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Edward Cheserek

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Edward Cheserek
Cheserek at the 2018 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational
Personal information
NationalityKenyan
Born (1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 30)
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Sport
Country Kenya
SportAthletics/Track, Long-distance running
Event(s)1500 meters, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters
College teamOregon Ducks
ClubSkechers
Turned proMay 2017
Coached byAndy Powell
(2013-2018)
Stephen Haas
(2019-2021) Andy Powell (2021 October - present)
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya

Edward Cheserek (born 2 February 1994)[1] is a Kenyan distance runner. He is a 17-time NCAA champion collegiate distance runner for the University of Oregon. Cheserek was the most highly recruited high school distance runner in the nation out of Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in New Jersey where he was named the Gatorade 2012-2013 National Cross Country Runner of the Year.[2] In 2013, Cheserek became the first freshman in Oregon history to win the NCAA National Cross Country Championships.[3] Cheserek repeated this feat in his sophomore and junior years at Oregon before coming in third in the race in 2016 during his senior year. In total, Cheserek has 17 NCAA National Titles, including two indoor distance medley relays and one cross-country team title.

Early life

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Edward Cheserek was born on 2 February 1994 in Chepteran, Iten, Kenya to a family of ethnic Marakwet subsistence farmers. Cheserek is from the Marakwet tribe, which is a subgroup of the Kalenjin people.[4] Edward Cheserek's father, Jacob, was a corporal in the Kenyan military, and is deceased.[5] His mother, Dinah, is still living in Kenya.[5] Cheserek is the fourth of seven siblings and is the only person in his family to have emigrated from Kenya at 14 years old.[6][4] He was raised on a farm with no electricity or running water. Cheserek grew up in Kapker hamlet,[4] Kapchebau village[5] in the hills of northeastern Elgeyo-Marakwet County, western Kenya, where the altitude is close to two miles above sea level.[5]

Running career

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High school

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Edward Cheserek began running at age 14, after his father urged him to focus on running when his running ability was noticed on the soccer field.[4] He joined athletic training camps in Iten when his father moved the family there.[5] In 2009, Cheserek won the Kenyan junior national titles in the steeplechase, 5,000 metres, and 10,000 metres. The following year in 2010, the Nairobi-based missionary group Stadi za Maisha assisted him in obtaining a scholarship at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, United States.[4]

In the summer of 2010, Cheserek moved to the United States and began attending Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, later that fall.[7] He has twice won the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country meet, first in 2011 and again in 2012, and was named the 2012-2013 Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year.[8] In 2013, he set a new high school indoor 2 mile record of 8:39.25, replacing Gerry Lindgren's 49-year-old record of 8:40.00.[9] During his senior year, Cheserek was the most highly recruited high school distance runner in the nation.

I have been lucky enough to have a good coach. To be good, to train good and want success, you need your coach to show you those things. I also want to be as good as what my coach wants me to be. That is what makes a difference with a runner. When you run and practice, you can do it for the coach. When you do it for the coach and yourself, you are at your best. You try harder and get better each day. I like being better each race. There is no reason to run if you don't.[citation needed]

Collegiate

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Cheserek was recruited by the University of Oregon and in the fall of 2013 was the first freshman in Oregon history to win an NCAA National Cross Country Championship. As a freshman, Cheserek was the 2014 NCAA Indoor T&F champion in both the indoor 3000m and 5000m runs. Cheserek showcased his versatility at different distances by placing first in the indoor mile at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.

At the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11, Cheserek unleashed a final 400 meter sprint in 53.17 seconds to win the Men's 10,000m race with a time of 28:30.18, a personal best. He returned on June 13 to compete in the 5,000m race, dwindling the pack with a furious 56.84 final 400 meters, but it was not enough to out-kick Lawi Lalang of Arizona, as Cheserek placed 2nd in a personal best of 13:18.71 to Lalang's 13:18.36, which was an NCAA Meet Championship record. Cheserek's 18-points contributed significantly to the University of Oregon's Men's team title. After his phenomenal success on the collegiate scene, a 2015 The Wall Street Journal article described the 21-year-old Cheserek as the next great American distance runner.[10] Cheserek hopes to become an American citizen.[11][12]

During his college running career, Cheserek earned the nickname King Ches, a reference to his many winning streaks.[13][14]

Oregon Pac12 Cross Country NCAA Cross Country Indoor MPSF NCAA Indoor Outdoor Pac12 NCAA Outdoor
Freshman 13-14 8000: 24:36.0 1st 10,000: 29:41.0 1st 3000: 7:47.20 1st 3000: 8:11.59 1st
5000: 13:46.67 1st		 1500: 3:36.50 1st 5000 13:18.71 2nd
10,000: 28:30.18 1st
Sophomore 14-15 8000: 23:22.1 1st 10,000: 30:19.4 1st DMR: 9:27.02 1st Mile: 3:57.94 1st
3000: 7:59.42 2nd
DMR: 9:30.53 1st		 5000: 13:45.25 1st 5000: 13:48.67 1st
10,000: 28:58.92 1st
Junior 15-16 8000: 23:06.3 1st 10,000: 28:45.8 1st 3000: 8:00.40 1st
5000: 13:47.89 1st
DMR: 9:27.27 1st		 10,000 28:58.57 1st 5,000 13:25.59 1st
10,000: 29:09.57 1st
Senior 16-17 8000: 23:58.9 1st 10,000: 29:48.0 3rd 5,000: 13:42.20 1st

3,000: 7:55.91 1st

Mile: 4:05.42 2nd

10,000: 29:11.76 1st

Professional career

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In 2017 Cheserek turned professional, signing with Skechers Performance Team.[15] At the 2018 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational he ran the mile in 3:49.44, a personal best and at that time the 2nd fastest indoor mile in world history.[16] In 2019, at the Carlsbad 5k road race, he tied the official IAAF world record with a 13:29 and his girlfriend for two years, Sharon Lokedi won the women's race in 15:48.[17]

Edward Cheserek running the mile at the 2018 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational in 3:49.44, a personal best and at that time the 2nd fastest indoor mile in world history.

