LEUVEN – On Saturday night, Florida’s Cory McGee and North Carolina State’s Ryan Hill look to secure their roster spots on Team USA headed to Moscow for the IAAF World Championship in August. McGee is chasing the “B” standard of 4:09 for 1,500-meters, while Hill looks to hit the “B” for 5,000-meter in 13:20. 

Women’s 1,500-Meter Run

Coming off a third place finish in 4:09.85 at Oordgem, McGee is on the cusp of making the national team. Jimmy Stevenson did a great job of looking into collegiate athletes that have broken the 4:09 barrier with his analysis on Wednesday night.

Her last race took place just two days after stepping off the plane in Belgium. Now that she has had time to rest her legs and get her body used to Europe, expect a different outcome with 100-meters to go.

On Friday morning, McGee headed to the track at KU Leuven University to prepare for her race by running a few 200-meter strides. Some last minute speed work should pay off in the final 100-meters tomorrow. All season, her focus was on breaking 4:10. That obstacle has been cleared and all that's left is to shave .86 seconds off her time, which does not appear to be much of a hurdle for the Mississippi native. 

Assuming she does not hit the standard on Saturday, she will still have a week to hit the standard. Monaco’s Diamond League 1,500-meter race would be her last chance.

Shannon Rowbury finished fourth and has the “A” standard, but she has her sights set on running the 5,000-meter run in Moscow. 

Men’s 5,000-Meter Run

Hill continues the chase for the 5,000-meter standard, but will need to drop six seconds off his personal best to meet that 13:20 mark. He ran 13.26.34 to finish fifth at the Memorial Rasschaert in Ninove. 

Saucony’s Ben True was the top American in that race as he finished second in 13:20.53. If Hill fails to hit the “B” standard, True will take his spot on the national team after his fourth place finish at the United States Outdoor Championship and because he holds the IAAF "A" standard. 

True could tactically move towards the front of the race to slow the pace down and prevent Hill from hitting the standard. A move to sabotage the race does not seem to fit True’s personality. There will be 23 other runners beside them, which includes five Kenyans. Hill could stick to one for a few laps and hope to hang on towards the end. The pace for the fast heat is rumored to be sub-13. 

Andrew Bumbalough, who finished fifth in Des Moines, is also slated to face-off against Hill. He’s coming off a 3:39 performance in Oordgem.

Maverick Darling and Joe Stilin will race their first 5,000-meter run since being barred from running in Des Moines by USATF. Just days after signing with Reebok’s ZAP Fitness, Stilin told Flotrack that a breakout race could be likely in Heusden.

One person hoping to breakout in any distance is Alan Webb. The American mile record holder will run his first 5,000-meter race since his 13:46.53 at the Oxy High Performance meet on May 13. His seasonal best remains to be his 13:37.68 from the 13:37.68 from the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. 

He has not set a personal best since his 13:30.25 at the 2005 Penn Relays. Back in 2005, Webb set his 800-meter personal best at the Heusden meet in 2007 and returned in 2008 to run 3:35.90 for 1,500-meters.

 

Men’s 1,500-meter

Matt Elliot, whom you may remember from this viral video from the U.S. Championship, will chase the IAAF “B” standard to punch his ticket to Russia as the alternate for Team USA. As of Thursday night, Elliot is in the slower section of the 1,500-meter run.

The faster section includes Jordan McNamara fresh off running 3:34 and being the top American in Oordgem. Will Leer was also a part of that race, so this may be a chance to see if that “magic” carried over from one Belgian city to the next. 

Mac Fleet will be making his European after running 1:46.32 in Victoria. He’s moved forward since finishing sixth at the U.S. Championship and spoke to Flotrack about his expectations to continue progressing. 

Women’s 800-Meter Run

Kate Grace and Ajee Wilson will race just one week after facing off in Paris, where they finished fourth and eighth respectively. It was a breakout day for Grace as she broke the two-minute barrier for the first time in 1:59.47. Wilson will attempt to rebound from her  2:00.90 and get closer to her seasonal best of 1:59.55. 

I will be on hand bringing you live updates via Twitter (@Flotrack & @Chris_J_Chavez) as well as rounding up interviews after each race. Stay tuned for more news come race day in Heusden.