COMMUNITY SPORTS: Carlsbad 5000 will see Webb of intrigue

By RICK HOFF - Staff Writer | Saturday, April 5, 2008 4:20 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- Alan Webb hopes his next road race leaves him with a better feeling than his last outing on the road.

Known more for his continuous assault on U.S. mile records, Webb will step up in distance as the American favorite Sunday at the 23rd annual Carlsbad 5000.

"I haven't done a lot of road races, but Carlsbad works out great with my schedule," Webb said Friday from his hotel, shortly after taking a training run at Daley Ranch in Escondido. "My last race was the Fifth Avenue Mile in October, so I'm ready to get the ball rolling again."

Webb actually did participate in another race since the Fifth Avenue Mile, but he would rather not dwell on the USA Men's 8K Championship that was held three weeks ago in New York's Central Park.

"I don't even count that one as a race for me," said Webb, who endured a bout of pre-race food poisoning that got the better of him during the run.

After leading a pack through five kilometers in 14 minutes, 10 seconds, Webb was forced to stop briefly before struggling to a 16th-place finish in the 41-degree chill.

"That's one of my main motivations to do this race," Webb said, referring to the Carlsbad 5000. "This is my mulligan road race for the year."

Although he has run 13:10.86 on the track for 5,000 meters, Sunday will be Webb's first road race at that distance, and his first race in the San Diego area.

"When I ran cross country in high school, 5K was the distance," said Webb, a native of Reston, Va. "I don't do it a whole lot any more. The mile and 1,500 meters are more my distance now."

Are they ever. Webb ran his way onto the national scene as a senior at South Lakes High in Reston, when he set national prep records for the indoor mile (3:59.86) and outdoor mile (3:53.43), the latter breaking Jim Ryun's 36-year-old prep mark. The next year, he was the Big Ten Conference 1,500-meter champion for the University of Michigan, and he has since collected three USA Outdoor 1,500-meter championships.

Last year, Webb had a stellar season that was highlighted by his lowering of Steve Scott's 25-year-old American record for the mile to 3:46.91 at a meet in Belgium in July. That was the world's fastest mile time posted in 2007, and he also ran the world's best 1,500 meters (3:30.54) and the second-fastest 800 meters (1:43:84) of the year.

"This is a real coup for the Carlsbad 5000 and Elite Racing," said Scott, now the track and cross country coach at Cal State San Marcos. "To get a present-day, world-class athlete running at the top of his game is just great."

Webb actually hammered at several of Scott's records last year. In April he ran 3:51.71 to break Scott's meet record at the prestigious Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, and in June he ran 3:34.82 in the 1,500 to break Scott's 25-year-old meet record at the USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis.

Scott, who designed the Carlsbad 5000 course with former mile world-record holder John Walker, says he doesn't mind seeing his marks fall to Webb.

"I'm a total fan," Scott said. "I'm a track fan, number one, and I'm an Alan Webb fan, number two. He has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak."

"Getting the American record was pretty big for me," said Webb, 25. "It was huge, such a tremendous feeling."

Webb hopes to have that same kind of feeling when the Olympics come around this summer in China. He has his sights on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials to be held in late June in Eugene, Ore.

"I've been training for Beijing my whole life, and obviously, this fits good with my plan," Webb said about beginning his Olympic race preparation at Carlsbad.

Webb seemed to be ready for the 2004 Games in Athens after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1,500 that year with a time of 3:36.13. But he was eliminated in the opening round of the Olympic 1,500 by a ninth-place finish and a time that was more than five seconds off his winning trials time.

"The whole year was leading up to the trials," Webb said of his 2004 season. "Physically and emotionally I left it all out there. At the Olympics, I was just dead.

"But I learned a lot from that experience, and right now my main concern is the proper training. Otherwise, it's all for nothing."

Webb is a good bet to eclipse the American road-race record of 13:24 set 12 years ago at Carlsbad by San Diego's Marc Davis. But a victory may be elusive considering another strong international field will again be on hand.

Kenyans Boniface Songok and Shadrack Kosgei are two of the favorites and have experience with the 3.1-mile Carlsbad layout. Songok placed second in the 2004 Carlsbad 5000 and has a personal best of 12:55 for the distance on the track. Kosgei placed third here three years ago and has a 13:01 to his credit.

Great Britain's national record-holder for the 5K, Mo Farah, is also in the mix.

"I know Mo, and he's very worthy," Webb said.

The women's invitational favorite appears to be Vivian Cheruiyot, the 2007 Kenyan national champion at 5000 meters who has a personal best of 14:22.59. U.S. hopes ride with Sara Slattery of Lafayette, Colo., who won the 10,000 meters at the 2007 Pan-Am Games and placed first in the 2006 Bolder Boulder 10K.

But Webb is sure to draw the most attention as he gears up for his Olympic medal chase.

"It will be different on the road, and I'm just trying to compete," he said. "But my No. 1 goal is to win the race."

Contact staff writer Rick Hoff at (760) 740-3545 or rhoff@nctimes.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

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