15:01, with Ngetich a second back in 15:02—Jesca Chelangat of Kenya took a hard fall, got up, and jogged across the line in fifth in 15:15.
“The race was very good,” Abebe said through a translator. “I prepared very well. The only thing is, it was a little bit cold for me.”
Americans finished third and fourth: Annie Rodenfels of the BAA High Performance team outsprinted Weini Kelati, 15:12 to 15:13.
Abebe was the bronze medalist in the steeplechase at the 2022 World Championships. Beadlescomb, Flanagan, and Rodenfels are also track specialists, preparing for the upcoming season and the World Championships in August in Budapest, Hungary. The BAA 5K was a good season opener.
Beadlescomb and Flanagan train in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the Very Nice Track Club (yes, that’s the name). Beadlescomb, 24, is in his first year as a pro. He isn’t sure whether he’ll focus on the 1500 or the 5,000 meters on the track. “Want to stay versatile,” he said, “and keep having fun and doing stuff like this.”
Rodenfels, also, has to decide if she’ll run the steeplechase or the 5,000 meters. She struggles with her form over the barriers on the steeplechase, but the event might present her best chance to make a U.S. team.
In the 5,000 meters, she hopes to break the 15-minute barrier this season. Her time on the roads was close to her PR on the track, 15:08.
In the wheelchair races, Marcel Hug of Switzerland was the men’s winner in 9:52, while American Susannah Scaroni was the women’s winner in 11:10. Both will compete in the marathon on Monday.
Prize money went 10 places deep for the 5K runners. Beadlescomb and Abebe each took home $7,500 for their victories. Flanagan and Ngetich won $4,000 apiece, and Kurgat and Rodenfels earned $2,500.
BAA Miles
Hobbs Kessler, 20, who turned pro out of high school and now also trains with the Very Nice Track Club, won the men’s BAA mile, in 4:08. Casey Comber was second, and Johnny Gregorek was third.
On the women’s side, Krissy Gear, who trains with Northern Arizona Elite, won in 4:40 by 3 seconds over Lizzie Bird of Great Britain. Susan Ejore of Kenya was third.
The course, which is three laps around city streets with hard corners, runs significantly slower than the equivalent distance on the track.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
