Here at Running Times we have a lot of coverage of elite runners, their lifestyle and training, their racing strategies and coverage of the elite component of road races and track meets. The elite crowd is selective, and by definition, limited in size. If we were all faster, the top fraction of a percent would still be considered the elite, and we would still watch them with respect and a bit of longing as they float past on their warmup or their workout. But because we all share the same course, the same track and the same trails, we can compare ourselves directly to the best runners in a way that a football enthusiast can only dream about. In some sense, we can race head-to-head with Micah Kogo, Ryan Hall or Paula Radcliffe because we run the same course on the same day.

On April 5th, 2008, 31,000 runners took to the streets of Richmond in the Monument Avenue 10K. The field included a strong contingent of some of the top American men runners because it  was the US 10K Championship race. Abdi Abdirahman was the heavy favorite and eventual winner of the race and the US 10K title. This was his first race since the Olympic Trials Marathon in November, where he pulled up and dropped out late in the race. Following that race, he ended up taking almost 2 full months off before he was healed enough to start training again. This race was his rust-buster.