Wesley Frazier and Edward Cheserek win New Balance Outdoor 2 Mile Titles

The New Balance Outdoor Nationals once again returned to the beautiful Irwin Belk Track at Aggie Stadium this weekend. Greensboro, North Carolina would once again host the best high schoolers from across the country. The featured distance events of the evening would be the Boys and Girls Championship 2 Mile Runs.

Leading the boys would be St. Benedict Prep's Edward Cheserek. Would he challenge German Fernandez' meet record of 8:34.40, which was set in 2008? Would he challenge Lukas Verzbicas' 8:29.46 set last year at Pre? Those were the questions stirring through the stadium as the 80+ degree day started to cool into the mid 70's at sunset approached.

The day got off to a rough start for the Newark, NJ Senior, as he lost control and dropped the baton during the Sprint Medley Relay. This is coming off a disappointing 12th places finish at the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile, where he "only" ran 4:07.29. How would he respond in quite possibly he last race of his season?

Of course, Cheserek isn't the only story. The 2 Mile would be the last high school race for Cary, NC standout, Thomas Graham, before heading out west in the Fall to join the powerhouse that is the Stanford Cardinal. Graham's career as one of the top distance runners in North Carolina history includes multiple state titles, two trips to Foot Locker Nationals, an 8:56.21 for 3200 meters at the storied Arcadia Invitational and most notably, a 14:11.23 for 5000 meters at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. How would he fare against King Edward and the rest of an excellent field that spanned from coast to coast.

Last night, Winona Lake, Indiana's Ashley Erba ran a meet record of 16:18.21, distancing herself from last year's champ, Raleigh Ravenscroft's Wesley Frazier. Frazier has had another excellent year, most recently running an impressive 4:42.78 at the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile. She would have her hands full tonight with Wilmington, Delaware Tatnall's Haley Pierce coming in with the strongest run of the year at 10:16.35 for 3200 meters.

The girls would go off first at 8:10pm and Wesley Frazier would bide, a the field was tightly bunched the whole way and went through the mile in 5:07. Frazier came on strong over the last 100 meters to take the win in 10:13.43, outkicking Salt Lake City's Natalie Shields in the process. 

Edward Cheserek on the last lap

The guys would follow at 8:40pm. Edward Cheserek would play it cool and not take the lead until about 400 meters to go. When he went, Thomas Graham bided his time and got up on his shoulder with 200 meters to go. It wasn't until the last 100 meters that the speedier Cheserek would pull away and take the win in 8:55.12. Graham would PR in the process with a strong 8:56.56 for the 2 mile distance.

Although the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships would be going on this weekend as well and there would be an obvious divide of talent, the New Balance Outdoor Nationals is always an excellent event, and is a great place to see some emerging talent. I know I had a blast in 1995! Come back tomorrow for the mile and plenty more.

Make sure and check out RunnerSpace's videos of the races here

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5 Questions with Stanford commit, Thomas Graham

We have our first high school guest today on “5 Questions with”. In the Triangle, we’ve know of Thomas Graham for some time. He’ll be heading west to Stanford next year, but represents the latest of a strong resurgence in North Carolina prep running.

Thomas Graham has been making noise in North Carolina and on the national scene for the past few years, qualifying for the past two Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (finishing 9th in 2011), finishing third at the Brooks PR Invite 2 Mile in 2011 (9:04.14) and 2nd at the National Scholastic 5000 in 2011 (14:45.42). His most recent achievement was his best yet, running 14:11.66 for 5000 at the 2012 Raleigh Relays. Follow him on Twitter here.

5 Questions with Thomas Graham

1. Writing About Running: First off, congrats on running 14:11 at Raleigh Relays. You ran 14:45 at National Scholastic in June. What kind of preparation went into improving so vastly 10 months later?

Thomas Graham: Thanks! It definitely was a huge PR for me, and my coach and I consider it to be a real breakthrough. I think that such a big drop was the product of a few things. First, I think my old 5k PR wasn’t really representative of the shape I was in at the time. Basically Edward Cheserek took off and ran the first lap of that race in 63, and left the rest of us way behind. The guy that was in 2nd wasn’t running fast enough, so I moved into his position and basically ran 11 really lonely, not very fast laps. I think I probably could have run closer to 14:30 last June, but it just never really materialized running what amounted to a solo time trial. Over the summer and winter off seasons I had really good base periods where I was consistently running 80-85 miles a week, and I came out of those feeling a lot stronger and ready to run some good times.

2. Writing About Running: Friday night at the Raleigh Relays has become of night of excellent racing. How long had you been planning on running the 5000 here? Also, I noticed you ran a smart race, working your way through the pack. What kind of game plan went into your race strategy?

