Mixed emotions for Bernard Lagat after Monaco 5000m

Most runners would be ecstatic with a mid-summer personal-best. When that time also establishes a national record, it's usually cause to pop open a bottle of bubbly.

But last night, Bernard Lagat wasn't much in a celebrating mood.

Yes, he was pleased to have lowered his American record in the 5000m to 12:53.60 in a runner-up finish at the Diamond League Herculis Meeting in Monaco. But the 36-year-old was after something much faster. In April, he announced a goal time in the realm of 12:49 -- which would have ranked him among the top 10 fastest men in history -- and didn't get there.

"I do have mixed emotions," Lagat said in a late-night phone conversation from Monte Carlo. "I'm happy that I was able to lower my personal best by a little bit, but I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get what I planned to do all season. I'm disappointed because I have always wanted to run super-fast, and these opportunities don't come around often in my event."

Indeed the field was set up with that very goal in mind. After a very solid opening 1000m pace was set by David Kummenacker (2:33.50), things slowed considerably With Vincent Rono and Vincent Yeter at the front. With four laps to go, Lagat said he was pretty certain that his time goal was unachievable. 

"I was like, ‘Oh man,' and thought at best we were going 12:56," he said. "I didn't give up and told myself to keep fighting. I started to move up a little bit because I knew I had to try to do something, do anything possible to to get there.

"I tried to go to the front, and I was even with Mo Farah with 800m to go. He hit another gear with 600m to go. I followed him and then Isaiah Koech came in the middle between me and him, which broke my stride a little bit, and I did not want that. I kept my eye on the front and didn't want any gap to open on me, but Mo Farah was strong."

Farah pulled away down the final 60 meters and crossed first in 12:53.11, the fastest time in the world this season and new meet and British national records.

When Lagat made his bold declaration for this meet following the Penn Relays, part of his rationale for wanting to run 12:49 was to send a clear message to the distance running community heading into the World Championships next month in Daegu.

Instead, Lagat and his colleagues were the recipients of a concise dispatch courtesy of Farah.

"Today, Mo Farah laid out clearly that he is the favorite in the 5000m in Daegu," Lagat said. "He has beaten everybody that could be in that final in Daegu because of the 12 guys who will be in the final in Daegu, I think those guys were here today. He is the premier guy and he knows that, unless he does something - and I don't know what he could do - to mess up the incredible shape he has. All of us are going over there as the underdog. We learned a lesson. Today I learned that you have to stay close and fight harder. If you want the gold, this is it. You have to find a way to beat him in Daegu, somehow."

Lagat said his plan for preparing to do that will include one more race, likely the mile at the Diamond League Aviva Grand Prix in London Aug. 5-6, and then a return to his summer home in Tubingen, Germany for some intense training before heading to Korea.

"We will get a lot of training going because for me to be able to beat Mo Farah I need to put my training up a notch," Lagat said. "I am happy with my speed. The only thing I need to work on is the strength. I can see that Mo Farah is a guy that is very strong. He is like a racing horse. What I need to do are the things that will get me even with him. I need to go back and do the hill sessions, the longer tempo runs, longer repetitions on the track. Those are the things that are going to help me."

One thing Lagat said he is looking forward to going into Daegu is racing as the hunter and not the hunted, as he often has been throughout his career.

"At the last World Championships, in the 1500m I think I was the guy people were looking for, and I knew that people were trying to beat me," Lagat said. "I did everything I could to put myself in position to win it, but I came in third. In the 5000m, there was one person at who I was totally aiming and that was Kenenisa Bekele. I did everything I could to beat him, but what can I say? He was just too strong, like Mo Farah was tonight.

"I like being in the position going into the World Championships where I can say, ‘He's the guy and we're going to go after it.' For once, everyone won't be going in hunting Bernard Lagat."