Hillary Bor’s Long Road to the Top of the American Steeplechase and Road Ranks
Bor started as a jumper in Kenya
By LetsRun.com
April 5, 2023
There is more than one pathway to success, but Hillary Bor‘s road to the top of the American distance ranks is truly unique. Despite coming from a running family (his brother Emmanuel has run 13:00 for 5000m, an older brother, Stephen Kiprotich Koech, ran 2:11 in the marathon, and his uncle Amos Korir coached marathoners Abel Kirui and Robert Cheruiyot), he started out as a pole vaulter, long jumper, and high jumper in Kenya. Now Bor is the newly minted American record holder in the 10-mile after he ran 46:11 this past weekend to break Greg Meyer’s 40-year-old AR of 46:13 and win a $50,000 bonus at the 50th Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.
Bor is also the three-time defending USA champion in the steeplechase. A man of many talents, he dreams not only becoming the first American sub-8:00 in the steeplechase, but also breaking Ryan Hall‘s 59:43 American record in the half marathon. Bor is coached by Scott Simmons and runs for HOKA One One.
Bor was the guest on the LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast this week. Full podcast here. Written Highlights below, edited and rearranged for reader experience.
Video highlights:
LetsRun.com (LRC): How difficult was it [to break the record] with the weather? It was cold and very windy on race day.
Hillary: It was difficult. At first, I forgot my watch. And there was no split until two miles. And when I looked, the first two-mile was 9:30. So in my calculation that was 4:45 pace and I knew we were really off the pace [Hillary averaged 4:37 per mile to break the record]. Coming after two miles, there’s a nice downhill, and that’s when I started pushing.
I think the next mile was like around 4:18 and went through 5k in 14:39. So I knew I needed to just keep pressing and pressing and pressing. And, luckily enough I just kept pressing it and I was glad to come up with the American record.
Hillary Bor on his way to American 10-mile record
LRC: With a mile ago, were you aware of what time you needed to run? The final 100 were you just kind of freaking out [since you only broke the record by 2 seconds]?
I was aware the last two miles [what I needed]. Cause I looked at the time for the eight miles and I knew I needed to run at least 4:45 [the last 2 miles] to make the record, but then the wind was too strong and I could feel that we were running close to 5:00, so in my mind I was waiting for the nine-mile mark [to see what I needed], but apparently the nine-mile mark was blown away by the wind. So by the time I was looking for [the nine-mile marker], I was like, oh, it’s [the] 15k [marker], one k to go, and by then I was just like, “okay, it’s just time to just push and see if I’ll be lucky.”
On his fortuitous route to the American 10-mile record
Bor said he targeted the American 10-mile record at Cherry Blossom after he ran 46:06 (on a non-record eligible course) to win the USATF 10 miler at Twin Cities in October 2022. By November, he and Simmons decided to try for the 10-mile record at Cherry Blossom, and then subsequently learned of the $50,000 bonus.
LRC: How’d you end up running that race, the 10-mile champs last fall?
Last fall, I was getting ready for the Diamond League final right after the Worlds. And then, I went to California, HOKA was shooting some [promotional] stuff.
And when I got back I was supposed to fly to Europe like four days later. But when I got really sick and I had a virus and I was told I was not supposed to fly within the next seven days. So I quarantined myself for the next seven days and after that I had a talk with Coach, and Coach told me there’s no way I could do the finals.
We decided to just look at the schedule and see what was on the schedule. We saw the 10 mile was, four weeks later and that Shadrack [Kipchirchir] was getting ready for the New York Marathon. So that was really easy for me cause I helped Shadrack with the training and that’s how I decided to run the 10 miler last year.
LRC: That’s crazy. So you’ve become a really good road runner almost by just being a pacer for Shadrack?
Very much, very much. I did a 15K last year (he finished 3rd at the USATF 15K Championships in March). And it felt really, really, really comfortable running that 15K and I’ve been doing track for quite a while now, so it has been in the back of my mind, I need to start doing these road races and see how I feel and if I’ll be able to transition to road races in the next few years.
His Future in the Marathon?
Hillary Bor. Photo by Jane Monti.
LRC: On our Supporters Club podcast, we picked the men’s Olympic team this past weekend, and we were like, could Hillary move up to the marathon by the Olympics?
Our plan is just to finish up the next two years on the track. So I plan to continue [with the steeplechase]. So right now I’ve been accepted to Rabat and Paris [Diamond Leagues]. So now I’m just gonna transition to track. I might do the Sound Running [meet] just to open up. Cause I’ve been doing a lot of road racing of late. So I just need to test out the steeple. Sound Running and then Rabat and Paris and just get ready for the Worlds.
