Ringing in the New Year...in Madrid

It's time to ring in the Olympic year and what better way than hitting the roads and racing on New Year's Eve. Evan joins 40,000+ runners in Madrid tomorrow at the San Silvestre Vallecana, racing the 10k course against some notable competition, including fellow steeplechase star Ezekiel Kemboi. 

According to the IAAF:

“The race is held on a slightly downhill 10km point-to-point course and starts alongside Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium before finishing on the pitch of another Spanish first division club Rayo Vallecano in Madrid’s southern suburbs.

The men’s contest looks to be a three-horse battle in the guise of last year’s winner Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey – formerly Mike Kigen of Kenya – and two of the world’s best steeplechasers: four-time world champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya and US record-holder Evan Jager.”

The year ahead promises to be one filled with exciting races, furious finishes and of course the Olympic Games in Rio. Here's to starting off 2016 on the right foot!

Kemboi, Jager and Masai Among Vast Array of Talent in Madrid (IAAF)

Up Next: Zurich and Brussels

Evan's season moves on, as the IAAF Diamond League season wraps up in Zurich and Brussels over the next two weeks. The first stop is Switzerland at the Weltklasse Zurich meeting this Thursday, where Evan looks to avenge his sixth place effort at the World Championships, as he competes against Jairus Birech, Ezekiel Kemboi and many other top rivals in the 3,000m steeplechase. 

The second, and final, stop of the season takes place at the Memorial Van Damme contest in Brussels on Friday, September 11, where Evan is set to race 5,000 meters and looks to potentially lower his personal best in the event of 13:02.40. That PR performance came in 2013 on the same track in Brussels. 

A Look Ahead

Zurich Diamond League
Thursday, September 3
3,000m Steeplechase

Brussels Diamond League
Friday, September 11
5,000m

Evan Finishes Sixth in Steeple Final

After leading part of the race Monday in Beijing at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships, Evan slipped back to sixth place over the final 300 meters. The American record holder left the track disappointed, but appreciates all of the support from his friends, family and fans and looks forward to getting back out on the track soon.

Extremely disappointed in my race yesterday. It really hurts to work so hard for something all year only to have it come crashing down on you. I didn't show the potential that I had earlier this year, which makes the defeat even tougher. I'm so proud of all of my @bowermantc teammates for how they ran yesterday. I love these people and I'm happy I get to share the good times and the bad times with such great people.

A photo posted by Evan Jager (@evanjager) on Aug 24, 2015 at 8:47pm PDT

2015 World Champs Update: Evan Advances to Final

A very conservative early pace led to a furious dash to the finish, but Evan succeeded on finishing top three, automatically advancing to the finals at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Beijing, China.

Evan led a few different moments in the race, always looking in control and only shifting gears over the final 70 meters of the race, passing two runners and finishing a half step behind Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto. 

Finishing second in 8:41.51, Evan now shifts his focus to the 3,000m steeplechase final, which takes place Monday morning (in the United States) at 9:15am EST. 

Full Results | IAAF World Championship Website

Letsrun caught up with Evan afterward, reviewing his race, the close finish and the final ahead.

When and How to Watch Evan in Beijing

The IAAF World Outdoor Championships are here and Evan is ready to race. Below are a few details to keep in your back pocket as you go about cheering on Evan in Beijing. 

Use the hashtag #JagerTime to cheer Evan on!

Prelims (Heat 1)

Date: Friday, August 21
Time: 10:35pm EST
Where to Watch: 7:30pm-1:00am EST on Universal Sports
Competition: Evan is the top entry in the field, with only Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto in the same ballpark from a seasonal best standpoint. Evan's 8:00.45 is well ahead of Kipruto's seasonal best of 8:05.20, while the third best runner in the field has only run 8:16.54 this season. The top three finishers automatically advance to the final. Fellow Americans Daniel Huling and Donn Cabral are in the second and third heat, respectively.

Final

Date: Monday, August 24
Time: 9:15am EST
Where to Watch: 7:00am - 10:00am EST on Universal Sports
Competition: After the women's 10,000m final and before the men's 100m final, the crowd should be buzzing with excitement for the men's 3,000m steeplechase final. Reigning World Champion Ezekiel Kemboi and fellow Kenyan Jairus Birech are considered Evan's chief competition (assuming everyone qualifies for the final). Kemboi has the big-race success, while Birech has proven to be the world's best steepler the past two seasons. Neither is unbeatable and the battle is set.

Evan in the Wall Street Journal

As the IAAF World Outdoor Championships near, media attention picks up. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal published a very nice piece on Evan and fellow American steeple star Emma Coburn. The United States distance core is strong heading over to Beijing and Evan and Emma are two of the strongest medal favorites. 

If you have a few minutes, give it a read!

Can U.S. Track and Field Finally Go the Distance? (Wall Street Journal)