RunMichigan.com - Sullivan runs new personal record in 1000 Meters at Ingolstadt 7/11/99

Sullivan runs new personal record in 1000 Meters at Ingolstadt

JULY 11TH, 1999

Ingolstadt, Germany -- Track & Field

Here is Kevin Sullivan's first hand account of the 1000 Meter race:

"Things here in Ingolstadt didn't go quite as planned. My legs were a little beat up from the hard track in Rome and it took a couple of days to start feeling good again. But by Friday everything was feeling loose and sharp.

It had been raining here since we arrived but it looked like it was going to hold off on race day. Boy, were we wrong. About 20 minutes before the meet started it began pouring. It was raining so hard that I couldn't even do my warm-up outside. I was relegated to running around inside on the basketball court in the gymnasium beside the track. But fortunately the rain let up 20 minutes before our race and the sun came out. The track was soaked with heavy puddles all through lane one.

The first problem with the race came with the start. We were supposed to be lined up, 2 people per lane running a staggered start through the first 100m. But at the starting line, the officials decided to line all 10 of us up on a waterfall start. When the gun went off I got banged by Rich Kenah to my right and Karl Paranya to my left, and as in Rome I was basically sent to the back of the pack. This was not the ideal position to be in for 1000m. Just in front of me and to my inside were two Kenyans who were jostling desperately to get out of back. Twice I was cut off as they jumped in front of me and caused me to almost go down 350m into the race.

I was feeling a little flat from this, plus with this being my first (and maybe only) race under 1500m the pace was a little difficult to get used to even though it was not overly fast. I didn't see the 400m split but Morceli was 1:50.5 at 800m. By 600m I had started to work my way up, but I had a long way to go. I surged hard down the backstretch with 300m to go, and moved into 3rd coming off the top of the bend with 100m to go. But with expending so much energy early on, and in the previous 200m to get my self in position I found myself maxed out coming off the bend. In front of me was Morceli and Paranya, and with about 70m to go Kenah surged by me. I was sure I finished fourth, but at the moment the results have me in 5th."

INGOLSTADT MEN'S 1000 METERS

Pos   Athlete                                         
1. Morceli 2:18.10
2. Karl Paranya 2:19.19
3. Rich Kenah 2:19.32
4. Johna Birir 2:19.51
5. Sullivan 2:19.55

Sullivan will run in Casablanca on July 13th. Sullivan ran a personal record at Ingolstadt, but was not pleased at all with this race. But Sullivan said "I do feel like it was a very good tune up for Casablanca in two days. I really feel like I am ready to run something fast."

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