Rhines runs just fast enough to make final The 'Nova grad finished sixth in the heat for the 5,000 meters. A twinge in her foot slowed her.

BEIJING — Jen Rhines stuck to the leaders in her women's 5,000-meter heat last night the way the heat and humidity stuck to everything else.

As things turned out, the Villanova graduate barely was tenacious enough.

She finished sixth in 15 minutes, 15.12 seconds, just enough to make Friday night's final. Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, who holds the world record at 14:11.15, won the race in a pedestrian 15:09.89.

Rhines entered the heat with the 15th fastest personal-best among the 32 women in the field (14:54.29). Fifteen would qualify - the top six in each heat and the next three fastest. Her time turned out to be 15th best on the night.

"I felt really good," she said. "I just wanted to stay close enough so in the last 600 or 1,000 meters I could make a move. It was a tactical race and not a speed race, and I always feel more comfortable being in the top three or four in a tactical race."

Rhines, 34, thought she could have gone quicker and finished higher, but she felt a twinge in her right foot just before she started her finishing kick.

"It's been a little tight ever since I've been over here," she said. "It tightened up with about 350 meters to go, and from there I just wanted to hang on. I'll get some treatment on it and rest up until Friday."

In the final, Rhines says she hopes to improve on her finish of seventh at last year's world championships.

Americans Shalane Flanagan (14:59.69), the bronze medalist here at 10,000 meters, and Kara Goucher (15:00.98) qualified for the final in the second heat.

"It was tough for me," Flanagan said. "It wasn't fun. I wasn't getting that runner's high. But I'm in the finals, and that's all that matters."

Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.