Iowa State star, along with former coach Ihmels and announcer Jay reminisce about incredible 2010 run at Stanford Invitational, which is canceled this weekend as a result of Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic 

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Ten years later, Dr. Lisa Uhl still stands atop the mountain, remaining the standard by which all collegiate 10,000-meter runners are compared.

The former Iowa State standout – then Lisa Koll – also now finds herself surrounded by mountains residing in Fort Collins, Colo., with husband Kiel Uhl and 13-week-old son Graham, in addition to working as a Comparative Ophthalmology resident at Colorado State Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

But long before she lived at 5,000 feet elevation, Uhl reached rarefied air in NCAA distance running history by setting the women’s collegiate 10,000 record, clocking 31 minutes, 18.07 seconds on March 26, 2010, at the Stanford Invitational.

WATCH RECORD-SETTING RACE AT 2010 STANFORD INVITATIONAL | POST-RACE INTERVIEW

“Definitely proud, mostly shocked,” Uhl recalled of her emotions from that fantastic Friday night.

“I felt so good that day that I think I definitely underestimated the accomplishment at the time.”

The 45th edition of the Stanford meet was scheduled for this weekend at Cobb Track and Angell Field, but like all track and field competitions around the world, the event was canceled as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.

However, the anniversary of her achievement a decade ago allowed the 32-year-old Uhl to reflect not only on the memorable race, but her journey from being a top 10 finisher in both cross country and track for Fort Dodge High at the Iowa High School Athletic Association state championships to one of the elite 10,000 performers in American history.

“I am such a proud Iowan and Cyclone. I live in Colorado now and I think people get really tired of listening to me reminisce about my obsession with Ames,” Uhl said. “But I’ve had so much help and support from people that are associated with my roots and it is the only reason I’ve been able to experience some of the successes that I have.”

Although she captured her first NCAA Division 1 title in 2008 in her home state by winning the 10,000 in 32:44.95 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, it was Uhl’s performance earlier that season at the Stanford Invitational that helped her and then Iowa State coach Corey Ihmels establish the foundation for a potential record-breaking run two years later.

Uhl won the 10,000 at Stanford in 32:11.13, then an American collegiate record and No. 2 in NCAA history, trailing only Texas Tech talent Sally Kipyego, who ran 31:56.72 on the same track at the 2007 Payton Jordan Invitational.

Kipyego went on to secure silver medals in the 10,000 at the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics representing Kenya, but has since transferred eligibility. She finally earned the opportunity in August to represent the United States, which she will do at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after placing third Feb. 29 at the Marathon Trials in Atlanta.

Since Kipyego was focused on doubling in the 1,500 and 5,000 at the 2008 Division 1 outdoor championship meet, her final opportunity to lower the collegiate 10,000 record came earlier that season at the Payton Jordan Invitational, which she did by clocking 31:25.45 to place third behind professionals Shalane Flanagan (30:34.49) and Kim Smith (30:35.54).

Even two years later when she stepped on the starting line at Stanford, Uhl wasn’t certain if she could approach Kipyego’s lofty standard.

“To be honest, I knew I was in good shape, but running under 31:30 was not what I expected coming into that night. I was hopeful that I could break 32:00,” Uhl said. “I can’t even say for sure that I knew at the time what Sally’s record was, because that seemed unachievable in my head. However, I did know I was in the best shape of my life and I trusted Corey, so I was confident in the race plan.”

Injuries during the 2009 season halted Uhl’s momentum and resulted in limited racing, capped by a ninth-place finish in the 10,000 final at the Division 1 championship meet in Arkansas.

But Uhl returned in 2010 with renewed confidence, running 8:56.09 in the 3,000 and 15:29.65 in the 5,000 on Iowa State’s indoor 300-meter flat track. She captured her first NCAA indoor title in the 5,000 in Arkansas, winning by more than 10 seconds, and placed second in the 3,000 by a 0.12 margin in a thrilling showdown with Angela Bizzarri of Illinois.

“The consistency I had in the indoor season gave me the most confidence, particularly the solo effort 3K I had at the Big 12 Indoor Championships where I ran 8:56,” Uhl said. “Speed was almost always my limitation, so when I knew I had that in me, I felt confident that I could translate it into my longer races.”

Ihmels, a 1997 Iowa State graduate who has coached at Boise State since 2013, respected the magnitude of Kipyego’s record. But he also knew his star athlete was ready for her big opportunity in the Stanford spotlight.

“Obviously, that was a pretty special night and the race unfolded perfectly for what we thought she was ready to run. Looking back on my notes, my pre-race prediction was somewhere between 31:24 and 31:31, going out (the first 5,000) in 15:52 to 15:56 ideally,” Ihmels said. “I wasn’t surprised watching it unfold as she was very prepared for the moment.”

Uhl passed the midway point at 15:50.6, with Hungarian Olympian Krisztina Papp still staying within contact. But Uhl, who possessed the ability throughout her career to close well in longer races, covered the final 5,000 in a solo effort, consistently clicking off 74- and 75-second laps before covering the final mile in 4:52.

“I was very fortunate to have Krisztina for the first 5K and the weather was perfect that night, as usual on those Palo Alto evenings,” Uhl said. “Sure, lapping other runners forces one out into the second lane, but it also gave me encouragement and momentum. I was not a stranger to training or racing either alone or with negative splits, and I think having control of the race and running it the way it played out was exactly what I needed that night.

