Why the 4xMile jog-fest is good for the sport

 

This article usually recaps all the top performances from the weekend in a nice tidy format. It’s basically a “what you missed if you weren’t stalking track and field results like we were” so that you don’t have to sift through meets like a crazy person, aka letting FloTrack do our job. But this week, you’re going to have to do some of that sifting on your own. 

 

All we’re talking about here is the infamous 4xMile at Penn Relays, the most talked about race of the weekend by far, on a weekend when the London Marathon was going on and Paula Radcliffe was running the final marathon of her career. Yes, the epic theatrics of the anchor legs at Penn have out-shined all, with a hot debate being waged as to whether the extreme tactics that unfolded were good or bad for running.



Should we applaud these collegians for a thrilling finish, or should we bash them for turning a race into a mockery in front of 40,000 people?

 

If you read any of the comments under the video or on Twitter, A LOT of people were pissed about how the anchors refused to race until the final 200m. One guy even suggested that Edward Cheserek was solely responsible for the mid-race jogging, and that fellow Oregon Duck Steve Prefontaine was “rolling over in his grave.” Just like Pre, fans want a suicide pace, and like we found out, they become enraged when the opposite happens. 

 

But did any of those people consider that this tactical racing was due to everyone wanting to win so badly that they were willing to play along with the ridiculousness to ensure that they were in contention in the last lap? Everyone saw at NCAAs what happens when you try to out-run Cheserek in the middle of a race. There was no chance that Jordy Williamsz or Sean McGorty were going to pull a Soratos and drop a 53-second split to try and break the King. 

The only way to beat someone of Cheserek’s caliber is to wait until the last possible moment and sprint like a madman, all while hoping that the best kicker in the NCAA is slightly off his game. That was Williamsz’s plan, and it worked to perfection. 

Listen to our podcast with Villanova anchor Jordy Williamsz!

 

All the slow, tactical running that had enraged the Penn Relays crowd (and internet) gave way to the most exciting finish of the season. Sure, in a perfect world it would have been awesome to see Williamsz and Cheserek go all out, two 3:36 guys hammering to go for the win and the mythical sub-16 barrier, but that was never going to be a reality. Tactics are a part of running, just like bluffing is a part of poker. No one wanted to reveal their hand too early and end up looking like a fool when the real racing began. 

 

One of the best moments of the entire race came when Georgetown’s Ahmed Bile shook his head in frustration as the pace came close to a walk, then glanced up at the crowd as if to say “Look how crazy this is!” Bile then slid out to lane 2 suddenly, sprinted to the front like he was going to make it an honest race, then slammed on the brakes just as quickly. At that moment we knew we were in for something special. I started laughing while calling the race. There were still two and a half minutes left.

 

We all know what happened after this. The pace lagged for another lap, and nearly everyone got back into the race before Wisconsin’s Joe Hardy made the initial drive for home at 300m to go. He was quickly swallowed up by Cheserek at 200m to go, and Williamsz followed closely. The last 150m was an absolute dogfight, the crowed roared, and one of the biggest upsets in years unfolded before our eyes. Williamsz had beaten King Cheserek at his own game, the sit-and-kick that so often ends with Cheserek’s arms in the air in celebration. 

 

People love to complain about how things should be done, but this race will be remembered because of the insanity of its tactics. You can talk about the integrity of the sport, you can quote Pre blah blah blah. The better runner on the day won the race, and that’s exactly what our sport strives to do.