Don’t Expect Run for Atlanta by Mortensen

THOUSAND OAKS — Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks High is not expected to make an attempt to qualify for next month’s U.S. Olympic trials in the 5,000 meters.

Speculation about that possibility arose Friday night after the Lancer senior set a national high school record of 9 minutes 48.59 seconds in the 3,200 at the Southern Section Masters Meet.

But Mortensen is not expected to run the 5,000 prior to the Olympic trials qualifying deadline of June 9.

She will run the 3,200 in the State championships next Saturday and the 1,600 in the International Prep Invitational on June 8.

Awed by Mortensen’s average of 73.57 seconds per 400 in her record 3,200, several track experts wondered if she could run 75.60 per lap in the 5,000 for a cumulative time of 15:45.00, the automatic qualifying standard for the Olympic trials.

Thousand Oaks distance Coach Jack Farrell, who has seen Mortensen cut more than 54 seconds from her 3,200 best this season, is unsure if her training background would allow her to run 15:45 in an event in which the American record is 14:56.07.

“It’s not a question of talent,” he said. “It’s a question of miles. Kim runs about 40 miles a week. A lot of the top 5,000 runners run 60. That makes a big difference in a 5,000. Right now, she makes a 3,200 seem like six laps, but I’ve got a feeling that in the 5,000, it would look like all 12 1/2 laps.”