In his final track race of 2021 On ZAP Endurance’s Matt McClintock finished 6th in a strong field at the McKenzie International 5,000m in Vida, OR on June 22nd. The event was staged as an opportunity for athletes to achieve the Olympic Qualifying standard in several events. Unfortunately for the men in the 5,000m the historic heat wave crippled any chance of fast times.
At the start of the 5,000m the temperature hovered around 80 degrees, and despite the unfavorable weather the leaders went through the first mile in a swift 4:15. McClintock sat back in the pack in 10th place, covering his first mile in a still quick 4:19.
The lead group quickly broke apart with Canadian Ben Flanagan leading the charge on his own by halfway. As the lead group strung out a chase pack of 6, including McClintock, began to move up in the field. With just over 1,000m to go McClintock made a bold move into 4th place in an attempt to break free of the pack he was running with.
His move splintered the chase pack as the race for the finish began. McClintock would go on to finish 6th in 13:53, but walked away proud of the aggressive way he attached the final 3 laps of the race.
You can find the full results, including lap-by-lap splits here. Next up for McClintock will be the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th.