Edward Cheserek's 30:19 winning time was the 4th slowest in NCAA history.

Edward Cheserek positioned himself perfectly throughout the race, slowly moving up to the lead while the pace continued to lag. Coming through the 5k at 15:30, nearly the entire field was still a part of the race, a tactic that played right into the favorite’s hands. 

By the time King Ches passed 8k, his legs were fresh as he made a strong move that no one could cover. The Oregon sophomore had executed his race plan, and was rewarded with his second straight NCAA XC title. His winning time of 30:19 was slow, the fourth slowest in history, but that had been the plan all along. Wait, wait, wait some more and then suddenly strike with just over a mile to go, knowing that he alone had 3:36 1500m speed. 

Everyone knew that Ches could close hard off of a slow pace, so why didn’t anyone try to stop this from happening? Will the NCAA championships forever be tactical so long as King Ches is in the field?

The answer isn’t difficult to understand. Without Lawi Lalang or Kennedy Kithuka, there is no one in NCAA cross country that is willing to set a hard pace with Cheserek lurking. When those two were ruling the day, the pace was hard from the beginning, and the other athletes adjusted accordingly. Lalang and Kithuka were willing to set an impossible pace because they knew that gave them the best chance to win. Going out hard quickly eliminated most of the field, and punished those who were willing to go with them. Championships races were fast and the drama was high from the gun. 

All that changed when Edward Cheserek beat Kithuka. When King Ches tracked down the defending champion over the final 2k at last year’s NCAA race, the guard had shifted. 

Under the current Cheserek regime, the pace is slow and the winning comes easy. Realizing that he was the man to beat, Cheserek changed the way NCAA cross country is run. We call this The Cheserek Effect. 

The Response
Futsum Zienasellassie is not a fan of The Cheserek Effect. Although the Northern Arizona junior finished 3rd last Saturday in Terre Haute, he was noticeably frustrated when he crossed the line, and expressed his displeasure with the way the race was run afterwards. “Cheserek is the man, and if he is the man who will sit and kick, people are just going to work on their 200m speed. It always comes down to who is the man at the college level.” He continued, “I actually don’t like it. If Ches doesn’t go and hammer some of these races, the NCAAs is going to get slower and slower.”

Here's the full interview: 

Futsum doesn’t like the current system, but he also isn’t willing to sabotage his own race by going out hard. Is Cheserek’s impact on the NCAA detrimental to the integrity of the sport?

The argument has two sides. While some excitement is lost in tactical running, the drama of a hard last mile builds up while the pace continues to dwindle. Everyone knew King Cheserek’s big move was coming, and the anticipation kept us tuned in. 

Futsum may not like it, but so long as Edward Cheserek is ‘the man’, NCAA championships are going to be tactical. While fast races are fun to watch, it's only logical that King Ches makes winning as easy as possible on himself.

The Cheserek Effect has changed the landscape of NCAA cross country, and it’s here to stay unless someone like Futsum challenges the King from the gun. Either way, we’ll be watching.