Alicia Monson set an American record in the 5,000 meters on Sunday, running 14:19.45 at the London Diamond League. She broke Shelby Houlihan’s previous record of 14:23.92 from 2020 and is the first American woman to run under 14:20.
Monson sat in the lead pack for most of the race, as the field eventually dwindled to a group of five. She lost contact with the group briefly with about three laps to go before making her way back up. With one lap left, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands opened up her stride and the field began to string out. Monson lost contact with 300 meters left but used a last lap of 66.70 seconds to break the record by over four seconds.
Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia won the race in 14:12.29, outkicking Beatrice Chebet of Kenya in second and Hassan in third. Medina Eisa of Ethiopia, who is 18, was fourth, and Monson was fifth.
Monson smashed her previous best of 14:31.11, which she set at last year’s Oslo Diamond League.
The 25-year-old has put together a record-breaking 2023. In February, she broke the American record in the indoor 3,000 meters at the Millrose Games, and just three weeks later, she ran 30:03.82 to take nine seconds off Molly Huddle’s American record in the 10,000 meters. Monson now owns the North American records in all three events as well.
Earlier this month at the USATF championships, Monson took second place in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, solidifying her spot on Team USA at the World Championships in August. Monson told Citius Mag after the race that she hasn’t decided if she will pursue one or both events at the meet.
Monson also ran two Diamond League meets earlier this year, finishing eighth in the 5,000 meters at the Paris Diamond League and fourth in the 3,000 meters in Oslo.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my races leading up to this, and I knew my training was there, and I’ve been training better than ever,” Monson told Citius Mag. “And so just to be able to come out here and have a great result and put myself in the race and learn from what I had in Paris and Oslo earlier this year—the American record that came with it, I was obviously super happy with it.”
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
