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Thirty-two-year-old British Olympian, Sam Atkin won the Carlsbad 5000 in the time of 13:24. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Lemlem Hailu won the women’s race in 15:13 on Sunday.

Men’s race

Boulder, Colorado’s Brian Barraza finished second to Atkin. He clocked in at 13:32. Artūrs Niklāvs Medved of Latvia took third in 13:40. For Barraza and Medved, Sunday’s race represented new personal bests for the athletes. On the other hand, Atkin has run faster, recording a 13:16 performance in Lille, France, two years prior.

The three athletes were together until the 180-degree turn near halfway, then Atkin dropped the hammer. The 10,000m specialist was in his first race since the Paris Olympic Games. For Atkins, it was a strong showing. The performance suggests promise for his upcoming outdoor track season. He will attempt to compete in the Nanjing World Athletics Championships this summer.

Women’s race

Hailu, at 23, maturely controlled the outcome from the sound of the gun. She has a history as she was a fast teen and at 19 competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games. While Carlsbad was a road 5km personal best, she has run the 10,000m as fast as 29:59.15. Her best is the 19th fastest time in history.

Laura Galván of Mexico finished in second place in 15:30, a new personal best for the 33-year-old.

American Katie Izzo took third in 15:45. Her best is 15:33 from the Adi-Dassler-Straße 1, Herzogenaurach run two years prior.

There is a total of nine events that take place during the weekend at Carlsbad. Over 8000 athletes of all abilities took in the legendary Carlsbad 5000 located on the north side of San Diego, CA.

First held in 1986, Carlsbad features seven 5k races. Participation is determined by the runner’s age and gender. The main event is are the women’s and men’s international races, which offer decent prize money. There is a dedicated event for kids only, the Junior Carlsbad, with distances ranging from a one-mile fun run to the Diaper Dash.

While Carlsbad tongue-in-cheek refers to the event as the World’s Fastest 5km race, other courses in North America are faster, including the Bazan Bay 5K on Vancouver Island.

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