OREGON RELAYS WRAP-UP: Kipyego brings home world-best mark, Gall and Mulder star in 800

EUGENE – Sally Kipyego lit up a cold, windy Friday night with a world-leading time in the 1,500 meters of 4:06.23 at the Oregon Relays -- a two-day high school, college and professional event at Hayward Field.

It was just a tune up for the Oregon Track Club Elite runner out of Texas Tech, who is planning to go for the IAAF World Championships ‘A’ Standard in the 10,000 on Sunday, May 1 at Stanford’s Payton Jordan Invite.

Despite saying she felt “sluggish” prior to the gun going off, Kipyego looked quick and fresh, after spending three weeks training in altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz.

“I can’t believe I ran 4:06 today,” a smiling Kipyego said after her victory lap. “The goal was to blow my lungs out before Sunday and I think I got that goal. The time was just a bonus.”

Kipyego’s mark also broke the meet record by over two seconds. And she did it all on her own – leading from start to finish.

On the men’s side, Jordan McNamara raced a solid opening 1,500 – taking second in 3:45.77 to Oregon’s Matt Centrowitz, who won in 3:42.49.

Also on Friday, Bridget Franek took second in the 5,000 with a solid 15:52.81 showing, which is only six seconds off her best at that distance. She will open up with her first 3,000 steeplechase at the Oregon Twilight on May 6.

“I wish I would’ve competed a little bit better,” Franek said. “But it was a good confidence booster because it felt good.”

Adidas’ Brie Felnagle won the race in 15:43.87.

Seth Summerside also competed in the 5k, taking ninth place behind a slew of Japanese runners and winner Bedan Karoki of Kenya with a time of 13:57.59. Karoki’s winning mark was 13:38.57.

On Saturday, Geena Gall and Tyler Mulder showed their strength in the 800. Gall ran the fastest time in America this year, and the best opener of her career – a 2:02.04. She was happy to record a fast 800 time considering her current training has been more focused on the 1,500. She will race that distance at Stanford next Sunday.

“I just wanted to go out there and push it as hard as I could,” Gall said. “I’ve been training primarily for the 1,500, so I haven’t done many 800 workouts. It was my fastest opener ever, so I was happy with it.”

Mulder, who is normally a frontrunner, deliberately let himself drop to the back of the pack for the first 500. He kicked it into gear with 300 to go and passed all six other runners on the backstretch to take home the win in 1:46.79.

“We wanted to try something a little different,” OTC coach Mark Rowland said. “Tyler’s comfortable at the front, so I told him to put the shackles on.”

“If you’re going to compete at the international level, you want to have a repertoire: you want to be able to go out front, you want to be able to sprint at the end, you want to be able to go in the middle,” Rowland continued. “I just want him to be able to develop his tools and be comfortable.”

Stephen Pifer raced well in the first 3,000 steeplechase of his career. Pifer opened the outdoor season with a 2k steeple at the Oregon Preview on March 20, so it was his first shot at the longer distance. He clocked a 9:01.01 to finish second behind Japan’s Hiroyoshi Umegae (8:59.06).

Ashton Eaton competed in three events over the weekend. On Friday he put together a consistent series in the discus ring. He went 45.01 meters, 44.88, and 45.40 (148 feet, 11 inches); which are all close to his PR of 152-7.

On Saturday, he was 1-for-1 in the pole vault, with a first-attempt clearance at his opening height of 16-0 3/4; and he got to within three hundredths of his PR in the 110 hurdles, with a time of 13.57. Due to competing in the hurdles, Eaton did not take another attempt in the vault.

With a tailwind gusting behind him in the hurdles, Eaton had a little too much speed and smashed his knee on hurdle No. 7 which left the 23-year old Bend native a little disappointed and with a nasty cut on his knee.

“I was feeling like high 13.3s or 13.4,” Eaton said. “Dang it, dang it, dang it.”

Added coach Harry Marra: “The tailwind was a detriment. It brought him too close to each hurdle. But it was his first race of the year, he clobbered the seventh hurdle and he still ran a 13.57. That’s great.”

Next up for Eaton, and most OTC Elite athletes who are not competing at Stanford next weekend, will be the Oregon Twilight on May 6. Eaton will run the 400-meter leg of the distance medley relay, and is looking forward to running against Oregon freshman speedster Mike Berry, who will likely run the 400 leg for the Ducks' DMR team.