Ben True competing in the 5K at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June. 

For a few of the Americans racing at KBC Nacht in Heusden, Belgium, the end goal will be to earn the elusive IAAF standard needed to compete for Team USA at the World Championships. Both Ben True and Lauren Johnson will have one mark in mind while racing the 5K and 1500m, respectively — 13:23 and 4:06.50. 

 

They both have great opportunities to crush those marks Saturday in Heusden with stacked start lists for each race. 

 

For True, the standard will be attempted as his third 5K of 2015 followed by a runner-up performance at the USATF Outdoor Championships in a tactical 13:51. His performance in Eugene, Ore. solidified his position as one of the top Americans in the country, but in order to be considered for Team USA, True must break the IAAF Standard mark of 13:23. The KBC Nacht 5K will also be his first race overseas this season and faces a field that includes 2012 Olympic silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia. The World Championships medalist has not returned to racing since dropping out of the 5K at the adidas Grand Prix, but clocked a season’s best of 13:00 at the Golden Gala in Rome on June 4. True will be followed by fellow Americans Chris Derrick, Will Geoghegan and Eric Jenkins. 

 

After suffering from an achilles injury for a large portion of the 2015 season, Derrick returned to the track with a seventh-place finish in the 10K at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Since graduating from Oregon, Geoghegan has been getting his feet wet on the European racing circuit with several 1500m performances, and his former Oregon teammate Jenkins is coming off of a personal best of 3:38 in the 1500m in Belgium. 

 

Johnson faces another great opportunity in the women’s 1500m after finishing fourth at the USATF Outdoor Championships in a dive to the finish.



In order to represent Team USA at the World Championships, Johnson needs to break 4:06.50, and Saturday’s 1500m in Heusden will provide the proving ground. Since arriving on the European circuit, Johnson has run 4:16 in Hungary and 4:10 in Belgium. Although she hasn’t come close to the mark in recent weeks, Johnson personal best of 4:07.33, which she ran in Portland in June is dangerously close to the standard mark, and stands a chance to go down in a strong KBC Nacht field. 

 

Johnson will contend with fellow Americans Mary Cain, Heather Kampf, Katie Mackey, Rachel Schneider, and Nicole Tully. After a rocky start to 2015, Cain is on a steady progression, coming off of a season’s best mark of 4:09 from two days ago. Kampf recorded a personal best of 4:04 at the Golden Gala in June and Mackey also clocked a new personal best of 4:03 at the Pre Classic in May. Schneider is on a steady climb after earning a personal best of 4:07 on July 15 in Belgium, and Tully will be getting some fast turnover in after winning the 5K at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June. 

 

In addition to a competitive men’s 5K and women’s 1500m, KBC Nacht will have fast fields ready in the men’s 800m and women’s 5K. 

 

The men’s 800, will feature 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Timothy Kitum of Kenya. Kitum is returning from a runner-up finish in the 800m at the national championships in Nairobi where he ran 1:45. Fellow Kenyan and NCAA Champion from Iowa State Edward Kemboi will continue his European racing circuit after finishing third in Liege with a finishing time of 1:46. Americans Quincy Downing and Charles Jock will also be in the mix. Downing, a former Louisiana State 400m hurdler will be attempting his first 800m since 2013 after helping his LSU Tigers to an NCAA title in the 4x400m. Jock will return to the track after clocking a 1:48 for sixth-place overall in the 800m in Luzern. 

 

The women’s 5K will host Americans Abbey D’Agostino, Ashley Higginson, Melissa Salerno, and Emily Sisson. D’Agostino recently ran a 4:08 1500m in Belgium after a stunning performance at the USATF Outdoor Championships where she finished third in a new personal best of 15:06. Higginson will be running her first 5K since her personal best performance at the Payton Jordan Invitational where she ran 15:18. Salerno of Furman Elite is returning from running several 1500m around the European circuit, and Sisson will be running her first race since finishing fifth in the 10K at the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

 

KBC Nacht action begins Saturday where we will provide post-race interviews and live updates of all the action from Heusden.