- Chris Solinsky
-
Chris Solinsky 
Solinsky winning the 5000 meters at the 2006 NCAA Championships.Personal information Nationality American Born December 5, 1984
Stevens Point, WisconsinHeight 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Weight 160 lb (73 kg) Sport Sport Running Event(s) 5000 m, 10,000 m College/university team University of Wisconsin - Madison Club Oregon Track Club Achievements and titles Personal best(s) 5000 m: 12:55.53
10,000 m: 26:59.60Chris Solinsky (born December 5, 1984) is an American distance runner. Among his more notable achievements, he won eight state championships in high school and five NCAA Division I championships at the University of Wisconsin. He is the former American 10,000 meters record holder with a time of 26:59.60 as well as the first non-African to break the 27-minute barrier in the 10,000 m. He is currently a professional runner for Nike, Oregon Track Club Elite and KIMbia Athletics.
Contents
Early life and high school
Solinsky was born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and he attended high school at Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH). Solinsky dominated the competition after his freshman year, winning the state cross country title three times. He won 11 state medals, eight state titles, led the nation in time on six different occasions, and earned four 1st Team All-American awards. He broke Wisconsin high school state records in the indoor 1600 m, the indoor 2-mile, and the outdoor 3200 m. He also broke state meet records in cross country and the outdoor 3200 m. His winning time of 14:41 at the 2002 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships gave him a 21-second winning margin,[1] the largest margin of victory in the history of the meet. He finished his high school career with personal records of 4:03.80 (1600 m) and 8:43.24 (3200 m).
College
Solinsky chose the University of Wisconsin–Madison after graduating from high school in the spring of 2003. There, training under coach Jerry Schumacher, he continued to improve as a national-class runner. The Badgers were undefeated in Big Ten championships during Solinsky's career, sweeping the 2003-2007 cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field titles. Wisconsin also won two NCAA team titles during those years (2005 cross country, 2007 indoor track and field), and finished as national runner-up three times (cross country 2003, 2004, 2006). As an individual, Solinsky earned four Big Ten individual titles, 14 All American accolades, and five individual national titles (2005 and 2006 indoor 3000 m, 2007 indoor 5000 m, 2006 and 2007 outdoor 5000 m).[2] He also formerly held the Wisconsin school record in the indoor 3000 m and currently holds the record in the outdoor mile.
At the Badger Twilight Meet on May 6 (52 years to the day after Roger Bannister broke the barrier for the first time), Solinsky and four other athletes ran a 1-mile race at the Dan McClimon track. Former Badger Matt Tegenkamp finished first in 3:56.58 and Solinsky finished second in 3:57.80, both becoming the first to dip under four minutes on Wisconsin soil.
Solinsky graduated from Wisconsin in December 2007 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and sociology.
Professional
Following the completion of his collegiate career, Solinsky signed a contract with Nike and KIMbia Athletics. Until January 2009, he continued to live and train in Madison, Wisconsin under coach Schumacher. Since then, Schumacher and his athletes have moved to Portland, Oregon and have become part of the Oregon Track club. Matt Tegenkamp continues to be his training partner. Solinsky failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 5000 meter run, leading most of the Olympic Trials' last 1000 m but faltering down the final stretch.
Solinsky qualified for the 2009 World Championships in Berlin with a second place finish at the U.S. Championship. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Solinsky finished in 12th place with a time of 13:25.87.
On May 1, 2010, Solinsky debuted in the 10,000 meters at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford University, setting the American Record in the process by fourteen seconds (bettering Meb Keflezighi's 2001 mark of 27:13.98) to run 26:59.60.[3] The mark also surpasses Arturo Barrios's North American area record of 27:08.23. He is the first non-African to break the 27-minute barrier for the 10000 meters.[4] The 6'1", 160-pound Solinsky is also the first man over 6 feet and over 141 pounds to break the 27-minute barrier.[5]
On June 4, 2010, Solinsky improved his personal best in the 5000 meters, breaking the 13 minute barrier by running 12:56.66 at the Bislett Games. The mark was just .39 behind the standing American and North American record held by Dathan Ritzenhein, however Bernard Lagat improved upon both records by running 12:54.12 in the same race.[6]
Personal
Solinsky is married to Amy Dahlin, who competed in the pole vault at Wisconsin.
Personal bests
Distance Performance Date 1500 m 3:35.89 April 15, 2011 Mile 3:54.1 September 20, 2008 3000 m 7:34.32 August 29, 2010 5000 m 12:55.53 August 6, 2010 10,000 m 26:59.60 May 1, 2010 Achievements
- 2006 Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete Of The Year
- 2006 Big Ten Outdoor Track Athlete Of The Year
- 2007 Big Ten Indoor Track Athlete Of The Year
- 2007 USTFCCCA National Indoor Track Athlete Of The Year
References
- ^ http://www.footlockercc.com/history/finals.php?year=2002&Button1=Go Footlocker 2002 results
- ^ Solinsky wins NCAA 5000 m title
- ^ "Solinsky sets 10,000-meter American record". San Francisco Chronicle. 2010-05-02. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5t2QYoEHn. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ "In debut, Solinsky stuns with 26:59.60 US 10,000m record in Palo Alto". IAAF. 2010-05-02. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5t2QmJzBe. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ "Chris Solinsky Is The Tallest And Heaviest Sub-27 Man In History". LetsRun.com. 2010-05-04. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5t2QzYKsM. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ^ "ExxonMobil Bislett Games, results 5000 m men". Omega. 2010-06-04. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. http://www.webcitation.org/5t2RHNXny. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
External links
- IAAF profile for Chris Solinsky
- USATF profile for Chris Solinsky
- Biography from KIMBIA Athletics
- Wisconsin High School Boys All-Time 3200 m List
- Interview with mensracing
- Interview with Runners' World
- Interview with wisconsintrackandfield.com
- 2002 Nike Athlete of the Year
Audio interviews
- TheFinalSprint.com's 5/29/07 interview with Chris Solinsky before the 2007 NCAA and USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- Teleconference interview with Former Wisconsin Badger teammates and current training partners Chris Solinsky & Matt Tegenkamp on June 13, 2007
Video links
Categories:- American middle distance runners
- People from Portage County, Wisconsin
- Living people
- 1984 births
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
