Cooper Teare (13:38) & Krissy Gear (4:43) Win Tight Battles at 2024 Boston 5K & BAA Mile

BOSTON — Cooper Teare and Krissy Gear kicked off their 2024 outdoor seasons by kicking to wins on Saturday morning at the Boston 5K and B.A.A. Mile, respectively. Teare, the 2022 US 1500m champion, and Gear, the 2023 US steeple champion, both had subpar runs at the Millrose Games in February but began their outdoor campaigns with tactical victories on the streets of Boston. Teare held off Drew Hunter and Eduardo Herrera to win the Boston 5K (formerly known as the B.A.A. 5K) in 13:38 as the top three men all finished within a second of each other. Gear edged Yolanda Ngarambe of the Atlanta Track Club and Sweden to win her second straight B.A.A. Mile title.

Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay, who last year was 5th at World xc  and won Peachtree and the BAA Half Marathon, had the most impressive run of the day, winning the women’s 5K in an event record of 14:45 to beat World XC 4th placer Emmaculate Anyango of Kenya by 14 seconds. The B.A.A’s Annie Rodenfels was top American in 15:08. Casey Comber of Under Armour Mission Run Baltimore claimed the men’s B.A.A. Mile in 4:08 after running down early leader Henry McLuckie of Great Britain.

Results below, followed by a few takeaways from Saturday’s action in Boston.

*Full 5K results *Full mile results

Teare celebrates his victory in Boston (Kevin Morris photo)

Men’s 5K top 5
1. Cooper Teare, USA 13:38
2. Drew Hunter, USA 13:39
3. Eduardo Herrera, Mexico, 13:39
4. Ben Flanagan, Canada 13:43
5. Simon Koech, Kenya 13:44

Women’s 5K top 5
1. Fotyen Tesfay, Ethiopia 14:45
2. Emmaculate Anyango, Kenya 14:59
3. Esther Gitahi, Kenya 15:08
4. Annie Rodenfels, USA 15:08
5. Rachel Smith, USA 15:25

Men’s mile top 5
1. Casey Comber, USA 4:07.31
2. Aaron Ahl, Canada 4:08.04
3. Vivien Henz, Luxembourg, 4:09.10
4. Henry McLuckie, Great Britain 4:10.35
5. Melkenah Azize, Ethiopia 4:10.36

Women’s mile top 5
1. Krissy Gear, USA 4:42.45
2. Yolanda Ngarambe, Sweden 4:43.64
3. Elizabeth Bird, Great Britain 4:44.43
4. Micaela Degenero, USA 4:44.59
5. Jazz Shukla, Canada 4:47.46

Cooper Teare looking forward to busy racing schedule after altitude stint in Provo

This was Teare’s first race since USA indoors two months ago and wanted to use this race to see where his fitness is at as he prepares to embark on a busy string of racing. So far in 2024, Teare has had better success in the longer events (he also won USA XC in January) than the shorter events (8th Millrose mile, 4th USA indoors 1500). He was pleased to take the win in 13:38 and feels that a recent altitude stint in Provo, Utah, went well.

Teare’s coach Ben Thomas has not used altitude training much with his athletes in recent years but Teare had a good experience with it while a member of the Bowerman Track Club in 2023 and was interetsed in trying it again.

“[Training partner] Cole [Hocker] and I had talked about it for a little bit,” Teare said. “I really enjoyed it last year. It kind of breaks up the monotony of a long season and being in the same place. I think Cole is old enough now that he wants to try some new things and I had some experience last year of doing it and knowing how to approach it. I think that was the thing we were missing.”

Teare said it is unlikely he will return to altitude prior to June’s Olympic Trials, where he plans on running the 1500 and 5,000. Instead, Teare will be traveling to a number of races in the coming months. Teare is an athlete who draws confidence from racing success, but last year, he did not race for six weeks leading into USAs and failed to make the 1500 final after winning the race the year before.

Teare is set to pace Hocker in a 5,000 at Wake Forest next weekend before running a 1500 at UVA and then the 5,000 at the LA Grand Prix on May 17.

Drew Hunter is feeling confident after a strong stretch of training

Hunter was a little disappointed to be outkicked by Teare, but he was much closer to Teare today than at USA XC in January, where Hunter was 9th, 31 seconds behind the victorious Teare. Hunter, 26, feels he is in a good spot in training as he has finally been able to put together a healthy stretch of training. Last year, he dealt with persistent back problems and was not able to run more than two miles of work in hard sessions before developing severe cramping issues.

“A lot of people get confidence from running fast, and that’s just not the case for me,” Hunter said. “For me, it’s being able to handle weeks of volume and consistent training.”

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Hunter is coming off an impressive 10,000m debut that saw him win the B heat at The TEN on March 16 in 27:38. But don’t expect to see Hunter in any more 10,000s this year.

“There’s no path to the Olympics in that,” Hunter said. “…I definitely see a future in that sort of race, but when there’s three [Americans] with the [27:00 Olympic] standard already, it just doesn’t make sense. They could finish 10th and make the Olympic team. I just want to do that [10k] training and know that that will translate well for the runner I am.”

Hunter plans on running both the 1500 and the 5,000 at the Trials. Assuming he makes the final in both events, that is five races across 10 days, and Hunter believes his endurance will serve him well for that double.

Krissy Gear wants to be “unflappable” like Emma Coburn in 2024

Kevin Morris photo

Gear won the B.A.A. Mile last year and carried the momentum forward into a breakout season that saw her lower her steeplechase personal best from 9:38 to 9:12 and win a surprising US title. Entering an Olympic year as the US champion means Gear can no longer catch anyone by surprise, and she said that is a position she is still adjusting to occupying.

“It was a lot easier to not get in my head last year when I was just like, I don’t know what anything means. I could just run kind of weightless and burn free, in a sense,” Gear said. “And now I’m in a position that I’m not very comfortable in and usually don’t like to be in.”

Gear is a fan of the sport and noted that Emma Coburn, who won eight straight US steeple titles from 2014-22 was often referred to as “unflappable.” Gear, 24, said that is what she aspires to be like moving forward.

“I like that term,” Gear said. “I want to be like Emma Coburn. I want to be unflappable. I want to show up whether I’m feeling good, whether I’m feeling bad.”

Gear was experiencing success with former coach Alan Culpepper‘s training before Culpepper departed NAZ Elite in July 2023 and said the adjustment to new coach Jack Mullaney has been “a little difficult” but put the blame on herself for that. A number of NAZ Athletes have been running well under Mullaney, who took over in October, and Gear believes she will too eventually.

“Once I allow myself to put my trust in him, it’s going to be a really good relationship moving forward,” Gear said.

Casey Comber after winning the men’s mile

Comber said the vibes have been great in Baltimore recently as his UA Mission Run Distance squad had three men run 3:51 or faster in the mile this indoor season — Comber (3:51.92), John Reniewicki (3:51.72), and Adam Fogg (3:49.62). Comber also said he is enjoying the opportunity to live in Baltimore, where Under Armour has built a downtown track and where he commutes by boat to the gym at Under Armour HQ.