Only ten Americans have ever run faster over 10,000 meters than Tim Nelson, who set a personal best of 27:31.56 at Stanford University earlier this year. Yet Nelson is less well-known than many of the runners who are close behind him on the U.S. all-time list for that event (Alan Webb, Bob Kennedy, etc.). Nelson himself is not too worried about not getting as much recognition as he deserves. He’s just focused on running even faster, knowing that if he does, the recognition will come.

A 2007 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Nelson, 26, now trains with the Nike Oregon Track Club Elite team under coach Jerry Schumacher in Portland, Oregon. Sunday he will race the ING Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in hopes of lowering the PR of 1:02:11 he set for that distance in his first attempt at Houston in January. Like his teammates Simon Bairu and Shalane Flanagan, Nelson is using the race as a tune-up for the New York City on November 7.