LRC: Is there any chance you could do the Olympic marathon trials in 2024?
No, it’s totally off the table. I can’t take that risk cause the marathon distance itself, it’s a long way. You just, you can’t take that risk. My plan is to just transition after the Olympics. If I made the Olympic team, that would be good, but my plan is just move to the roads after the Olympics.
LRC: Earlier we were talking saying if you don’t do the Olympic Marathon Trials, you still should do the New York City Marathon. They’ll pay you a bunch of money [because the other Americans will be getting ready for the Trials].
I really respect the distance. I was talking to my uncle back in Kenya. He’s really a good coach and he coaches a lot of marathoners. And he’s like in order to get really ready for the marathon, you don’t want to just go in blindsided.
My older brother actually ran a 2:11 back in 2004… But based on the training, if you look at my training the last five years, I trained mostly with the marathoners. So I’m more of a strength guy rather than a speed guy. So I think I’ll be able to transition well when the time comes.
Can he break the American record in the steeplechase?
LRC: In terms of the track, the steeplechase, you have an 8:08 pb. I wanna see an American go under that eight-minute barrier. Is that still something you think’s a possibility for you?
I think that is a possibility. I’ve been talking with coach about it and we think we can get close to that. Last year for sure, I was in really good shape, but I feel like this year I have more strength than last year. Coming from a strength background, I think it’s a matter of getting a good race and seeing what I can do.
LRC: The world record has stood, I think since 2004 or something. It’s almost 20 years at this point with Shaheen. Do you think the world record could be in danger with how well they’ve been running the last couple years [and Lamecha Girma’s 7:23 3k world record indoors]?
Yes, I do, especially Lamecha Girma. I think he has a chance to break the world record. The problem now, if you look at the way they used to break the world record, they had at least four strong guys pushing until the last 800 or 400 meters. You don’t see that nowadays. So they need to get better pace setters in order to push themselves to get that world record.
LRC: Maybe you could be a pacesetter. They need someone of your caliber to pace. And it probably pays pretty well. Is that something you would consider?
I won’t say no if the opportunity comes. But again, I want to run close to that eight-minute mark. So that’s my plan right now.
On trying to break the American record in the half marathon
To hear Bor talk about his start as a 7-meter long jumper and pole vaulter with a wooden pole landing on dirt, listen to the full podcast. He said the jumping background helps him with the water pit.
LRC: You’re the most versatile runner I think we’ve ever met. You need to go sub-eight, and break the US half marathon record. That one’s been there a long time too. And then run a really fast marathon as well.
I think [the US half marathon record] is within reach for sure. We’ve been looking at Valencia for quite a while and depending on how this year [goes] or next year, we might go to Valencia and try to get it. And my brother [Emmanuel], he’s really a good road runner right now. And we’ve been joking we need to go to Valencia and try to push together.
On going from the regular Army for four years, to the WCAP program, to the Olympics
LRC: It’s amazing that you started out legit full-fledged regular Army for four years and were able to get to this level. That’s a testament to you and the Army for making that possible.
I always tell people like, if I didn’t join the Army [I wouldn’t still be running]. When I finished my last race at NCAAs, I think I was like 12th or second to last, and now in my mind I was like, that’s my last race. I’m not gonna run.
And then when I joined the military, I was really lucky enough to be stationed here in Colorado Springs. And when I got stationed here, I found out Scott Simmons and the ADP, American Distance Group [were here as well]. And so I trained with them at that time over the weekend, but my unit, my leadership was really nice.
So I was given time to just train in the morning, run at 5:00 a.m. before I go to work at 9:00. And that’s how I got back to running and that led me to making the 2016 Olympic team.
LRC: That’s crazy. That’s like the American dream. It’s pretty much almost like blind luck that you kept running. When you graduated Iowa State, what were your pbs, what was your best place at NCAA’s?
Second was my best place. I was second, fourth, and then I think 11th my last race. [Editor’s note: Hillary actually was 4th, 2nd, 3rd and 12th at NCAAs from 2008-2011].
And [I ran] between 8:32 to 8:38 for like eight years straight from 2008 to 2015. I never broke 8:32… So my breakthrough was 2016 [when he ran 8:13.68 and made the US Olympic team].
LRC: What happened that year? What was different?
I think it was just being able to train with the ADP since 2013, 2014, 2015.
So I was getting stronger and stronger. I think just working on my strength and just three years of the same training over and over, just led me to have that breakout. And if you look at my 15K, I ran 15K in 2016, actually I ran like 47 [minutes] and so five years later I’ll be able to run 43. So it’s just a matter of consistency and just putting in work year after year.
Full podcast with Hillary here.
Video Highlights:
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