Carrie Tollefson Starts Comeback with 16:26 at Hamline Invitational 5000

Carrie Tollefson debuted outdoors over the weekend at the St. Paul, MN Hamline Invitational. She finished second to Katie McGregor in the 5000 meters, in 16:26.63. Tollefson, after two-three years of relative inactivity due to injury and the birth of her first child, is on the comeback trail, attempting to qualify for the US Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters. USATF has established the qualifying standards for the Trials in this event as such:

"A" standard = 15:35
"B" standard = 15:50

Note that these are the standards to claim a place in the US Trials only. The international Olympic standards for the women's 5000 meters are 15:20 ("A") and 15:30 ("B"). But, first things first. Tollefson will need to register a 15:35 or better to get an automatic slot at the US Trials. She has identified the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford on April 29th as a target race to get to the standard. Carrie's 5000 meter PR is 15:04, set at that same track in 2004.

Hamline Invitational

Women's 5000 meters -- heat #2
  
1.  McGregor, Katie        Unattached     16:12.98    
2.  Tollefson, Carrie      Unattached     16:26.63     
3.  Cheever, Jamie         Unattached     16:33.29     
4.  Peyton, Meghan         Unattached     16:48.98     
5.  Pechous, Kelly         Unattached     18:14.05     
6.  Solfelt, Stephanie     Unattached     18:16.92     
7.  Schmitz, Anna          Macalester     18:22.23     
8.  Hollinger, Heather     Hamline        18:25.28     
9.  Johnson, Chelsea       Scholastica    18:27.28     
10. Salava, Alyssa         Minn-Duluth    18:54.87     
11. Johnson, Ariel         St. Catherine  19:30.53     
12. Chasson, Sarah         Minn-Duluth    20:11.06     
13. Thul, Kara             Minn-Duluth    20:11.99     
14. Templer, Tanya         Minn-Duluth    20:55.47