Hampered with a hamstring injury, former UMass Lowell distance standout Nate Jenkins (’04) placed 63rd in a field of 105 Saturday morning in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships of Track and Field.
Jenkins ran the four-loop course in 2 hours, 32.16 minutes. Dan Brown was the top American finisher in 24th place (2:16.49) while Matt Gabrielson placed 36th in 2:18.41.
Abel Kirui of Kenya won the individual title in 2:06.55, an IAAF World Championship record.
Jenkins’ finish was key as it enabled the U.S. to figure into the team scoring.
Two Americans were forced to withdraw, leaving the Americans with three runners, as Edwardo Torres did not start due to injury while Justin Young lasted 13 miles before succumbing to injury.
“The plan if warm, which is was, was to be patient, pick people off and run for place rather than time,” said UMass Lowell head coach Gary Gardner, who was coaching Jenkins along the route, said in his blog. “Nate was a bit back the first two times he passed but he figured he was OK.
“As he passed the third time, he already looked to be struggling and pointed to the hamstring, which has been giving him problems for some time. I knew then his day was going to be long.”
Seventeen runners withdrew during the race.
Temperatures at the start were in the mid-60s but reached the mid-70s during the race.
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