Thomas Graham: Before the season started my coach and I thought it would be cool to run a fast 5k, and Raleigh Relays, which is about 10 minutes from my house, seemed like the best place to do it. It had been on the calendar all season, and I’d been excited for it, but seeing how stacked the field really got my psyched for it. I didn’t really have a race strategy going in. The only plan I had was to run off the backs of the other runners, move up if I felt good, and fall back if I felt like the pace was too much. Luckily, I ended up feeling good pretty much the whole time, so whenever the lead pack started to break away from the chase group I just tagged along on the back of that group and just rode it along to a nice time.

Graham runs for Cary Academy & will attend Stanford

3. Writing About Running: I’ve seen you running at Umstead many times. What can you say about the park that has helped you in your training over the years?

Thomas Graham: I’m a huge fan of Umstead for a lot of reasons. By itself it’s probably the biggest reason that I’ve continued to improve and continued to love running. I really like being outside and Umstead has a ton of single-track trails to complement the wider main trails. There is a ton of variety possible for runs, so if you need to go 9 miles 5 days in a row, you can run a different route every day. Another great thing about Umstead is how hilly it is. Because it’s centrally located in the triangle, a lot of the runners from around the area meet there on Sundays during the offseason to do long runs, which I think have really helped me develop over time. There’s a great, really hard loop that’s 15, but you can add or take off of it by going slightly different routes to make it anywhere from 12-17. A lot of times, it’s just a slow run with friends, but sometimes it gets competitive and when it does, an hour plus of hammering hills is a really good workout.

4. Writing About Running: You’ll be joining an excellent program in Stanford this fall. What led you to this decision?

Thomas Graham: My college decision was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. The main reasons that I ended up deciding on Stanford—a team I got along really well with, a good chance to succeed long term, great places to train—I also saw in a ton of other schools. Ultimately it came down to Michigan and Stanford, and I felt that all the major elements were largely the same at each place, so smaller things like housing and weather ended up being what I based my call off of. I’m really excited to get to school, though. Being in one college race made me realize how competitive it is going to be every day, and how much better I can hopefully get when I’m pushed in all my workouts by other guys who are better than me.

Graham has run the last 2 Brooks PR Invites

5. Writing About Running: You’re running the famed Arcadia 3200 this weekend. What are your goals for this race and the rest of the outdoor season?

Thomas Graham: As of right now, the plan is still to run Arcadia. I’ve been under the weather basically since Raleigh Relays, though, so if I’m not feeling close to 100% tomorrow I might pull out. If everything goes as planned, though, I’d like to finally get under 9 minutes, which I still haven’t done. I don’t really have too many concrete goals for the rest of the season. I’m planning on running the 2 mile at outdoor nationals, and the 5k at Payton Jordan. Hopefully I can be competitive in both of those races, and if everything goes well, run some really special times.

Update: Graham went on to run 8:56.21 for 3200 at Arcadia (#6 All Time for NC)

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Thanks to our sponsor, 14 Minutes, the Alberto Salazar autobiography, for sponsoring the blog this week. I'll be reviewing it very soon! If you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.

The Run Down: Edward Cheserek and Molly Seidel win epic battles at Foot Locker, while controversy keeps Mark Blackmon from starting line

Seidel take the W

It wasn't easy for either victor, but the Midwest's Molly Seidel and the Northeast's Edward Cheserek came away with victories at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship finals in San Diego, CA today. Seidel finished two seconds ahead of fellow Midwesterner in 17:22, while Cheserek finished one second ahead of Midwesterner, Futsum Zeinasellassie, in 14:52.

In the girls race, Erin Finn took it out hard very early and was not passed until about 2.5 miles in. Even after Seidel passed her going up the hill the second time, Finn fought back and took the lead going down the final hill with 600 meters to go. Seidel's kick was too strong over the last 300 meters, but Finn will have a shot at the title next year, as she is only a junior.

The boys race was one of the best ever, with Edward Cheserek and Futsum Zeinasellassie playing cat and mouse the whole way. Many surges were dropped and there was a fight for every tangent. Cheserek didn't pull away until the last 100 meters, and even then it seemed like Zeinasellassie may come back. It was the first race of the year where Cheserek didn't get a course record, but being that he's only a junior, he has already said that he's taking a shot at it next year.

On the local (North Carolina) front, on the girls side, Millbrook senior, Sammy George, finished 29th in 18:19 and freshman wunderkind Alana Hadley finished 34th, but will have a few more years to better today's performance. On the boys side, Cary Academy's Thomas Graham ran an excellent race and was in third for much of the way, until getting out-kicked down the stretch, but still finishing an excellent ninth (3 seconds separated 3-9). His finish was good enough for second team All American. Graham was also part of the boys South team that won their first team title in, well forever? I can't recall the last time the South boys won, or if they ever have for that matter. One South team member that wasn't in attendance was West Charlotte's Mark Blackmon. Blackmon's sister, and former NC State standout and Foot Locker national qualifier, Angelina Blackmon, stated over at NCRunners.com that "his basketball coach (was) threatening to keep him from starting on his championship team and his father (was) in his ear about not going." It should be known that Blackmon is a very good basketball player, playing for the team the won the state championship last year, but Angelina had "never heard him more excited about an actual race, and he was honored to have achieved such high distinction in the cross country world." It's a real shame he couldn't make it, as he earned it and had an excellent year, winning the state 4A championship and qualifed for the event with a 15:01 at McAlpine Park. Blackmon also won the state Cross Country championship in South Carolina previously, a feat that has never been done before.

