We're just a couple days away from one of the most exciting distance showcases of the outdoor season.

Sound Running's The TEN will stream live on FloTrack on March 29 in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., beginning with the new HOKA high school day session and culminating with pro 1,500m and 10k races.

The big draw each year are the final men's and women's heats of the 10k, with athletes aiming to hit world standards, national records and big personal bests.

What's in store for The TEN this year? There's plenty of storylines to follow on Saturday evening as competitors could potentially snag some big records and performances.

• Subscribe To FloTrack To Watch More Track & Field Meets All Year Long
• Watch The Diamond League Live On FloTrack, Starting In 2025
• Watch Sound Running's The Ten LIVE On FloTrack, March 29
• Updated Entries For The Ten 10k Fields
• Tayvon Kitchen And Josiah Tostenson Will Race In Elite 1,500m At The Ten

Could We See An American Record In The Women's 10k?

The TEN has a history of producing all-time American marks -- particularly on the women's side.

In 2022, Elise Cranny raced her way to No. 2 on the U.S. all-time rankings in the 10k, clocking 30:14.66 for the win in San Juan Capistrano. Then in 2023, OAC's Alicia Monson shattered Molly Huddle's 30:13.77 American record, running 30:03.82 to become the new U.S. all-time leader.

Could we see a new women's 10k American record go down this Saturday?

Based on the caliber of the U.S. contingent in the field, it's a possibility that we can't count out.

Cranny, who's 30:14.66 ranks her now at No. 3 all-time among U.S. women, will be among the favorites to challenge for the win. She's already been off to a great start in 2025, clocking 4:20.83 for the indoor mile at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic and finishing second in the 3k at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in 8:29.87.

The speed certainly appears to be on Cranny's side so far in 2025. Now, she'll test her endurance to kick off her outdoor campaign with 25 laps around the oval this weekend.

Also looking like a strong contender for a record-breaking race is Weini Kelati, who earlier this year reset her own American record on the roads at the half marathon distance at the Houston Half. Kelati, who finished second in this race last year in 30:33.82, contested the 10k at the Paris Olympics after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials last summer.

So even though Kelati has spent a good bit of time on the roads, she knows what it takes to go down in distance on the track. 

Athletes Could Chase After Collegiate All-Time Marks

Last year, NAU's Nico Young put together a gutsy 26:52.72 effort for second at The TEN to set a new men's collegiate record in the 10k.

Now a year later, Saturday's field features some athletes that could potentially challenge that record.

Two-time NCAA XC runner-up Habtom Samuel of New Mexico will toe the line this weekend with quite the resume at the 10k distance. Samuel won the men's 10k title at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships and sits at No. 2 all-time on the collegiate 10k rankings.

And where did Samuel clock his 26:53.84 collegiate No. 2 all-time mark? He did it in the same race that Young set the record -- at The TEN in 2024. If not for Young's impressive performance, Samuel would have broken the collegiate record in that competition.

While Samuel looks to be the favorite for a new record, he's not the only top collegian making his way to San Juan Capistrano on Saturday. BYU's Casey Clinger, Oklahoma State's Denis Kipngetich, New Mexico's Ishmael Kipkurui and NCAA D2 indoor 5k record holder Romain Legendre of Adams State will all be eyeing quick 10k times at The TEN.

Kipngetich took third in the NCAA men's 10k final outdoors last year, while Clinger finished fifth in the 10k at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the summer. Kipkurui -- Samuel's Lobos teammate -- holds a 13:05.47 5k personal best, and Legendre owns the 13:02.08 NCAA D2 indoor record over 5k. Legendre has run just one 10k during his collegiate career -- a 28:28.33 mark at the Payton Jordan Invitational in April 2024 -- but has shown in 2025 that he can compete with the best in the collegiate ranks.

While the men's field features a good handful of collegians, the top women's 10k race also includes a notable collegiate athlete that could produce a big performance -- New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei. 

