Alicia Monson shattered the American women’s 10,000m record by 9.35 seconds in a race in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Saturday night.
Monson, a 24-year-old who placed 13th at the Tokyo Olympics and last year’s world championships, ran 30 minutes, 3.82 seconds. That broke the American record of 30:13.17 set by Molly Huddle at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Monson placed second in Saturday’s race to Eilish McColgan, who clocked 30:00.87 to beat Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30:01.09 from August 2002.
Monson lowered her personal best from last year by 47.27 seconds, doing so with rain picking up during the 25-lap race.
“It was definitely aggressive, but training said that I could do it,” she told DyeStat. “Once it started raining harder, I kind of had to try to relax my face just because the rain pelting in your face can be a bit distracting, but I just had to tell myself I’ve run in these conditions before and I’m ready to go.”
Monson became the 14th-fastest woman in history in the event. Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey has the world record of 29:01.03.
On Feb. 11, Monson ran the fastest-ever 3000m by an American woman at the indoor Millrose Games (8:25.05). The 3000m is not on the program for August’s world outdoor championships nor the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Monson is also the third-fastest American woman in history in the 5000m and won the 2022 USA Track and Field Cross Country Championships.
Her coach, three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, has said he could see her becoming a marathoner in the future.
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