Cross Country Season on Flotrack 2013Sep 23, 2013 by Mitch Kastoff
Runner of the Week: Cerake Geberkidane breaks Adam Goucher's state 5k record
Runner of the Week: Cerake Geberkidane breaks Adam Goucher's state 5k record
Last night (September 24th), Adam Goucher sent us an email. We'll have to consult with our experts about the record. But in the meantime, here's what he had to say:
Granted it was a long time ago, well before the internet and social media; back when historical data was recorded in that crazy thing called a newspaper, but nevertheless the Colorado Prep Cross Country record books haven't completely been rewritten... In any case, Cerake Geberkidane's "unofficial Colorado 5k record" with his blazing fast 14:46.5, still falls slightly short of my 14:44.46 that I ran in October of '93 at the Pueblo Central Invite.
Anyway, it is very exciting to see Cerake running so fast, 14:46 is no joke, and I can only assume that it won't be long before he does indeed run the "unofficial" state record!
Here at Flotrack, we appreciate every tip from fans. Last week, Air Academy High School’s Andy Boyle sent us a Nostradamus-esque message. The senior from Colorado said to watch out for Denver East High School’s Cerake Geberkidane as he looked poised to make a run for the record books. We did some research, reached out to Geberkidane, talked it over with some "In The Know" guys in Colorado, and decided to wait and see what happened next.
Then Geberkidane ran 14:46.50 at the Arvada West Cross Country Invitational. On its own, that’s a scorcher. But what if I told you at Arvada, CO is listed at roughly 5,000 feet? Pretty solid, right?
What if I told you that’s now the unofficial Colorado 5k record? The previous accepted state record was held by some guy by the name of Adam Goucher. Now Geberkidane’s run is in a class of its own.
Boyle also directed us to some information posted by Milesplit’s Alan Versaw, who’s the guru for information about Colorado’s prep scene. In a forum post foreshadowing Geberkidane’s record, a user asks Versaw about the state 5k record.
Versaw replies, “Brad Harkrader ran 14:49.4 on the El Pomar/Vineyards course in 2003, but I think the nearly universal assessment is that that course was short. Adam Goucher ran 14:54.7 on the Pueblo course in 1993. The fastest time reported since Colorado Track XC began in 2008 was 14:56.3 by Joseph Manilasfasha at Liberty Bell. Kevin Williams ran 14:51.1 in 2007 for the Liberty Bell course record.”
When you’ve passed a legend like Goucher on any list, it’s pretty easy to warrant the run as the performance of the week. Records aside, Geberkidane bested second place by 1:13. We're excited to see what Geberkidane can do with some competition since he's yet to be challenged this fall (results linked below).
We’ve profiled Geberkidane’s ’13 outdoor and ’13 fall season below. While his outdoor campaign didn't look like much, a tough summer’s worth of training has changed the cross country landscape for Colorado. The national rankings have shifted drastically, too.
'13 Outdoor Track Season
'13 Cross Country Season
One more funny coincidence. We actually knew of Geberkidane last fall, but we didn't receive the tip from anyone in the world of track and field. Last year, he was profiled in the Denver Post for his rigorous fall schedule. While Geberkidane is a star on the footy pitch, he's still committed to running. "I put in 5 miles in the morning, go to school and then go to soccer practice," he told Jon Yunt at the Denver Post.
Even though he's received offers from schools such as Brown University, one has to wonder if he'll stop being a two sport athlete in the fall and concentrate on one where he's ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
We’ll try to have something with Geberkidane later this week. But in the meantime, Versaw has an excellent profile of the new number one in Colorado here.
Granted it was a long time ago, well before the internet and social media; back when historical data was recorded in that crazy thing called a newspaper, but nevertheless the Colorado Prep Cross Country record books haven't completely been rewritten... In any case, Cerake Geberkidane's "unofficial Colorado 5k record" with his blazing fast 14:46.5, still falls slightly short of my 14:44.46 that I ran in October of '93 at the Pueblo Central Invite.
Anyway, it is very exciting to see Cerake running so fast, 14:46 is no joke, and I can only assume that it won't be long before he does indeed run the "unofficial" state record!
Here at Flotrack, we appreciate every tip from fans. Last week, Air Academy High School’s Andy Boyle sent us a Nostradamus-esque message. The senior from Colorado said to watch out for Denver East High School’s Cerake Geberkidane as he looked poised to make a run for the record books. We did some research, reached out to Geberkidane, talked it over with some "In The Know" guys in Colorado, and decided to wait and see what happened next.
Then Geberkidane ran 14:46.50 at the Arvada West Cross Country Invitational. On its own, that’s a scorcher. But what if I told you at Arvada, CO is listed at roughly 5,000 feet? Pretty solid, right?
What if I told you that’s now the unofficial Colorado 5k record? The previous accepted state record was held by some guy by the name of Adam Goucher. Now Geberkidane’s run is in a class of its own.
Boyle also directed us to some information posted by Milesplit’s Alan Versaw, who’s the guru for information about Colorado’s prep scene. In a forum post foreshadowing Geberkidane’s record, a user asks Versaw about the state 5k record.
Versaw replies, “Brad Harkrader ran 14:49.4 on the El Pomar/Vineyards course in 2003, but I think the nearly universal assessment is that that course was short. Adam Goucher ran 14:54.7 on the Pueblo course in 1993. The fastest time reported since Colorado Track XC began in 2008 was 14:56.3 by Joseph Manilasfasha at Liberty Bell. Kevin Williams ran 14:51.1 in 2007 for the Liberty Bell course record.”
When you’ve passed a legend like Goucher on any list, it’s pretty easy to warrant the run as the performance of the week. Records aside, Geberkidane bested second place by 1:13. We're excited to see what Geberkidane can do with some competition since he's yet to be challenged this fall (results linked below).
We’ve profiled Geberkidane’s ’13 outdoor and ’13 fall season below. While his outdoor campaign didn't look like much, a tough summer’s worth of training has changed the cross country landscape for Colorado. The national rankings have shifted drastically, too.
'13 Outdoor Track Season
|
Meet |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
|
USATF CO Kickoff |
3000m |
9:53.51 |
1st |
|
Freddie Houston MoC |
3000m |
9:08.52 |
1st |
|
Freddit Houston MoC |
1500m |
4:11.54 |
1st |
'13 Cross Country Season
|
Meet |
Distance |
Time |
Place |
|
Arapahoe Warrior Invitational |
5k |
15:12.00 |
1st |
|
St. Vrain Invitational |
5k |
15:15.00 |
1st |
|
Denver North Viking Invitational |
5k |
15:27.00 |
1st |
|
Arvada West Invitational |
5k |
14:46.50 |
1st |
One more funny coincidence. We actually knew of Geberkidane last fall, but we didn't receive the tip from anyone in the world of track and field. Last year, he was profiled in the Denver Post for his rigorous fall schedule. While Geberkidane is a star on the footy pitch, he's still committed to running. "I put in 5 miles in the morning, go to school and then go to soccer practice," he told Jon Yunt at the Denver Post.
Even though he's received offers from schools such as Brown University, one has to wonder if he'll stop being a two sport athlete in the fall and concentrate on one where he's ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
We’ll try to have something with Geberkidane later this week. But in the meantime, Versaw has an excellent profile of the new number one in Colorado here.
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