Ben True and Hagos Gebrhiwet Are Set for a Rematch At This Year’s BAA 5K – runnersworld.com

While Boston will soon be swarming with runners and spectators for the Boston Marathon, there are shorter—but still exciting—races happening before the big event on Patriots’ Day.

On Saturday morning, April 13, around 10,000 runners will participate in the BAA 5K, which starts and finishes in Boston Common. Following the 3.1-mile race at 8 a.m., Boylston Street will be taken over by a fleet of fast elites in the BAA Invitational Mile at 10:30.

Thanks to a flat course and all of the adrenaline pumping into the city that weekend, the BAA 5K has historically produced blazing fast times. In 2015, Olympian Molly Huddle set the women’s American record for a 5K road race at Boston, running 14:50.

Then at the 2017 BAA 5K, Ben True set the road 5K record for American men, winning the race in 13:20. This year, a stacked field of elites will be chasing those records, as well as significant paychecks: 1st place is awarded $7,500, while 2nd gets $4,000 and 3rd receives $2,500. (Runners who place 4th through 10th will also receive cash prizes.)

Who to Watch in the BAA 5K

While Huddle won’t be toeing the line in Boston this year—she’s currently training for the London Marathon, which is happening later this month—True, who has won the BAA 5K four times, will be back to attempt his 5th victory. The New Hampshire-based runner placed 10th at the NYC Half Marathon in March, finishing in 1:02:56.

In an interview with Runner’s World after the race, True said that after recovering from a bad bout of the flu in January, he’s focusing his attention on his speedwork and preparing for shorter races on the track and road.

Challenging True in the men’s race is Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia, a 2016 Olympic 5,000-meter bronze medalist who won last year’s race in 13:42, beating True and Tommy Curtain (who is also returning this year) by less than a second.

There’s also another Ben on the starting line: Ben Flanagan, the former NCAA 10K champion from University of Michigan who won last year’s Falmouth Road Race. Rounding out the field are Drew Hunter, the 2019 USATF indoor two-mile champion, and Justyn Knight, a three-time NCAA champion for Syracuse who now runs on the elite Reebok Boston Track Club with Flanagan.

On the women’s side, defending champion Buze Diriba of Ethiopia, who broke the tape at last year’s race in 15:22, will be attempting to win her third straight BAA 5K title. Competing against Diriba are Monicah Ngige, who last year finished two seconds behind her in 3rd place, as well as 2018 4th place finisher Gotytom Gebreslase.

The American field includes two-time Olympic 5,000-meter runner Kim Conley, 2:25:38 marathoner Laura Thweatt, multiple-time NCAA champion distance runner Molly Seidel, and marathoner Lindsey Scherf.

Who to Watch in the BAA Invitational Mile

After the 5K wraps up, all eyes will turn to Boylston Street, where the BAA Invitational Mile participants run through to end at the Boston Marathon finish line. Cash awards are given to the top five finishers in the men’s and women’s races, including $3,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2nd place, and $1,500 for 3rd place.

The women’s race will feature Shannon Osika, who won last year’s Ed Murphey Memphis Mile as well as the HOKA One One Long Island Mile. Earlier this year, Osika nailed a personal best time at the Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile, finishing 4th in 4:25.71. She’ll be challenged in Boston by four-time U.S. road mile champion Heather Kampf as well as 2018 U.S. road mile champion Emily Lipari.

Headlining the men’s elite field is Eric Avila, who won last year’s Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games as well as the 2018 Ed Murphey Memphis Mile. He also finished runner-up at the 2018 USATF road mile championships, running 4:03.9. Competing against him is Robert Domanic, a previous NCAA All-American runner from Ole Miss; Providence, Rhode Island-based runner Julian Oakley; and James Randon, the first athlete at Yale to break 4:00 in the mile.

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