Sam Chelanga

Samuel Chelanga
Personal information
Nationality Kenyan
American
Born February 25, 1985
Unspecified, Kenya
Sport
Sport Track, long-distance running
Event(s) 5000 meters, 10,000 meters
College team Liberty University
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Mile: 4:02.90[1]
10,000 meters: 27:08.39[1]

Samuel Chelanga (born February 25, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who competed for Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia from 2008 to 2011. He holds the NCAA record for the 10,000 meters run with a time of 27:08.49.[2] His brother, Joshua Chelanga, is a professional marathon runner.

Running career

Collegiate

Originally hailing from Nairobi, he moved the United States on a sports scholarship. He attended Liberty University, with whom he won the 2009 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship in Terre Haute, Indiana and set a course record in 28:41.3.[3] He won a third consecutive title at the Big South Conference cross country championships in October, leading the race by a margin of over half a minute.[4] He defended his title by winning the NCAA cross country championship in 2010, becoming only the 11th man in NCAA history to win at least two such titles.[5] He ended his time at Liberty University with fourteen All-American distance honours.[6]

Professional

Chelanga signed a contract with Nike and made his professional race debut at the B.A.A. 10K in Boston in June 2011 and managed to take fourth place.[7]

In November 2013, he won the 77th Manchester Road Race (4.748 miles), an annual race held on Thanksgiving Day in Manchester, Connecticut, in a time of 21 minutes, 31 seconds.[8] Sam ran a 13:04.35 at Boston University's BU Multi-Team Meet coming in second. He came in second behind his old college rival Galen Rupp who won in an 13:01.26 a new American indoor 5k record.

Since 2013, Sam trains with Dartmouth College alumnus Ben True in Hanover, New Hampshire.

2014 Annual Bests

Event Result Venue Date
Mile 4:02.90 Falmouth (USA) 16.08.2014
3000m ind. 7:45.21 Boston (USA) 08.02.2014
5000m 13:16.24 Berlin (GER) 31.08.2014
5000m ind. 13:04.35 Boston (USA) 16.01.2014
10,000m 27:59.74 Eugene (USA) 30.05.2014
8 km Road 22:45 Kingsport (USA) 12.07.2014
10 km Road 28:11 Boston (USA) 22.06.2014
Half Marathon 1:02:59 Philadelphia (USA) 20.09.2014

Personal bests

Surface Event Time Date Place
Outdoor track 5000 m 13:09.67 June 2, 2012 Los Angeles, CA
10,000 m 27:08.49 May 1, 2010 Palo Alto, CA
Indoor track 3000 m 7:45.21 February 8, 2014 Boston (Roxbury), MA
5000 m 13:04.35 January 16, 2014 Boston (Boston Univ.), MA
Road 10 km 28:11 June 23, 2014 Boston, MA
Half marathon 1:01:19 March 18, 2012 New York City, NY

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 All-Athletics. "Profile of Samuel Chelanga".
  2. ↑ "Track and Field News: Record", TrackandFieldNews.com. 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  3. ↑ "Chelanga Outruns Doubts to Win NCAA Title", RunningTimes.com. 2009-11-22. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  4. ↑ Ramsak, Bob (2010-11-01). Hasay cruises to Pac-10 title, Chelanga dominates in Blacksburg - NCAA Conference champs round-up. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-12-08.
  5. ↑ Lee, Kirby (2010-11-23). Chelanga and Reid Prevail at NCAA Cross Country Championships. IAAF Retrieved on 2010-11-27.
  6. ↑ http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=10869&NewsID=11948&TeamID
  7. ↑ Chelanga Places 4th in BAA 10K. Liberty Flames (2011-06-26). Retrieved on 2011-07-02.
  8. ↑ 2013 Manchester Road Race
  9. ↑ IAAF Samuel Chelanga biography. Retrieved on 2011-06-27.

External links