Middle Distance Stars Ready to Battle Again in 2015

By Scott Bush

Down the homestretch come the Americans. Simpson leads, but Rowbury is charging hard, less than 50 meters to go. Simpson looks like she’s going to hang on, Rowbury is surging one more time…here comes the line!

Last year, at the end of August, Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury battled to the line in the Zurich Diamond League 1,500m, with Simpson literally falling to the win, 3:59.92-3:59.93, as both runners tripped over each others feet, crashing to the track in dramatic fashion.

One week later in Brussels, Simpson again nipped Rowbury at the tape, this time over 3,000m, as Simpson placed fourth to Rowbury’s fifth, 8:29.58-8:29.93.

For Simpson, it’s been an exhilarating past few seasons. She’s progressively stepped up her performances, winning the Diamond League 1,500m crown in 2014, while establishing herself as arguably the best 1,500m runner in the world.

Consider this, Simpson ran five of her fastest six 1,500m races last year, breaking four minutes three times, the first time she had done so since 2009. With World Championship gold in 2011 and silver in 2013, the 2015 World Championships in Beijing is the perfect springboard for Simpson to propel herself to be considered the favorite heading into 2016 and the Rio Olympics.

While many consider Simpson the current queen of American distance running, one must remember Rowbury is on the rise. A switch to Alberto Salazar as coach pushed Rowbury to new personal bests over 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m in 2014. She broke four minutes in the 1,500m for the first time, doing so twice, and is the lone athlete in the American all-time rankings to rank top five over 1,500m, mile, 3,000m, two mile and 5,000m.

Just as the two athletes had impressive 2014 seasons, both are off to strong starts in 2015. Simpson dominated in her lone indoor race, winning a two-mile contest in 9:18.35, while opening up outdoors by just missing out of on setting a new 800m personal best, with a runner-up 2:00.79 clocking at the HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic.

Rowbury, who ran a three of the four fastest mile times in the world this indoor season, clocked a new indoor best over the distance in 4:22.66, while also winning the NYRR Millrose Games mile title and two USATF Indoor Championship titles. She ran a strong 2:03.46 (800m) /4:12.62 (1,500m) distance double at the HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic, which came off a victorious anchor leg effort in the distance medley relay at the IAAF World Relays.

Needless to say, both Simpson and Rowbury are coming off great seasons, have established momentum early on in 2015 and continue to shoot for the stars as the IAAF World Outdoor Championships approach later this summer.

The rivalry resumes this weekend, as Simpson and Rowbury clash in the women’s 1,500m at the Nike Prefontaine Classic. They’ll face a strong international field, including Sifan Hassan, who finished 2014 with the fastest mark in the world of 3:57.00.

While both athletes lowered their 1,500m personal bests last year, Mary Slaney’s American record of 3:57.12 is now in sight. Simpson is one-hundreth of a second off, Rowbury a bit further, but both seem fully capable of challenging the record set in 1983.

American distance running fans haven’t seen such a middle distance rivalry since Suzy Favor Hamilton and Regina Jacobs clashed in the 90’s. What’s more exciting though are the gold medal potential both Simpson and Rowbury hold, something Americans are hoping comes to fruition this summer and again in 2016.

Let this rivalry grow.

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Rivalries define sport.  They bring the best performances out of athletes, adrenaline-pumping excitement out of fans and add drama that simple head-to-head competition can’t. Rivalries are the lifeblood of sport, especially in the attention span depleting social media world we live in. It’s rivalries that drive media, drive money and drive greatness. With all of that said, we’re rolling out a short series of the best rivalries in track and field over the next few weeks.