Edward Cheserek
Year: Senior
School: St. Benedict’s Prep
Location: Newark, NJ
800m PR: 1:49.98
Mile PR: 4:02.21
2-mile PR: 8:39.25
Edward Cheserek, the Kenyan from New Jersey, took care of business on two fronts last Saturday night. He finally dipped under Gerry Lindgren’s 49-year-old high school indoor 2-mile record of 8:40.0 with an 8:39.25, and then he announced that he’d chosen to attend the University of Oregon.
The 2-mile record was no lark. Cheserek, who just turned 19, was battling a cold, and after an opening 4:13 mile he was hurting at the back of the Bernard Lagat-led professional field. With two laps to go at the New York Armory, the record was in doubt. But Cheserek, who attends St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, felt the onrushing Lagat approaching and the threat of being lapped. Cheserek rallied to run the last 200 in 31 seconds, and the record was his.
Next race: Cheserek will be back at the Armory next Monday for the Eastern States meet, probably on the anchor leg of the St. Benedict’s distance medley relay.
Indoor nationals: Cheserek will reprise his distance medley effort at the New Balance high school nationals, also at the Armory, March 8-10, and he will also compete in either the mile or 2-mile.
Sub-4:00: Cheserek is one of several high school boys nationwide with chance to run a sub-4:00 mile this spring. Many of them should return to the adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in New York in June.
Sub-8:30: With his commitment to Oregon, Cheserek is almost certain to compete in the Nike Prefontaine Classic in June, in the professional mile or 2-mile. In 2011, high school sensation Lukas Verzbicas ran the 2-mile, shattering the high school outdoor record in 8:29.46.
National titles: Cheserek won his second straight Foot Locker cross country championship last December in San Diego. He also has collected 6 national track titles, including relays.
College sweepstakes: In addition to Oregon, the other colleges Cheserek considered were Villanova, Northern Arizona, Arizona and Portland.
Out of Africa: Cheserek came to New Jersey from Kenya in July, 2010. His family lived an impoverished existence and he was given a scholarship to St. Benedict’s based on academic opportunity.
Early running: Cheserek competed in junior events in Kenya, but the St. Benedict’s coaches were unaware of his running ability until he arrived and started training. That fall of 2010, as a sophomore, Cheserek placed second to Verzbicas at Nike Cross Nationals.
Marc Bloom’s high school cross-country rankings have played an influential role in the sport for more than 20 years and led to the creation of many major events, including Nike Cross Nationals and the Great American Cross Country Festival. He published his cross-country journal, Harrier, for more than two decades.
