Matt Tegenkamp

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Matt Tegenkamp (born January 19, 1982) is a professional distance runner from Lee's Summit, Missouri. He is the American 2 Mile Record Holder with a time of 8:07.07, set at the Prefontaine Classic in 2007[1] .

He also holds a 5,000 meter PR of 13:04.9, which makes him the fourth fastest American all-time at the distance,[2] and a 1,500 meter PR of 3:35.96. Tegenkamp's mile best is 3:56.38, which he achieved while becoming the first person to break four minutes in the mile on Wisconsin soil.[3] He is currently a professional runner for Nike and KIMbia Athletics.

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[edit] High School

After steadily improving throughout his early career, Matt set a Missouri State Cross Country course record (15:26.7) on the extremely difficult Oak Hills course. He gained national recognition his senior year at Lee's Summit (MO) High School when he placed second in the Midwest Regional for cross country and then placed fifth at the Footlocker National Cross Country Championships. During his senior track campaign, Tegenkamp ran an 8:57.23 3200m and a 4:11.43 1600m to win both events at the Missouri State Championships. He also ran a 1:55 800m split.

[edit] College

Tegenkamp chose to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison along with high school rivals Tim Keller and Josh Spiker. After redshirting his freshman season, he surprised many by defeating two-time high school national champion Dathan Ritzenhein at the U.S. Junior Cross Country championships, handing Ritzenhein his first cross country defeat in several years. Tegenkamp then placed fifth at the World Junior Cross Country Championships behind Ritzenhein and future World Record Holder Kenenisa Bekele.

However, Tegenkamp soon began to struggle with injuries that would hinder him until Wisconsin coach Jerry Schumacher changed his training regimen. He responded quickly, lowering his 5000m PR to 13:30.90 in 2004.[4] Tegenkamp graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in human ecology.

[edit] Professional

Following graduation, Tegenkamp chose to stay in Madison to train as a professional under Jerry Schumacher. In 2006, he set personal bests at 1,500 meters (3:35.96), 3,000 meters (7:34.98) and the two-mile (8:16.50). However, his greatest accomplishment in the 2006 season was his 5,000 PR of 13:04.9[5]. Matt also ended his 2006 season by getting a Bronze medal at the 2006 IAAF World Cup in Athletics with a time of 13:36.83.

In 2007, he won the USA Indoor National 3k with a time of 7:46.08. [6] Then, he set a personal and American Record in the 2-Mile run at the Prefontaine Classic with a time of 8:07.07, breaking the existing record set by Alan Webb by more than 4 seconds. [7]<[8]

Tegenkamp also finished second behind Bernard Lagat in the 5,000m at the 2007 U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships and therefore earned the right to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka. [9] At the 2007 IAAF World Championships Matt finished 4th in the 5,000m event, missing out on the Bronze medal by 4 one hundredths of a second, 13:46.78 to Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda's 13:46.75.

[edit] Personal Bests

  • Mile - 3:56.38 (5/6/2006)
  • 1500 meters - 3:34.25 (7/3/2007)
  • 3000 meters - 7:34.98 (8/19/2006)
  • Two miles - 8:07.07 (6/10/2007) American Record
  • 5000 meters - 13:04.90 (7/24/2006)

[edit] Other

6'1"; 145 lbs

Tegenkamp is married to former Michigan State University All-American Michelle Carson.

Tegenkamp is believed to be one of the USA's best prospects in the 10k and his debut is highly anticipated. Unfortunately he does not run the 10k.

[edit] Video Interviews

[edit] Audio Interviews

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Runners wow Hayward Field crowd at 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic", TheFinalSprint.com, 11 June 2007. 
  2. ^ "Get to Know KIMbia's Athletes: Matt Tegenkamp", KIMbia Athletics, 12 July 2006. 
  3. ^ "Eight Olympians Entered in the Continental Airline Fifth Avenue Mile on September 30", Running USA, 25 September 2006. 
  4. ^ "Matt Tegenkamp", USA Track and Field, 27 June 2007. 
  5. ^ "Get to Know KIMbia's Athletes: Matt Tegenkamp", KIMbia Athletics, 12 July 2006. 
  6. ^ "Tegankamp gets first U.S. Open Title at Indoor Championships", TheFinalSprint.com, 24 February 2007. 
  7. ^ "Runners wow Hayward Field crowd at 2007 Nike Prefontaine Classic", TheFinalSprint.com, 11 June 2007. 
  8. ^ "Get to Know KIMbia's Athletes: Matt Tegenkamp", KIMbia Athletics, 12 July 2006. 
  9. ^ "Lagat Completes First Half of Double Title Defense", TheFinalSprint.com, 23 June 2007. 
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