DUBLIN, Ireland - Just 10 days before they step on the track at Olympic Stadium in London, England, University of Colorado seniors Emma Coburn and Shalaya Kipp shuck the rust off in the mile run at the Morton Pre Games on Wednesday.
Coburn finished in four minutes, 33.24 seconds to take fifth overall, while Kipp crossed the finish line in 4:40.31 to place 11th. Nicole Schappert, another American runner, won the race in 4:30.65.
"These are both personal bests for this distance, but are maybe a little slower than hoped for," head coach Mark Wetmore said. "They have been traveling a lot and it's been a month since their last race, so they are little rusty. But that was the function of this race; to get a hard training effort in, clean out the cobwebs, and narrow focus onto racing.
"Now they go back to the U.S. training camp in Birmingham for about five days, then down to London for their first round on August 4."
The Olympic Summer Games open on July 27. The track portion of the schedule is August 3-12. Coburn and Kipp will both be competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The prelims are set for August 4, while the finals are on August 6.
MORTON PRE GAMES 2012
Dublin, Ireland (Morton Stadium)
Women's Mile Run: (1. Nicole Schappert, 4:30.65) 5. Emma Coburn, 4:33.24; 11. Shalaya Kipp, 4:40.31
