2017 USATF XC ChampionshipsFeb 4, 2017 by Dennis Young
Leonard Korir Wins U.S. Cross As Scott Simmons's Athletes Sweep Top 4 Spots
Leonard Korir Wins U.S. Cross As Scott Simmons's Athletes Sweep Top 4 Spots
Leonard Korir Wins U.S. Cross As Scott Simmons's Athletes Sweep Top 4 Spots
Coach Scott Simmons's American Distance Project athletes swept the top four spots at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in Bend, Oregon, led by Leonard Korir winning in a kick yet again. Korir, Stanley Kebenei, Shadrack Kipchirchir, and Sam Chelanga made a hard move up a hill at the beginning of the final two-kilometer loop, dropping the rest of the field.
It's the third straight impressive win for Korir, who showed off his wheels in January by kicking to wins at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country and Houston Half Marathon. Korir, a 30-year-old who made the 2016 Olympic team in the 10K, is proving to be a sturdy runner in a wide range of tough conditions. Today's race was on snowy, muddy, and hilly terrain at mild altitude, while the Houston Half was on an extremely humid day.
Korir, Kebenei, Kipchirchir, and Chelanga are all long-time U.S. residents who immigrated from Kenya to compete in the NCAA system and became American citizens in the last few years. Korir, Kebenei, and Kipchirchir became citizens through the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program. All four are now training under Simmons in Colorado Springs, and look to be the core of the American team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Uganda in March. None have yet declared their intentions either way.
The top six finishers who accept a spot will compete at World Cross. In addition to the prize money listed below, anyone who accepts a worlds roster spot will receive $1,750.
​Unofficial 10K results:
1. 30:11, Leonard Korir, Nike/U.S. Army WCAP ($4,000)
2. 30:14, Stanley Kebenei, Nike ($2,500)
3. 30:18, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Nike/U.S. Army WCAP ($1,500)
4. 30:22, Sam Chelanga, Nike ($1,000)
5. 30:27, Chris Derrick*, Nike/Bowerman Track Club ($850)
6. 30:33, Trevor Dunbar, Nike ($750)
7. 30:37, Mason Ferlic, Nike ($650)
8. 30:55, Scott Fauble, HOKA ONE ONE/Northern Arizona Elite ($550)
9. 31:02, Joseph Gray ($400)
*Derrick had said he would not compete at World Cross.
The sixth race of the day was also the sloppiest. There were two major falls in the first two minutes of the race, and a late fall might have cost Scott Fauble a spot on the worlds team. If Korir, Kebenei, Kipchirchir, Chelanga, Dunbar, and Ferlic all accept berths to Uganda, Fauble is the last man out. He took a hard spill right before the final 2K loop.
It's the third straight impressive win for Korir, who showed off his wheels in January by kicking to wins at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country and Houston Half Marathon. Korir, a 30-year-old who made the 2016 Olympic team in the 10K, is proving to be a sturdy runner in a wide range of tough conditions. Today's race was on snowy, muddy, and hilly terrain at mild altitude, while the Houston Half was on an extremely humid day.
Korir, Kebenei, Kipchirchir, and Chelanga are all long-time U.S. residents who immigrated from Kenya to compete in the NCAA system and became American citizens in the last few years. Korir, Kebenei, and Kipchirchir became citizens through the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete Program. All four are now training under Simmons in Colorado Springs, and look to be the core of the American team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Uganda in March. None have yet declared their intentions either way.
The top six finishers who accept a spot will compete at World Cross. In addition to the prize money listed below, anyone who accepts a worlds roster spot will receive $1,750.
​Unofficial 10K results:
1. 30:11, Leonard Korir, Nike/U.S. Army WCAP ($4,000)
2. 30:14, Stanley Kebenei, Nike ($2,500)
3. 30:18, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Nike/U.S. Army WCAP ($1,500)
4. 30:22, Sam Chelanga, Nike ($1,000)
5. 30:27, Chris Derrick*, Nike/Bowerman Track Club ($850)
6. 30:33, Trevor Dunbar, Nike ($750)
7. 30:37, Mason Ferlic, Nike ($650)
8. 30:55, Scott Fauble, HOKA ONE ONE/Northern Arizona Elite ($550)
9. 31:02, Joseph Gray ($400)
*Derrick had said he would not compete at World Cross.
The sixth race of the day was also the sloppiest. There were two major falls in the first two minutes of the race, and a late fall might have cost Scott Fauble a spot on the worlds team. If Korir, Kebenei, Kipchirchir, Chelanga, Dunbar, and Ferlic all accept berths to Uganda, Fauble is the last man out. He took a hard spill right before the final 2K loop.