KU runner shatters historic 5K record

LAWRENCE (KSNT)- KU Track and Field had quite the weekend in Austin, Texas and in California.

Among several top-notch performances, one stood out as historic. Distance runner Chandler Gibbens, a Columbia, Mo. native, shattered the KU record in the 5,000 meter run.

Gibbens ran 13:28.71, breaking a record set by KU legend Jim Ryun in the 1960s. Gibbens broke Ryun’s record of 13:47 by nearly 20 full seconds.

The 5K run was a 31-second personal best for Gibbens, a junior at KU.

Freshman runner, and Hayden High School graduate, Tanner Newkirk also ran a personal best in the 5K, finishing in 14:13.03.

KU track will put on a show in Lawrence a couple times later this spring. The Jayhawks are hosting KU relays April 13-15 and the Rock Chalk Classic on April 29.