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I just put up two previews of the NCAA Cross Country Championships at Runner's Tribe. I cover all the big questions, like:
I give some bold predictions and I make a few ridiculous arguments, but it's more fun to take the Adam Dunn approach to predictions: it's either going to be a home run or a strike out. In the meantime, I hope you'll give them a read and leave me a comment here or there with your thoughts on the NCAAs.
Here's a snippet of the Men's Preview:
All you can ask for as a fan is a competitive race. Team titles decided by battles from the first man to the fifth. Some years, though, one team is so stacked that while you hope for a battle, but you don't really expect to see one. This NCAA Cross Country season, that team was Oklahoma State.
Don't ask me why they've been ranked #2 in the USTFCCCA polls all year, when they have five studs returning and the 16th place finisher in the NCAAs (Girma Mecheso) transferred to the school. That team is like the Los Angeles Lakers of the NCAA. They have a Kobe-esque superstar in German Fernandez, a bunch of studs throughout the lineup, and they picked up an apparently moody star in Mecheso (the Ron Artest connection). They have to be number one, unless the rest of the coaches think OSU coach Dave Smith is more Del Harris than Phil Jackson. Personally, I expected them to run roughshod over the NCAA competition, including Oregon...(continue reading)
Here's a snippet of the Women's Preview:
This year's team battle in the NCAA Cross Country Championships women's race wasn't looking to be much more than a skirmish at the beginning of the year. That's because the Washington Huskies returned nearly everyone from the squad that won NCAAs last year with a grand total of 79 points. In fact, that team almost put all seven in front of every other team's fourth runner (only Oregon put 4 in before their 7th). Just like last year, they are too deep, too strong. They are like a teenager in a pillow fight with kindergarten students. There's no challenge they can't absorb and there's no attack they can't repel. They were dominant last year and this year would be the same.
But just when I worried it was going to be anti-climactic, up stepped Villanova...(continue reading)
The NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held at Indiana State University on Monday, November 23rd. You can watch live on Versus at 12pm (EST).
I can't tell you how excited I was to hear that Meb Keflezighi won the NYC Marathon on Sunday. Meb was a big reason why I chose to attend UCLA, and his amazing success throughout high school, college, and the professional ranks is a testament to his amazing work ethic and his unflappable personality. I can honestly say I've never met a person in any field who is more dedicated, more consistent, or more disciplined than Meb is to his running.
I think it's fitting that Meb was the first American to break the 27 year losing streak at New York. Not because Ryan Hall wouldn't be deserving but because Meb has done a lot to bring back US distance running. With that in mind, I wrote up a little article about Meb the Marathoner for Runner's Tribe where I try to add a little context to Meb's marathon successes. Here's the start:
It's about time. It's about time an Americ
an man won a marathon major again. It's about time a group of Americans represented in force on our home turf. And it's about time that Meb Keflezighi won himself a laurel wreath, winning yesterday's ING New York City Marathon. (Results)
Five years ago, Meb made the complete transition to the marathon, and promptly went out and won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics. He had previously finished 2nd at the Olympic Trials, and shortly after Athens he went on to finish 2nd in New York. He followed that with a couple third place finishes in New York and then Boston, giving him five top three finishes in his first seven marathons. But no victories.
The ironic thing is, he never ran particularly fast times during this period either. His best was his 2:09:53 in New York in '04. I'm sure he figured faster times would come, but during the three years when he was far and away the top marathoner in the country, he didn't chase times. Instead, he opted to race big US marathons with slower, tougher courses. I spoke with Meb's coach, Bob Larsen, at the UCLA-USC dual meet this year and he talked about Meb during that period between '04 and '05.
Click here to read more about Meb in 2004, about how Meb is a Competitor (as opposed to a Racer), and why Meb should stick to courses like Boston and New York.
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