Jamie Cheever Runs 9:29 to PR in the Steeplechase at Payton Jordan Meet; Achieves World ‘A’ Standard

Team USA Minnesota Press Release
April 29, 2013

Minneapolis/St. Paul – April 29, 2013 – Team USA Minnesota’s Jamie Cheever ran a personal best of 9:29.13 (previous was 9:51.42) in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Payton Jordan Invitational on April 28 and finished second in the race after 2012 Olympian Emma Coburn from Colorado, who ran 9:28.26.  Both women achieved the World ‘A’ standard in the steeple of 9:43 or better and are currently ranked #1 and #2 in the World in the event for 2013.

Cheever said Coburn “took off right away” in the race but that she stayed with the top chase group during the first four laps.  “I wanted to make sure I didn’t die,” she said.  “I was surprised at how well I felt, so with three-and-a-half laps to go, I went to the front of the pack and started to close the gap on Emma.  It was great to have her to chase but I couldn’t quite get her.

“I was hoping to get in the 9:40s so this was a really big surprise to run under 9:30 and have a 22 second PR,” said Cheever.  “I’ve been feeling great in my steeple workouts so I knew a PR was in my legs.  I was hoping it would be enough to get me a World ‘B’ standard.  I could not believe how strong I felt and I could not believe my time when I finished.  I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.  I am ecstatic to get the ‘A’ standard.  I have to start thinking about myself as a contender for the U.S. World team.”

Cheever will need to place in the top three in the steeplechase at the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships to make the World team but now she doesn’t need to worry about obtaining the ‘A’ standard either before U.S. Outdoor or during the competition in Des Moines June 20-23.  The IAAF World Outdoor Championships will be held in Moscow Aug. 10-18.

Next up for Cheever will be the TC 1 Mile Road Race in Minneapolis on May 9.  She is also planning to run the 1500 meters at the Occidental High Performance Meet in Los Angeles on May 17.

Also competing at the Payton Jordan meet in Palo Alto on Sunday evening was Jon Peterson who ran 13:45.86 in heat two of the men’s 5000 meters, and Meghan Peyton who posted 16:13.37 in heat two of the women’s 5000 meters.

Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Formed in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians.  The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, head cross country and track coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  Team USA Minnesota’s major sponsor is Life Time Run (www.lifetimerun.com) and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.tcmevents.org).  It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project.  For more information, visit the team’s web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.