Mottram motors to victory at Prefontaine

World Championships bronze medallist Craig Mottram has smashed his own Australian record over two miles to beat a crack field at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon.

Mottram sliced nearly eight seconds off his previous best to clock 8:03.50, the fastest two miles ever run on US soil and an Australian and Oceania record. The time is also the sixth fastest ever run for the distance, elevating the 26 year-old to the third fastest of all time behind world record holder Daniel Komen (Kenya) and Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) who hold the five fastest times between them (see below).

As his reputation as one of the world’s premier distance runners grows, so too does his fan club in the US, declaring on NBC’s live broadcast at the end of the race that when the pace is on “it comes down to the size of your balls.”

Despite the withdrawal of world record holder Kenenisa Bekele due to a lack of fitness, Mottram faced Bekele’s young brother Tariku - the World Junior 5000m champion, along with 2007 World Cross Country champion Zersenay Tadesse of Eretria, 2003 world 5000m champion Benjamin Limo of Kenya and American record holder Allan Webb in a much anticipated clash.

With the early laps ticked off in around 60 seconds the field went through the mile in 4:02;  Mottram and Bekele breaking clear after five laps before Mottram made his move with 250m remaining.

“I went hard with 250m to go and was able to enjoy the last 40 to 50 metres,” Mottram said after the race.

Mottram charged to the line to defeat Bekele (8:04.83) who clocked the eighth fastest of all-time, with Matt Tegenkamp (USA) easily beating Webb’s American record in third (8:07.07). Limo was fifth, Tadesse seventh and Webb ninth as the world’s best middle distance runners trailed in Mottram’s wake.

To put the time into perspective, Mottram circled the famous Hayward Field track eight times in just a fraction over 60 seconds per lap, almost breaking four minutes for the mile back-to-back.

Despite the impressive performance, Mottram understands that the 3200m is very different to the 5000m.

“It’s too early to get too wound up about the World Championships just yet,” Mottram said in reference to the expectations that will now grow ahead of the 5000m at the August championships in Osaka, Japan. “I ran fast today, but it’s too early. Today was a different event, the field was good, but some guys didn’t run and some ran the mile.”

“Ostrava (on June 27) will give me a better indication on how I’m going over 5000m.”

The meeting is named in honour of the legendary Steve Prefontaine, America’s greatest distance runner at the time of his death in 1975 at age 24. At one stage Prefontaine held every American record from 2000m to 10,000m, a performance Mottram is close to emulating as only the 10,000m currently eludes the 26 year-old.

Mottram’s World Championships preparations now move up a gear. He returns to his base in London tomorrow ahead of the Dream Mile at the Oslo Golden League on Friday night, followed by his only 5000m on the track before Osaka, in Ostrava on June 27.

Full results are available here

All-time men's best 2 miles

1 7:58.61 Daniel Komen KEN Hechtel 19.07.1997
2 7:58.91 Daniel Komen KEN Sydney 28.02.1998
3 8:01.08 Haile Gebrselassie ETH Hengelo 31.05.1997
4 8:01.72 Haile Gebrselassie ETH London 07.08.1999
5 8:01.86 Haile Gebrselassie ETH Hengelo 30.05.1999
6 8:03.50 Craig Mottram AUS Oregon 10.06.2007
7 8:03.54 Daniel Komen KEN Lappeenranta 14.07.1996
8 8:04.83 Tariku Bekele ETH Oregon 10.06.2007
9 8:07.07 Matt Tegenkamp USA Oregon 10.06.2007
10 8:07.46 Haile Gebrselassie ETH Kerkrade 28.05.1995

Also competing at the Prefontaine Classic was NSWIS athlete Nick Bromley who finished ninth in the 800m in 1:48.40 - a time almost equivalent to that which earned him the Australian title in March. The event was won by USA's Nick Symmonds in 1:44.54.