Kelsey Chmiel Cracks Top Ten In Freihofer's Run For Women 5k Road Race Among Pro's

Already a season of "firsts" for the Saratoga sophomore, this one may have been the biggest.  Kelsey Chmiel (Saratoga), just one day removed from a two-day State Qualifier that saw her run 9:48.99 in the 3000m, followed by a 4:33.77 in the 1500m, plus a 4x400m leg, quietly entered the Freihofer's Run For Women.  The event is an annual 5k billed as just for Women, attracting numerous Olympians and Professionals over the years.  2017 was no different, but it didn't deter the sophomore from Saratoga.

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"Today I didn't really know what to expect because I've never run here before," Chmiel told The Daily Gazette. "So, I just got out hard and saw what could happen."

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That mentality led to a Top 10 finish, where Chmiel would finish 9th overall in the loaded field, at 16:42.1.  Chmiel came ahead of names like Ashley Higginson (Hoka NJ/NY) who took fourth in the 2012 Olympic Trials for the Steeple, as well as NY'er Jen Rhines (Adidas), a 3x Olympian who now is setting numerous Masters Records, and NY'er Maegan Krifchin (Mizuno), who took 7th in US Olympic Marathon Trials last February.

The finish came with a $250 check in prize money, although Chmiel couldn't accept the money without going Pro.  As a heavy favorite for the State Meet next week, there are more immediate things on the agenda for the High School amateur.

The World Age Record for 15-year-olds is held by Pamela Chepchumba (Kenya) at 16:14, set in 1978, while the American Junior Record for the Road 5k is held by Alexa Efraimson (Oregon) at 16:08.  Current searches for the American Age Group Record for 15-yr-olds hasn't yielded any results, although the 5k track marks for 15-year-olds is 16:24.84 by Wesley Frazier (North Carolina).

Place	Time	Pace	Finish	Name	Age	City/state
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1	15:49	5:06	15:48.9	Sara Hall	34	Redding CA
2	15:51	5:06	15:50.3	Aliphine Tuliamuk	28	Santa Fe NM
3	16:10	5:12	16:09.9	Lindsey Scherf	30	Scarsdale NY
4	16:15	5:14	16:15.3	Becky Wade	28	Louisville CO
5	16:19	5:15	16:18.7	Katie Matthews	26	Brighton MA
6	16:26	5:18	16:26.7	Jamie Cheever	30	Seattle WA
7	16:29	5:19	16:29.4	Renee Metivier	35	Bend OR
8	16:31	5:19	16:31.1	Meghan Peyton	31	Bloomington MN
9	16:41	5:22	16:42.1	Kelsey Chmiel	15	Saratoga HS
10	16:47	5:24	16:46.6	Ashley Higginson	28	Morristown NJ
Other HS Notables
19	17:39	5:41	17:40.5	Eva Scott	18	Burnt Hills
32	18:27	5:56	18:27.2	Kathryn Tenney	15	Colonie
37	18:39	6:00	18:40.8	Rachel Hodge	15	Bethlehem
46	19:01	6:08	19:01.8	Samantha Vetter	17	Saratoga
51	19:29	6:17	19:30.1	Hunter Von Ahn	16	Saratoga
53	19:31	6:17	19:32.3	Madeline Tooker	17	Saratoga
57	19:42	6:21	19:43.0	Rylee Davis	11	Delmar NY - ???
60	19:47	6:22	19:49.1	Loren Norfleet	17	Colonie
62	19:52	6:24	19:52.9	Mariellen Penzer	18	Saratoga
65	19:54	6:25	19:55.3	Natalie Penna	15	Albany
66	19:57	6:26	19:58.6	Carley Vetter	17	Saratoga
71	20:09	6:29	20:11.6	Kerry Flower	17	Schalmont
72	20:12	6:31	20:14.0	Megan Morin	15	Saratoga
77	20:23	6:34	20:25.6	Lexi Dibernardo	15	Colonie
79	20:28	6:35	20:30.4	Krisitn McAlonen	17	Burnt Hills NY
81	20:30	6:36	20:35.7	Hannah Belleville	15	Shenendehowa
82	20:30	6:36	20:36.3	Luccabella Hotaling	12	Ballston Lake
87	20:55	6:44	20:56.6	Faith Demars	15	Ballston Spa
88	20:56	6:45	20:58.1	Katie Vandyck	14	Saratoga
91	21:07	6:48	21:08.4	Amelia Mahoney	18	Saratoga
94	21:12	6:50	21:16.3	Madeline Garrett	16	Arlington
98	21:23	6:53	21:28.4	Emily Pahl	16	Schenectady NY
101	21:31	6:56	21:34.5	Mya June	13	Schenectady NY - ???
106	21:39	6:58	21:40.2	Marilyn O'Brien	17	Schenectady NY
112	21:48	7:01	21:49.2	Kirsten Kaminski	19	Rensselaer NY
113	21:49	7:02	21:52.1	Kiley Matthews	12	Rensselaer NY - ???