Competition record

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Kenya
2011 Adidas Grand Prix New York City, United States 4th 1 Mile 4:03.29
2012 Millrose Games New York City, United States 8th 5000 m 13:57.04(i)
2014 Millrose Games New York City, United States 8th 2 Mile 8:39.15(i)
2015 Millrose Games New York City, United States 8th Mile 3:56.43(i)
2016 Millrose Games New York City, United States 6th 3000 m 7:40.51(i)
2018 BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational Boston, Massachusetts, United States 1st Mile 3:49.44(i)
2019 BU Last chance Invitational Boston, MA, United States 1st 5000 m 13:08.05

Personal records

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High school

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Source:[18]

  • 800 m: 1:49.98 (2012)
  • 1000 m (indoor): 2:27.42 (2013)
  • 1500 m (indoor): 3:45.20+ (2012)
  • 1600 m: 4:09.90 (2012)
  • Mile: 4:03.29 (2011)
  • Mile (indoor): 4:02.21 (2012)
  • 3000 m (indoor): 8:05.46+ (2013)
  • 3200 m: 8:53.64 (2011)
  • 2-mile: 8:55.12 (2012)
  • 2-mile (indoor): 8:39.15 (2013)
  • 5000 m: 14:02.33 (2011)
  • 5000 m (indoor): 13:57.04 (2012)
  • 10,000 m: 29:42.29 (2012)

College

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  • 1000 m (indoor): 2:19.02 (2013)
  • Mile (indoor): 3:52.01 (2017)
  • 1500 m: 3:36.50 (2014)
  • 1600 m split in DMR: 3:52.88 (2016)
  • 3000 m (indoor): 7:40.51 (2016)
  • 5000m: 13:18.71 (2014)
  • 10,000 m: 28:30.18 (2014)

Professional

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  • 1500 m (indoor): 3:33.76 (2018)
  • Mile (indoor): 3:49.44 (2018)
  • 3000 m (indoor): 7:38.74 (2018)
  • 5000 m (indoor): 13:08.05 (2019)
  • 5000 m (road): 13:29 (2019)
  • 5000 m: 13:04.44 (2019)
  • 10000 m: 27:23.58 (2020)
  • 10000m (road): 28:25(2021)
  • Half Marathon: 60:37(2022)
  • Marathon: 2:11:07(2023)

Notes

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  • ^1 The "i" next to a result indicates an indoor performance.
  • ^2 Cheserek's 1500 meter personal best was 3:33.76 en route to his 3:49.44 mile. 3:36.50 is only his outdoor 1500 meter personal best, not en-route of a mile race.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "IAAF: Edward CHESEREK - Athlete Profile". IAAF. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  2. ^ Anderson, Cutris. "Top prep distance runner headed to Oregon". The Register Guard. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  3. ^ "Oregon Athletic Bio Edward Cheserek". The University of Oregon. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e Heald, Michael (September 14, 2015). "Edward Cheserek: Setting the Record Straight". Runner's World.
  5. ^ a b c d e Shannon, Noah Gallagher (August 19, 2016). "Why Is the Country's Most Dominant Distance Runner Not in Rio?". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Episode 300: Edward Cheserek - I Think I Can Hang C Tolle Run November 2022
  7. ^ "Athlete Profile: Edward Cheserek". IAAF. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  8. ^ Konecky, Chad (January 23, 2013). "Edward Cheserek Named Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year". USA Today. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  9. ^ Bloom, Marc (February 20, 2013). "Another Record for Cheserek". Running Times. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  10. ^ Futterman, Matthew (March 11, 2015). "Why Kenya's Edward Cheserek Is America's Next Great Runner". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  11. ^ Weiss, Haley (December 23, 2015). "The Olympic Hopeful: Team USA". Interview.
  12. ^ Hansen, Chris (July 13, 2017). "Healthy Cheserek seeks citizenship, a shoe contract". The Register-Guard/The News-Review. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  13. ^ Norcross, Don (2022-05-21). "King Ches back to defend Carlsbad 5000 title, finally". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  14. ^ Young, Dennis (2016-10-08). "There Are Only Two Questions Left About King Ches". FloTrack. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
  15. ^ Mack, Gordon (September 6, 2017). "Edward Cheserek Signs With Skechers". Skechers. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  16. ^ "Men's Mile Invitational, Heat 1 - Edward Cheserek 3:49.44, #2 ALL-TIME!". FloTrack. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  17. ^ Boal, Erik (April 7, 2019). "Cheserek matches Wanders' performance from Monaco to join Lokedi as champion, completing first Kenyan sweep at annual event since 2001". DyeStat. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "Stats for Edward Cheserek". NJ Runner. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
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