Ryen Frazier Notches National Title #2, Will She Go For #3 & #4 This Weekend?
With some confusion created from a two-hour rain delay, Ryen Frazier nearly missed the start of the 5,000-meter run at the New Balance Nationals.
But before a hometown crowd, she didn't seem to miss a beat once the gun was fired.
The Ravenscroft (NC) senior broke away from the pack just before reaching two kilometers and turned the remainder of the 3.1-mile race into her own personal time trial, crossing the finish line with a winning time of 16 minutes, 20.72 seconds. Frazier was comfortably ahead of runner-up Erin Dietz of Bedford (MA), who crossed the line at 16:38.17.
The race began about 11:15 p.m., roughly two hours from its scheduled start. It also included the two heats. With the rain delay and the meet already behind schedule, Frazier wasn't expecting to run that early, or with the extra competitors.
"I was actually at home until about 7. It doesn't take me long to get here," she said. "We were just trying to know when to leave to make it the most optimal. I don't really like hanging around just sitting. Then about 11 or so I get this text from Libby Davidson and she was like, 'They are going soon!' I was like in my car so we were like okay and moseyed over. But when we got there, people were running to the tent and were like you got to check in. I checked in and did about a two-minute run warmup before the race,"
En route to her win, Frazier rattled off consistent 1K splits in the 3:15 to 3:19 range for the first -four kilometers and ran her fastest, a 3:12.1 effort, the final two-and-a-half laps. She was 8:17 at the halfway point.
Even though it was her first 5K race since finishing second at the New Balance Indoor meet, Frazier knew she was ready for a fast time on the slick track. Prior to the nationals, she ran two sub 4:40 miles at a pair of high-profile meets. She won the elite HS mile at the Prefontaine Classic on May 29 where she ran 4:39.84. Last week she ran her all-time best of 4:38.54 to place second in the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in New York.
"I knew I was in pretty good mile shape but I haven't really focused on the two mile or anything long distance. But my training is pretty much the same during cross country and track so I wasn't too worried about it."
The speculation has been that Frazier is going to attempt to duplicate the feat of her older sister Wesley Frazier, who the 5K, two mile and one mile at the 2013 nationals. Right now it's up in the air whether or not she attempt the triple.
"I want to take each race on its own," she said. "I don't want to think about the triple. I don't want to think about winning the triple just because Wesley did it. She's a good role model. It doesn't necessarily mean it's the best thing for me to do…I'm sure I'll do at least one more race this weekend."