Full boys results are here and watch the boys race by clicking here.

Full girls results are here and watch the girls race by clicking here.

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My 2 Spikes Worth: Why Foot Locker and Nike Cross Nationals can coexist

Facing the choice, Edward Cheserek chose Foot Locker 

For years, I've been a staunch supporter of the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Being from Charlotte, I grew up around Foot Locker South. I ran it, my dad was the announcer and I even did my high school senior project on "the only true national championship in high school sports." When Nike came in, I wasn't sure what to think, but I didn't like the idea of watering down a unique event like Foot Locker.

At first, when Nike branded their new championship, "Nike Team Nationals," I didn't think twice. Cool, a national team championship. Being on a high school team that finished top five in the state three times in my four years, I liked the idea. Then Nike changed their tune. "Nike Cross Nationals" was the new name and they wanted it all. Why wouldn't they? Cross Country is the third most participated sport in high school sports (behind swimming and track), and that's a lot of consumers. It seemed like just last year that they may take over what Foot Locker had built, but after attending the Nike Cross Southeast Regional this weekend in Cary, NC, I see that Foot Locker is alive and well, but that Nike has indeed carved out a cool niche that is indeed their team factor.

There are a few major differences that I have observed from comparing the two championships that give both a great deal of viability and show why both can exist:

1. Multiple Locations
Having multiple venues caters to (almost) everyone that wants to participate in a post-season meet. Nike is set up more like the NCAA system, with eight regional championships (plus auto qualifiers from the California state meet). This particularly serves runners in areas like Texas, who host the Nike Cross South Regional, but would have to travel all the way to Charlotte to compete at Foot Locker. That's certainly not in everyone's budget and it's nice that Nike Cross Regionals are more spread out. Foot Locker only has four. Aside from New York (which hosts Foot Locker Northeast, Nike Cross Northeast and Nike Cross New York) and North Carolina (which hosts Nike Cross Southeast and Foot Locker South), the regional meets are held in different states, to make travel as easy and as affordable as possible.

2. Nike is a true team championship, qualifying for the regional alone is impressive
At the Nike Cross Southeast Regional, I saw some the best teams I've ever seen in person. Having to qualify as a top 20 team is not something to be taken lightly. Like winning a state championship, this is an accomplishment in itself. The team that won the meet on the boys side, Belen Jesuit (aka the Miami Magis), is by far the most impressive high school team I've ever seen. Their top five went 14:58, 15:32, 15:50, 15:52 and 15:56 on the honest Wake Med course. The winning girls team, Tatnall (aka Wilmington XC Club), went 17:11, 17:53, 18:16, 18:16, 18:31. Unreal! The fifth girls individual qualifier ran 18:22, which tells you all you need to know about how good Tatnall is and how much of a team competition, and not an individual competition Nike is. Also, their were only five races and the meet was much, much smaller than the Foot Locker meet 150 miles west. What lacked in quantity (with all of Foot Locker's grade races), was made up with the quality of the teams participating in the championship race.

3. Foot Locker is the true individual championship
It seems that the top preps were going back and forth for a few years, but it looks now that the best of the best (not affiliated with high performing teams), are choosing Foot Locker again. Why? Foot Locker is a true individual championship. 40 of the best boys and girls in the nation compete every year at historic Balboa Park in front of the top collegiate coaches in America, as well as their families, friends and rabid running fans. The course is excellent for sorting out the best of the best and the presentation is second to none. On the regional level, there are freshman races, sophomore races, middle school races, etc. It's all about the individual, and it gives everyone a chance to shine that may have been tucked back on their team all season. Here in North Carolina, two time Foot Locker National Qualifier, Thomas Graham, has chosen to forego racing in his hometown of Cary, NC, where Nike Cross Southeast is held, to race at Foot Locker South. That dream of making it to San Diego drives many individuals to Foot Locker; to follow in the footsteps of Chris Solinsky, Meb Keflezighi, Jordan Hasay and the many others that have stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado en route to prep glory.

Whichever your preference... both will be broadcast free online over the next few weeks. Nike Cross Nationals will be broadcast at 12:30 eastern, this Saturday, December 3rd, at NikeXC.com. Foot Locker will be live at 12:00 eastern, next Saturday, December 10th at http://footlockercc.com

I'll be excited to watch both!

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