USATF Women's 3K Preview: BTC's Houlihan, Hall vs. Coburn
USATF Women's 3K Preview: BTC's Houlihan, Hall vs. Coburn
Bowerman Track Club's Shelby Houlihan and Marielle Hall headline the USATF women's 3K along with world steeplechase champion Emma Coburn.
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The Bowerman Track Club's Shelby Houlihan enters this weekend's USATF Indoor Championship as the reigning two-mile and mile champion. The distances are a bit different this year and there's a lot more competition -- both given that 2018 is a World Indoors year -- but expect the 5K Olympian to contend for the win in two distance events yet again.
Final: Saturday, 4:28 PM MT
Houlihan will be chasing history as well as the win in the 3K. In her sole race of 2018, the 25-year-old clocked 8:36.01 for 3K at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invitational at BU. That time is fastest by a U.S. woman since 2007, when Shalane Flanagan set the American record of 8:33.25.
I wouldn't be surprised to see that record go down, especially since Houlihan has some all-star help in this field. Her BTC teammate Marielle Hall, who made the U.S. Olympic team for 10K in 2016, set a PB of 8:40.20 at the BU race.
There's also reigning steeplechase world champion Emma Coburn, who must be looked at as a bit of a darkhorse in this race. She obviously has great racing instincts, but is she capable of keeping up with flat track specialists? The 27-year-old, who trains at altitude in Colorado, has run 8:41.16 (PB) and 8:43.57 this season. She didn't win either race, but the only American she lost to was Jenny Simpson -- who is not competing at USATF Indoors.
Two more athletes have run under the world standard of 8:50 this season: Katie Mackey and Lauren Paquette of Brooks, who were fifth and sixth, respectively, at the Millrose Games. Both women set PBs in that race with times of 8:43.15 and 8:47.81.
Mackey is also slotted to double in the mile alongside Houlihan.
Prediction: 1. Shelby Houlihan 2. Emma Coburn
Jojo has a hot take for the USATF Indoor women's 3K:
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