This is from the archives, May 23, 2014. I had been at the Payton Jordan and RRCA Convention on a weekend in early May 2014, and the chance to see my parents and then enjoy the Payton Jordan Invitational!
It still is one of my favorite events. Hope to see you there in 2024!
Molly Huddle, Payton Jordan 10,000m,
photo by Kirby Lee/Image of Sport
This is the continuation of my excellent adventures!
I spent the weekend of May 1-4 in Spokane, WA, for the RRCA Convention. I represent Club Running magazine, the second-largest running magazine in the country (177,000 paid subscribers, print and digital). Their convention, with representatives from 1900 plus clubs, showcases the largest grassroots running group in the U.S. Managing 9000 races and nearly 1900 clubs, RRCA is my first weekend in May.
So, to get back to SFO for the Payton Jordan Invitational, I took a 6 am flight from Spokane to Denver, then, Denver to SFO. I grabbed a nap at my parent’s house, and then, revitalized, I went to Stanford to enjoy one of my favorite meets and sit at the 100-meter starting line with some old friends, the HOKA Aggies.
The Payton Jordan Invitational has become the place where most North American distance runners open up. Wanting to get an A standard for the Worlds, Olympics, or US Champs, plus European Champs, the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters have showcased some of the top talent in the world.
The Kim McDonald Invitational 10,000 meters was named after iconic athlete manager and coach Kim McDonald, who died in 2000. McDonald, who developed KIM management, managed many of the key athletes in our sport in the 90s. McDonald was tough but also believed that the sport needed to be moved into the current century, kicking and screaming as some groups do. McDonald managed Bob Kennedy Moses Kiptanui among many others.
It was in the Kim McDonald 10,000m in 2001 that Meb Keflezighi broke the longtime AR held by Mark Nenow. I remember being in the center of the field, watching the race develop, and taking splits. It was a wonderful night as Meb ran 27:13 with two men in front of him.
It was at the Kim McDonald 10,000m in 2010 that Chris Solinsky became the first non-African to break 27:00 for the 10,000m. In fact, in that race, both Chris (26:59.6) and Galen Rupp (27:10.8) broke Meb’s record.
Most years, I would travel out from Wisconsin for the meet. But this year was different, I was back in my hood. Sitting…
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