Flower Mound’s Natalie Cook set the American high school record of 15:25 for the 5,000
Records were made to be broken, right? Looking at how fast existing distance records are, it’s amazing that runners keep setting new ones. But that’s exactly what they did in 2022.
Let’s start with Emily Sisson. Providence women’s coach Ray Treacy once said that Sisson was “made for the marathon.” Let’s just say that Treacy called it accurately. Sisson, the collegiate record holder for the indoors at 5000, broke Sara Hall’s half marathon record of 1:07:15, winning the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Indianapolis in 1:07:11 last May. And in October, Sisson lived up to Treacy’s prediction, posting a 2:18:29 at the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. In doing so, she broke Keira D’Amato’s 2:19:12 American record (Houston 2022). Her time ranks her number 22 in the all-time women’s marathon list.
On the men’s side, Grant Fisher, running in the Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diamond League meet in Brussels, dipped under the American 5,000 record in 12:46.96, just eclipsing Moh Ahmed’s 12:47.20 Fisher’s had quite the year. He also knocked 11 seconds off of the American 10,000-meter record of 26:44.36 set by Galen Rupp in May 2014, clocking 26:33.
Not too many high school students run the marathon, let alone set a national record for the 26.2-mile distance. But don’t tell that to Tim Synowiec, a high school senior from Salisbury, Maryland. Synowiec, who’s gone 9:16 for the 3,200, won the 2022 Salisbury Marathon in 2:22:51. In doing so, he broke the 49-year old high school record of 2:23:47 set by Mitch Kingery in 1973.
Texas’ own Natalie Cook (Flower Mound) outdid herself setting the American high school and US 20 national record of 15:25 for the 5,000 at the Stanford Invitational, breaking Jenna Hutchins’ 2020 record of 15:34.
The year’s record book wouldn’t be complete without Eliud Kipchoge’s new world marathon record of 2:01.09, set in Berlin in September. But then again, he is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). For a complete list of track and field records that fell in 2022, please visit here.
Upcoming races: Sunday, January 8 at 7:30 a.m., the Rockin’ Resolution Race 5K and Half Marathon at Lake Pflugerville. Saturday, January 14 at 8:00 a.m., the Go for Good 5K at Jack C. Hays High School in Buda.
