This race lived up to all expectations. I had been hearing for a month that Tim Broe was really fit, I mean really fit. Then Kevin Sullivan told me that Tim would not be running the steeple and I thought, hmmmm....the 5k? Adam Goucher has raced five consecutive weekends from the mile to 5k, bringing himself into shape. Jorge Torres ran the 1,500 at the NCAAs, finishing ninth and gaining some speed for this final. Jonathan Riley has been racing sparingly, but races well in championships and that brings us to Luis Luchini and Bob Kennedy. Luchini is a Mainer, and has had some great races this year, and runs bravely from the front. Bob Kennedy, gearing for Athens next year, has had 7 months of injury free training, his most in three years, and had run 13.43 and 28.01 this past spring.

The race was up and down. Bob Kennedy was up front, with Tim Broe, Jorge Torres, Adam Goucher and Luis Luchini in tow. Alan Culpepper was lurking in ninth and for the first 8 laps, it was anyone's race. Then Kennedy went to the front and surged for 300 meters, and Broe, Luchini and Torres followed with Goucher in tow. Luchini took the lead for two laps and with two to go, Kennedy took the lead again, and surged for 250 meters, and broke the second pack.

Broe seemed to get stronger as they got closer to the finish. At 800m, with Kennedy's surge, Broe went on his shoulder and then took the lead just before the bell. Goucher moved to his shoulder, Luchini was in the mix, Torres was there and Jonathon Riley, who had stayed out of trouble in fourth, was ready to pounce. I thought it looked like Goucher and so did Adam-he relaxed, and started a move along the backstretch-but it was not his day.

Tim Broe did all the right stuff-accelerate along the backstretch, give nothing to Goucher. Torres and Riley were in a brutal battle for third as the group hit the final straighaway. Arms flailing, and Luchini, the brave one, off the back, but not by much. Kennedy was there until 250 to go. On the final stretch it was Goucher, Broe Torres and Riley. Tim Broe held on and gave Adidas the 5k as well as the 10k in the men's side. This was Broe's first 5k national championship. Happiness and relief were on his face as he broke the finishing tape. Perhaps he will now believe what coach Warhurst and Broe's friends know-the sky is the limit for Tim Broe.

Goucher ran a Goucher race, and with a few more races, he will be fit. Jorge Torres and Jonathan Riley, the two most underated 5k runners in our country ran super races as did Luis Luchini, whose real distance is the 10k. And Bob Kennedy is on his way to 2004, and will see some better races this summer. Last lap was a 57.2, second to last lap was 59.1 off my watch. 1.56 for last 800m.