Track Preview: Flagstaff Pros (and Nico Young) Descend on Sound Running’s The Ten on Saturday Night

They say the swallows no longer return to San Juan Capistrano in March, at least not in the numbers that made the Southern California beach town famous in film, in song and in local legend.

Not to worry.

If it’s March in Capistrano, that now means that many of the world’s top distance runners will flock to the track at J Serra High School to chase fast times and Olympic standards in Sound Running’s The Ten.

Saturday night’s rendition of the specialty events – the “Paris” 10Ks serve as the headliner, but there also are 1,500-meter races, as well as prep races – will be crucial for those seeking the Olympic qualifying time standard, 27 minutes for the men and 30:40 for the women.

Pretty much every runner participating needs that standard for this summer’s Paris Olympics, save Alicia Monson, who has the standard but will race anyway Saturday. Grant Fisher has logged a 26:33.84 10K time, but not within the qualifying window. He will be leading a stacked men’s field at The Ten.

Chances are good that several runners will dip below the needed times – though at last year’s meet, no men achieved the standard and only Brit Eilish McColgan and Monson got it. The races will feature pacers and pace lights ringing the infield, and the mentality of the athletes is to take it out fast and strong, as opposed to tactical races often seen in big meets.

Flagstaff will be well-represented Saturday night. Some 14 pros who live and/or train in Flagstaff are entered in the “Paris” heats. And that’s not counting Fisher, who moved to Park City, Utah, after leaving the Bowerman Track Club but has been seen around Flagstaff throughout February.

Here’s a look at the fields, from a Flagstaff perspective:

  MEN

• Woody Kincaid: Another Bowerman refugee, Kincaid has been working with Mike Smith’s loosely-affiliated group for more than a year now. Last year, at The Ten, he outkicked On’s Joe Klecker for the win, but Kincaid’s time of 27:06.37 fell short. Kincaid, no doubt, is hoping to save at least seven seconds this time around.
• Luis Grijalva: The former NAU star and Guatemalan Olympian – part of Smith’s group — will open his season on Saturday night (he did pace an indoor race in Seattle last month). It is not known where Grijalva’s fitness level rests at currently. Judging by his social-media accounts, Grijalva spent a lot of time this winter cross training in the pool, but has been back working out on the track with teammates and with NAU runners. Last year at The Ten, Grijalva placed ninth in 27:42.56.
• Abdihamid Nur: The ex-NAU star, still training under Smith, has raced twice this year indoors, finishing fourth in the 5K at the Terrier Classic in Boston in 13:03.17, and placing fifth in the U.S. Indoor Championships in Albuquerque in 7:58.65. Nur is perceived to be better at 5,000 meters – he twice represented the U.S. and the World Championships – but has shown versatility.
• Nico Young: After winning the 5,000 meters and 3,000 last week at the NCAA Indoors Championships in Boston, NAU’s Young makes a quick turnaround in hopes of achieving the Olympic 10K standard. It might be a tall order, since the NCAA 10K record is 27:10, but Young conceivably could do both on Saturday. He is racing well, and it will be interesting to see how his legs respond after last weekend’s hard efforts.
• Adriann Wildschutt: The NAZ Elite runner and South African recordholder’s 5K indoor win in 12:56.76 indoors at the Terrier Classic was overshadowed by Young’s NCAA-record performance of 12:57.14 to finish second in the race. Wildschutt did not compete at The Ten last year, but ran 27:23.10 last May at Mount SAC before placing 14^th in the World Championships in Hungary in 28:21.40.
• Edwin Kurgat: Now running for Under Armour Mission Dark Sky Distance, Kurgat achieved the 5K world standard at the Terrier Classic, and now hopes to add the 10K. Lately, he’s been focusing on road racing, but owns a 27:58.33 track 10K personal best from 2021.
• Wesley Kiptoo: Since joining NAZ Elite after a celebrated college career, Kiptoo has shown steady progression. He has toggled between the road and track; he finished second in January’s Houston Half Marathon in 1:00:43. He competed in TheTen last year and ran 27:45:81 for 11^th place.
• Alex Masai: Another NAZ Elite track-centric runner, Masai finished just behind Grijalva in last year’s The Ten in 27:42.80. In last year’s Kenyan World Championship Trials in Nairobi, Masai finished seventh in 28:01.

WOMEN

• Weini Kelati: Kelati, of Dark Sky Distance, has excelled on the roads and cross country courses; on the track, her results have been mixed. She started 2024 off with a bang by setting the American record in the half marathon at 1:06.25 in Houston. She also will lead the U.S. contingent at the World Cross Country Championships later this month in Belgrade. She’s been working hard on the track in this buildup to the Olympic Trials. Last May, Kelati tried for the world standard in London and came up short in 31:04 to place second in the race.
• Elly Henes: Henes (pictured) had a great run at last year’s The Ten, finishing third in 30:48.26, and she is no doubt hoping to lower that mark on Saturday. It’s been a tough road recently for Henes, who trains in Flagstaff under Smith. She revealed recently that she underwent lung surgery (20% had collapsed) in October and used the indoor season to get back in shape.
• Rachel Smith: Speaking of getting back in shape, Rachel Smith has bounced back superbly less than a year after giving birth to her daughter, Nova. Showing amazing versatility, Smith two weeks ago won the U.S. 15K Road Running Championships in Florida in 48:26, overtaking Keira D’Amato. In early February at the Scarlet and White Invitational in Boston, she placed second in the mile at 4:28.65. Later last month, she placed fourth in the U.S. Indoors 3,000 meters at 9:10. This will be only the third time Smith has raced a 10K on the track.
• Dani Polerecky: Polerecky (nee, Shanahan), who runs for McKirdy Trained, has bounced back well after some off-races. In February, on the roads, she won the Mesa 10K at 32:40. She did not finish last year’s The Ten, but she holds a 10K track personal best of 31:22.86, set in December of 2020 at the J Serra track.
• Mercy Chelangat: The NAZ Elite runner, a former two-time collegiate champion at Alabama, has only recently started her pro career. Her 10K track personal best: 31:55.80. Chelangat ran three track 10Ks last year, only one as a pro, her PB last April at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif.
• Sara Hall: After finishing fifth in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February, Hall is bouncing back to try for the standard in the 10K on the track. It’s been several years since Hall has run seriously in track races – she’s concentrated on marathons and half marathons – and her personal best of 31:21.90 came in 2021.