Alistair Cragg set a new Irish and European road race 5k record with a time of 13:26.
This was good enough to place him in sixth in the 2012 Carlsbad 5000m. Cragg was with the leaders until the 4k mark, at which point eventual winner Dejen Gebremeskel, of Ethopia, launched an all-out attack.
None of the 25-man elite field were able to respond, though Cragg kept to his task and finished strongly to break the European record and finish in sixth place overall.
Commenting about his plans for the rest of the season Cragg mentioned “The European Championships are a big target of mine, where I will hope to double; it is a big focus for me. Other targets include achieving the A-Standard for the Olympics in the 10k.”
Next up for Cragg is this weekend’s Stanford Invite where he will attempt a 1500m and 5k double.
Fionnuala Britton, Ireland's reigning European Cross Country champion, is also competing in Stanford in the women’s 5k. Britton will be targeting the Olympic A-Standard time of 15m20s.
