In a race where three competitors ran personal bests, Kimber Mattox outran them all. Mattox lowered her personal best by 13 seconds and finished the women’s 5,000 meters in 16 minutes 12.05 seconds on Friday night at Hayward Field.
Julie Acosta of Team Run Eugene finished second in 16:15.32.
Paced by Alexi Pappas who had just finished third in the 1,500 meters, Mattox took over the race and pulled away from the pack through the final lap. Mattox was happy to take the opportunity to run a personal best, but says of herself and her teammate, Acosta, “We weren’t too worried about the time. We wanted to get out there and get a good, hard effort.”
These days Mattox has made a business of good, hard efforts. As the reigning 2014 XTERRA trail run and Warrior Dash champion, it may surprise some that Mattox still continues to find success on the track. “It’s fun to have a mix of things. It gives me a little strength work in the other seasons and then I get to come work on some speed during the spring,” Mattox said.
Mattox is a former UO All-American in the steeplechase and distance races and current volunteer coach in addition to her own running career. Team Run Eugene, of which she is part, just returned from a training trip to Flagstaff, AZ. “It’s always fun racing here at Hayward. We were just so excited to be back in Eugene and get to come run a home meet,” said Mattox, “The fans, the team, the atmosphere just always makes it a fun race.” As she takes her victory lap, Mattox is greeted by cheers from the remaining fans and hands which reach out to give her high fives as she stops to chat with familiar faces.
–by Lindsay Rossmiller
