Chris Solinsky’s Breakout Year

His incredible 2010 season caught the attention of the running world.

Former University of Wisconsin standout Chris Solinsky keeps getting better and better. Last year, he ran the 10,000m event once. In that debut race, Solisnky became not only the American record holder, but also the fastest non-African-born runner to cover the distance. His time was 26:59.60. And until late in the year, no other runner had run faster than he had for the past 12 months.

Solinsky attributes much of his success to his work ethic and strength. In high school, he worked a summer job at a farm supply store in Wisconsin where constantly lifting feed bags built upon his large physique. “It doesn’t take much for me to build muscle mass,” he says. “When my training partners will do three sets, I’ll do two, or fewer repetitions in the set, because I don’t want to bulk up any more. I don’t want to put on muscle I can’t lose. It’s about reducing injuries now, about building muscle that helps us most. We want to hang on and be there at the end of the race.”

Solinsky is coached by Jerry Schumacher, whose guidance he has been training under since his collegiate days at Wisconsin.

For More: IAAF