Runnerville

American Alan Webb Highlights 23rd Annual Carlsbad 5000 on April 6, 2008
Opportunity stands to take down American road 5k record prior to U.S. Olympic Team Trials

by: Elite Racing
March 27, 2008

CARLSBAD, Calif., (March 27, 2008) — After breaking Steve Scott’s quarter-century old American mile record last summer in Brasschaat, Belgium, 25-year-old Alan Webb will have an opportunity to take down San Diego native Marc Davis’ 1996 American road 5k record of 13:24, also set at the Carlsbad 5000. Webb has chosen to open his 2008 Spring campaign in Carlsbad as he prepares for an Olympic bid. The Southern California race, set for Sunday, April 6, 2008, was made famous by Scott 23 years ago as both the course designer and champion of the first three events.

“I’m really looking forward to my first trip out to Carlsbad,” said Webb, a Reston, Virginia native. “I’ve always heard about what a great course and event it is, and how fast people have run there. Plus, Steve Scott has been something of a mentor to me over the years, and to run on a course he designed and won on three times just makes it that much more special.”

In this Olympic year Webb is gearing toward the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field set for Eugene, Oregon in June, and the early season road 5k will plays well into his Olympic timing.

“I’m in good form,” Webb confirmed. “Carlsbad fits my schedule perfectly this year.”

Webb first gained national acclaim when he smashed Jim Ryun’s legendary 36-year-old American high school mile record in 2001 (3:53.43). Since then he has steadily moved up the ranks of the world’s top middle distance runners. In 2006, Webb ran the fastest-ever debut by an American at 10,000 meters (27:34.72), winning at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. For calendar year 2007, Webb ran the fastest mile (3:46.91), fastest 1500 meters (3:30:54), and second best 800 meters (1:43.84) in the world.

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The 2008 Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda begins year 23 Sunday morning March 2nd at 7:30 a.m. on KNBC4 (KNBC.com on line). Once again the professional fields have been weakened due to late payment of previous years L.A. prize purses and other Devine Racing events. That said, athlete recruiter Anne Roberts, who recruited here in L.A. years ago before the Bill Orr era, and now following Larry Barthlow, has gathered 16 men and 8 women who will vie for $215,000. Of that amount, $100,000 awaits the winner of the Banco Popular Challenge, the gender challenge concept now in its fifth year in which each gender has won twice. Get past the jump to read about this year’s field. Read more…