Wisconsin's Olin Hacker breaks meet record in McChesney 5000m

Olin Hacker takes 16 seconds off his lifetime best and dips under 13:20 for the first time to win the Bill McChesney 5000m in 13:19.34 at the 2022 Oregon Relays. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Joe Zochert

Wisconsin’s Olin Hacker ran away victorious at the Oregon Relays to set a new personal best of 13:19.34 in the 5,000-meter McChesney Memorial run, blowing open a big lead with a little under three laps remaining.

Hacker felt comfortable in the leading pack of five runners. Throughout the race, he could sense his competitors trying to pick up the pace but didn’t have the legs to make a move.  

“I felt strong and I knew I could push it hard and see who could come with me,” said Hacker when asked about his move with three laps remaining. “I just wanted to close it out and I was looking at the clock and just watching for 13:20 on the last couple of laps.”

With a little under 1,200m left, he decided to take the race over and pass Oregon’s Aaron Bienenfeld for the lead at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

The senior finished with a blazing 59.57 split on the bell lap to keep Club Northwest’s Tom Anderson and Bienfeld out of kicking range. Anderson finished in 2nd place with a 13:28.07 and Bienfeld took 3rd in 13:28.13.

The top-five finishers all broke the Oregon Relays meet record, making Hackers win all the more impressive. The previous mark belonged to Oregon’s Shadrack Biwott, who clocked 13:36.25 in 2015.

Hacker not only broke the meet record in his first 5,000m race of the 2022 Outdoor season, he also took 16 seconds off his personal best and broke the 13:20 barrier for the first time in his running career.

“To come back and be able to do this in my opener and run 20 second faster than I opened last year, it feels like redemption,” Hacker said.

The senior already has a long list of accomplishments this year as he placed 30th in the NCAA XC Championships in the fall and won the Big 10 Indoor Track and Field Championships in both the 3,000m and 5,000m in February.

Knowing that this is his final collegiate season, he plans to make the most of it this spring.

“Win a National title. That’s what everybody wants.”