In just her first year with the Lobos, Kosgei has earned a runner-up finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and set big personal bests of 15:00.36 for the indoor 5k and 8:44.62 for 3k.

While Kosgei has never raced at the 10k distance, she's excelled at the longer distances on the cross country course. In 2023, she earned bronze representing Kenya at the World Cross Country Championships in the U20 race, and she's clocked a quick 18:59.1 for 6k in Wisconsin at the Nuttycombe Invitational.

Could Kosgei challenge Parker Valby's 30:50.43 women's collegiate record?

How Many Men And Women Can Hit The World Standard?

In 2024, four women and eight women hit the 30:40 and 27:00 Paris Olympic 10k standards at The TEN.

This time around, athletes will still be chasing after standards, this time for the World Outdoor Championships in Tokyo.

The 27:00 standard from the Olympics remains the same for the men for the World Championships, however the women's standard is faster. To hit the world standard, women now must run 20 seconds faster -- 30:20.

Hitting those marks is certainly top of mind for many of these athletes as they hope to get it done early as they kick off their outdoor seasons. 

One of the top athletes to watch will be Graham Blanks, who will be making his pro outdoor debut at the 10k distance. FloTrack spoke with him in January, and Blanks indicated that The TEN would be an ideal race to hit that 27:00 world standard at the beginning of the outdoor season.

It'll be an entertaining race for sure on the men's side with many guys in the same boat. Blanks, Drew Hunter, Sean McGorty, Kirubel Erassa, Dillon Maggard and Ahmed Muhumed headline the U.S. pro men's field aiming to go to sub-27:00 for the first time.

Looking at the men's field, only two athletes in the TOKYO 10k have gone below 27:00 before -- Adriaan Wildschutt (26:50.64) and Habtom Samuel (26:53.84). Both hit those marks at The TEN last year.

On the women's side, Lemlem Hailu of Ethiopia has gone below 30 minutes and holds a PR of 29:59.15, while Elise Cranny is the fastest among the U.S. contingent at 30:14.66. No other woman in the field has gone below 30:20 in their careers.

According to meet organizers, pacing lights on the track will be set to 27:00 for the TOKYO Men's 10k and to 30:00 for the TOKYO Women's 10k. Additional wavelights of 30:20 and 30:45 will be added for the women's race, while a 26:45 light could potentially be added for the men's competition.

Two High Schoolers To Chase For 1,500m Times Against Pros

Two of the fastest boys to ever run in the mile indoors at the U.S. high school level are traveling down the Pacific Coast to line up in the FINAL SURGE men's 1,500m.

Crater (OR) teammates Tayvon Kitchen and Josiah Tostenson will compete against the pros in the 1,500m, but they certainly have the pedigree to do so. In the men's mile at the BU Terrier DMR Challenge in February, Tostenson clocked 3:57.47 for a U.S. No. 2 all-time indoor mark among high school boys, and Kitchen ran 3:59.61 to move to No. 7 all-time.

Now, they'll race against guys a few years their senior, but this time on the outdoor oval with 100 meters less to run. Among the top competitors include Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi with a 3;52.66 mile PR, Josh Thompson, Olin Hacker, Will Paulson, Christian Noble and Jackson Sharp, among others.

1,500m times aren't logged all the time among high school competitors (typically only en route), but Hobbs Kessler currently holds the fastest time ever recorded at the distance by a U.S. high schooler at 3:34.36 from the 2021 Portland Track Festival.

At the Terrier DMR Challenge, Tostenson split 3:41.32 through 1,500m and Kitchen clocked 3:42.91 en route to their historic mile efforts. 

How to Live Stream 2025 The TEN:

STREAMING: Watch the 2025 The TEN on FloTrack. SIGN UP HERE.

On Your TV: Now Available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast & Apple TV.

Cast: Cast to your smart TV including Vizio, Samsung and LG TVs.

On The Go: Download the FloSports app on iOS or Android.

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Join the Conversation on Social

Follow us on Twitter @FloTrack.

Follow us on Instagram @flotrack.

Like us on Facebook.