Berlin: McGregor 17th in WC 10,000 Meters

Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor finished 17th in Saturday's IAAF World Track and Field Championships 10,000 meters in Berlin.

McGregor (pictured leading China's Yingying Zhang) clocked 32:18.49.

Kenya's Linet Chepkwemoi Masai won the event in 30:51.24. Amy Yoder Begley, the USA Champion at the distance, was the top American in the race, finishing 6th in 31:13.78.

"The work is there," McGregor told the media after her effort. "I just have to fine tune some stuff. The amount of work I am putting in and the amount of fitness, it's all there."

McGregor came to Berlin after two sub-par 5000m tune-up races, but got off to a fast start yesterday.

"My first 5K was faster than at open 5Ks," she explained, "and that was a positive. I just needed to hang on to that pace, and I didn't. I lost touch with the end of the pack and that was it. It happens."

The race marked McGregor's third World Championships appearance at 10,000m. The University of Michigan alum finished 14th at the 2005 World championships running a PR 31:21.20. In 2007, she finished 13th.

"I'm glad to be the part of another USA team," she said. "I did my best today, so hopefully I did the country proud."

Photo by Sean Hartnett.