Dramatic finish in Boston. Ejigu wins the 5,000m, but Flanagan breaks the American record. © www.photorun.net

There were some phenomenal performances indoors this weekend. The Ethiopian, Meseret Defar, world record holder in the 3,000 meters with 8:23.72 minutes, went after her own record and nearly got it, clocking an 8:26.99. This was the third-fastest indoor 3,000m of all time!

In addition to Defar’s incredible race, Bernard Lagat, the recent Millrose Mile Champion, won the men’s 5,000m. In Boston, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000m, Shalane Flanagan, broke the American record for the 5,000m. And in Gent, Haron Keitany set the fastest time of the year at 1,500 meters.

The indoor season is indeed well underway!

In Defar’s race, the lead pack went through 2,000m in 5:39.36 which was world-record pace. Defar was in the lead. The Russian, Anna Alminova, showed her fitness and held on with her until that point. In the last 1000 meters, Defar outkicked Alminova and finished in 8:26.99. Alminova was second in 8:28.49.

The men’s race in Stuttgart also provided the best 3,000m of the season. The American, Bernard Lagat, was once again in winning form. In a duel with Ethiopian runner Abraham Cherkos towards the end of the race, Lagat outkicked Cherkos and won the race in 7:35.41. Cherkos finished second in 7:36.36.

Stuttgart also provided good performances in the middle-distance events. Abubaker Kaki, just 19-years-old, won the 1000-meter race in 2:16.23. Fellow Sudanese runner, Ismail Ahmad, took the 800m in 1:45.73, ahead of the 2004 Olympic champion, Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia who ran 1:45.96 as well as the 2008 champion, Wilfred Bungei of Kenya who placed third in 1:46.66.

The highlight in Gent was the men’s 1,500m race. Starting out running even splits, Haron Keitany of Kenya passed fellow countryman Daniel Komen to win the 1,500 meter-race in 3:33.96. Komen came in second in 3:34.86. Keitany’s victory put him at the top of the event rankings for the year.

The women’s 5,000m in Boston gave fans the most exciting race of the weekend. It developed into a duel between the American, Shalane Flanagan, and the Ethiopian, Sentayehu Ejigu. After the pacemaker dropped out after 2,000m, the American took the lead. While Flanagan was intent upon breaking Marla Runyan’s U.S. record of 15:07.33, Ejigu was out to win the race. The Ethiopian ran with Flanagan as she sped faster and faster, beating the American by the narrowest of margins in a photo-finish. Both were timed at 14:47.62. Despite the narrow upset, Flanagan still had cause for celebration, having broken Marla Runyan’s record by almost 20 seconds!

Next Sunday in Karlsruhe, runners will have another chance for personal bests in the middle and long-distance events. The action moves to Stockholm, Sweden on February 18 and then three days later in Birmingham, England. For European competitors, the indoor season will culminate in the continent’s championships in Turin in the beginning of March.