Despite races being canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ingebrigtsen brothers are still chasing big running goals.
Get Your Spot for the NYRR Brooklyn Half Jakob, 19, raced a time trial in Stavanger, Norway in an attempt to break the Norwegian record in the road 5K—the time to beat was 13:37, which was set by Sondre Norstad Moen at the 2019 Monaco Run 5K.
Jakob shattered the record by running a time of 13:28. Henrik also broke the record, finishing in 13:32. Their younger sister, Ingrid, also ran the race, crossing in 18:00. The race was live-streamed for free on NRK TV.
With spectators lining the course, Jakob accelerated during the second of two 2.5K loops and sprinted into the finish line several seconds ahead of his older brother, Henrik. Five runners started together in the race.
“We had to make sure that the course was measured and the competition approved by the athletics association before we said yes,” Gjert Ingebrigtsen, their father and coach, told ABC Nyheter.
According to European Athletics, Running Shoes - Gear.
Wednesday’s trial, their first competition of the year, marked the first time both Ingebrigtsen brothers had raced in a road 5K.
In July 2019, Jakob broke the Norwegian record in the 5,000 meters on the track when he finished second in 13:02 at the London Diamond League meet. Henrik also ran a 5K personal best on the track last summer when he finished fifth in 13:15 at the KNB Night of Athletics in Heusden, Belgium.
Jakob, the younger of the famed running brothers, is already a three-time European Championships gold medalist and a seven-time national champion. At the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, he finished fourth in the 1500 meters and fifth in the 5,000 meters. His last race was in December at the 2019 European Cross Country Championships where he claimed his fourth U20 title.
Henrik won gold in the 1500 meters at the 2012 European Championships and has since earned six medals at the European Championships. He finished 13th overall in the 5,000 meters at the 2019 IAAF World Championships.
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
