Courtesy of Kevin Danaher | Flotrack.org

Virginia Tech's Tasmin Fanning is congratulated by Barack Obama after winning the 5,000 meters Friday at the Oregon Twilight meet.

BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech runner Tasmin Fanning won the 5,000 meters at a meet at the University of Oregon on Friday, but that wasn't the only reason it was an exciting day for her.

She was congratulated by her favorite presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

"Everything just culminated into this one great experience," Fanning said after practice Tuesday. "I was thrilled about the race. I was thrilled to meet Obama. All that happening together all at once, it just made it definitely the most memorable experience of my life."

Fanning won the 5,000 in a school-record time of 15 minutes, 47.9 seconds at the Oregon Twilight meet. It was her first meet at one of the most prestigious tracks in the country -- Hayward Field, site of the annual Prefontaine Classic and next month's U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

Her race had just ended when Obama, who had given a speech at Oregon's basketball arena, made an unscheduled stop at the track meet. After Fanning finished her victory lap -- a Hayward Field tradition -- she learned Obama had arrived.

Fanning is a "huge fan" of the Illinois senator and had voted for him in Virginia's Democratic primary.

"I just ran a great race and now I could meet Obama? When I did, it just sent me over the edge," she said.

Fanning, who has earned All-America honors in track and cross country, spotted Obama throwing T-shirts to the crowd of 5,000 fans and ran over to him.

"I grabbed the first Secret Service person and said, 'Can I meet him?' " said Fanning, a junior who graduated from Western Albemarle High School in Crozet.

The Secret Service agent let her through, and she got to have a one-on-one chat with Obama for a minute or two.

"I told him that I was a huge supporter," she said.

Obama asked how she had fared in the race, and she informed him of her record.

"He asked me a few more questions and I was answering him, but at this point I don't remember anything that happened because I was just so excited to be meeting him," Fanning said.

The two posed for photos at Obama's suggestion.

Fanning's older sister, Jessica, is also on the Hokies' team. When Jessica learned her sister had talked with Obama, she headed over to the candidate and got to meet him as well.

Tasmin Fanning put off her cool-down routine to call her mother with the news of her win and her chat with the Democratic front-runner.

She will compete in the 5,000 at the NCAA East Regional championships next week. She hopes to return to Oregon next month; she has provisionally qualified for the Olympic trials in the 1,500 and 5,000.