“Obviously it is always nice to have others to help push you or to trade off the lead, but in retrospect I think having others in the mix could have been a blessing or a hindrance. The way the race played out allowed me to dictate it, and I was in territory I had not yet been, so I was able to test the waters by cranking down the pace slowly without getting in over my head.”

With veteran announcer Mike Jay – the voice for not only the Iowa high school state championships and Drake Relays, but also several NCAA and USATF championship meets – calling the races that night at Stanford, Uhl ran the last 800 in 2:24, including a 70-second final lap with a supportive crowd encouraging her every step of the way as she surged down the final straightaway toward the record.

“The thing I remember most was consciously trying not to show favoritism to a fellow Iowan,” Jay said. “But I also wanted to educate the crowd. Lisa had an amazing 2010. Perhaps one for the ages.

“She was like a metronome that night. So focused. So locked in. Her coach, Corey Ihmels, also an ISU alum, had her so ready. She was there to do one thing and she did it brilliantly.”

Uhl pumped her fist in celebration as she crossed the finish line, 28 seconds ahead of Papp, producing the first of two all-time collegiate marks on the Stanford track that year. Liberty’s Sam Chelanga ran 27:08.49 to set the men’s 10,000 record May 1 at the Payton Jordan Invitational.

In addition to eclipsing Kipyego’s standard of excellence, Uhl also became one of only four female athletes in history – joining fellow Americans Emily Sisson, Molly Huddle and Flanagan – to run under 31:20 before April, with every performance taking place at Stanford. But hearing the familiar voices of Ihmels and Jay with each passing lap definitely had Uhl feeling the comforts of home.

“I am so grateful to Corey for believing in me and guiding me. I always felt like he carried a piece of ISU history inside of him as an exceptional former ISU athlete and that he gave me a small piece of that in coaching me,” said Uhl, who ran 15:27.5 over the final 5,000 to rank among the top five in the world among 10,000 performers that year.

“Mike Jay’s voice on the loudspeaker was truly a full-circle moment for me as that was the voice I listened to when I was battling it out for a top-10 performance at my high school state meet. His pure joy and excitement for me was incredible to hear as the performance was unfolding.”

Uhl is one of six individuals coached by Ihmels – joining Boise State’s Allie Ostrander and Emma Bates, along with Betsy Saina, Aliphine Tuliamuk and Meaghan Nelson at Iowa State – who rank in the top 25 in NCAA women’s 10,000-meter history.

But it wasn’t just the four career Division 1 titles, her 14:55.74 effort in the 5,000 at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris that July – which remains the fastest all-dates performance in collegiate history and No. 10 all-time in the U.S. – or the 10,000 record, which separates Uhl from the rest of that group.

“I’ve been fortunate to coach some pretty special female athletes in college,” Ihmels said. “I think the one thing that makes Lisa stand out from all the other talented athletes I’ve coached was she was very coachable. There were highs and lows, but she stayed the course and the outcome was outstanding.”

Uhl and Saina went on to sweep the top two spots in the 10,000 for Iowa State at the 2010 NCAA outdoor final. Uhl returned two days later at Hayward Field in Oregon to complete the distance double by winning the 5,000 title, one of five female athletes in Division 1 history to achieve the feat at the same meet.

Saina redshirted the 2012 outdoor season for the Cyclones and ran 31:15.97 competing unattached at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Uhl ran a personal-best 31:12.80 that summer to place 13th at the Olympic final in London, a mark that makes her the No. 9 all-time American performer.

But Saina’s effort of 31:37.22 in her final season for Iowa State at the 2013 Stanford Invitational and Sisson’s 31:38.03 performance at the 2015 Payton Jordan Invitational during her senior year at Providence are the only two collegiate athletes to be within 20 seconds of Uhl’s record in the past decade, with only five individuals even breaking the 32-minute barrier during that span.

“There are some incredible women in the NCAA, many that I feel have been capable of breaking that record during their season, but just didn’t have the opportunity play out,” said Uhl, specifically referencing Saina’s 2012 performance.

“I feel very fortunate that everything fell into place for me that day, and I won’t be surprised to see that mark broken sometime in the near future when the right combination of fitness, weather and race dynamic play out for one of our extremely talented women in the NCAA.”

Ihmels knows it will take an exceptional effort by any collegiate athlete in the coming years to provide a legitimate challenge to Uhl’s spectacular standard.

“Looking at those splits, I have a hard time seeing it get broken any time soon,” Ihmels said. “But Betsy did run faster just a few years later, so someone out there will take a crack at it I’m sure.”

Whether Uhl’s record extends an extra year or another decade, what won’t change is the profound impact that race had on her as a runner, both as a Cyclone and beyond. She will have another opportunity to reminisce in October, when Uhl is scheduled to be inducted into the Iowa State Athletic Hall of Fame.

“Personally, it was the defining moment of my career. It allowed me to dream I was capable of things I never even imagined, and that was what propelled me to a lot of my later accomplishments,” said Uhl, one of five female athletes – along with Deena Kastor, Kara Goucher, Huddle and Flanagan – to rank in the top 10 in U.S. history in both the 5,000 and 10,000.

“It was also just so joyous. After a very hard year of injury and struggle in 2009, it was an incredibly sweet return for all the hard work and perseverance I endured. There were some great accomplishments and moments after that race too, but I think they all had roots stemming from that moment.”