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| NXN Finals
12/6/08 - Portland Meadows, Portland OR
Open Races Story
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A pair of unpressed perfect scores
Kenyan XC boys and girls roll to 15-point wins
Open Race Story by Laura Magee
Full Results - Girls | Boys
 NXN 2008 marked the third year for the open races at the national meet. Last year’s change to a series of regional qualifying races rather than the ranking system, and this year’s inclusion of individual qualifiers in the championship races has been reflected in the depth of the open races. The fields for the open races consisted of the number eight runners on qualified teams, plus a number of teams and individuals that did not qualify out of their region. The top boys (St. Patrick’s Boys HS) and girls (Riruta Central Girls HS) teams from Kenya competed for the third straight year. This trip marked the first visit to Portland and the United States for all of the Kenyan athletes. A year of social and political turmoil in their homeland made their gift of running, and the chance to travel, all the more impressive.
There was a great deal of excitement in the air prior to the races. A brisk but dry morning at Portland Meadows (left, photo by Robert Rosenberg) set the stage for what would unfold as a very exciting day of cross country. With frost-encrusted grass, it almost appeared as if the race would be run on a thin layer of snow. A few icy puddles and slick patches speckled the course, a small reminder of the conditions previous years’ have witnessed, and of what we’d normally expect from a December race in the Northwest. But this year was different; though chilly, the course was mostly firm and runner-friendly.
The crowd, made up of parents, friends, coaches, and running enthusiasts, began to grow in number, a process that would continue on throughout the day until the crescendo of the final championship race at noon.
Girls Open Race – Chilly Champions
 Wanting to postpone the sharp chill that would be felt when fresh air hit bare skin, the starting line of girls eventually removed their sweats in preparation for the start. A few striders, and then an explanation of the starting protocol, ending with the shot from the starter’s pistol.
The Kenyan girls moved quickly to the front of the pack. One motivated US individual, Staci Foster (Anaheim CA), went out with the Kenyan pack (right, photo by John Nepolitan). A few minutes into the race, Foster led, with Kenya XC holding places 2-6.
Playing leapfrog with the lead, Foster jumped ahead of the five Kenyan girls (Elizabeth Mueni, Nelly Chebet, Cythia Cherop, Dorcas Chepkemoi, Jackline Chepkirui) after a 5:40 first mile. Foster was racing as planned, almost.
“I wanted to be in the front pack, but I didn’t know I’d be leading it,” shared Foster after the race. She continued to explain where her courage and tenacity originated. “I went out really fast at states, so I thought I could do it here.”
Mid-race, the announcer’s voice rattled off the impressive prior performances of the Kenya XC members. Foster could hear the words, using them to motivate herself to continue pressing on. Of the Kenyan girls’ statistics, she said, “I kind of read them before, so I knew what I was going into.” She enjoyed competing against the dominant Kenyan ladies, stating, “They are really inspirational, and they run really fast.”
 Foster also favored the course, having raced here for Nike Pre-Nationals earlier this fall. Late in the race she had a strong grip on sixth place and went on to finish in that position at 18:53. Savannah Pio (Beach Cities XC) was following suit in the seventh place position by gapping the rest of the field. A clear second place team was hard to discern, with five teams finishing with a margin of just nineteen points. Following the perfect score recorded by the Kenya XC Club, Little Branch XC and Beach Cities XC tied at 82 points, which forced a sixth runner tiebreaker. Little Branch prevailed in second on the 25th-place scoring effort of Anna Johnson.
Kenya’s two World Junior track medalists, Nelly Chebet and Elizabeth Mueni, crossed with identical times of 18:27.3 in an unpressed effort, with Mueni given the winning nod (left, photo by Robert Rosenberg).
Regarding the weather, Chebet said, “It is too cold. Much warmer there, in Kenya.”
After returning to Kenya, the girls will race two more times with the focus on a big race in Nairobi. Their chaperone shared that racing in Kenya looks very different, and is far more competitive because “all of the teams are as good as them.”
Pio completed the frosty course in seventh with a time of 19:13 as the second American. Shivering on the awards stand and throughout the post-race interview, this California girl chattered out, “it’s sooooo cold.” She was looking to run the race “kind of for fun.” Success and fun are not mutually exclusive, as she proved here. Pio improved upon last year’s finish of 27th and led Beach Cities XC to their third place finish. Asked whether she’d met her goal, Pio smiled, “Yeah, it was fun!”
Boys Open Race - Three for three on perfect 15's
 In a race effort they described as “relaxed and easy,” the Kenya XC Club boys earned their third perfect score victory in as many years. A last call sprint to the starting line provided the only stride out needed by these African distance stars.
They made a quick and decisive move to break off, forming a front pack in the first seconds after the gun fired. Running together is the goal of their team, and they could not have been much more successful than today’s .9 second spread from first to fifth man. It was clear in the first twenty seconds that all other teams would be battling for second place, and individuals would vie for sixth.
Curran Carlile (right, photo by John Nepolitan), a local from Portland OR, who eventually ended up seventh in 16:19, thought about going with the Kenyans, then reconsidered. “It was fun racing with them. I was thinking about going out with them at first, but then I thought that might not be a good idea.”
In the opening kilometer, Kenya XC Club held a firm grip on five of the top six places, the additional slot occupied for a short time by Edward Garza of The Woodlands TX.
The Kenyan pack (Nickson Chepseda, Elliud Kipserem, Stanley Tanui, Dominic Cheruiyout, Eric Kiprono) continued to gap the field as they floated through the stride-breaking “whoop-dee-doos.” Unattached runner DJ Thornton from New Jersey and Eric Evans (The Woodlands TX) were in the hunt for top American, sitting 7 and 8 early.
 The Woodlands TX ‘B’ team, Apache Runners (Arcadia CA), Big Bear XC CA, and Little Branch XC Club seemed to switch team positions with every checkpoint. The opening mile was passed in 4:45 for the leaders, with Thornton (left, photo by Robert Rosenberg) now in sixth and Portland’s Carlile working to catch back up.
“I kept in the front pack and just picked off more and more people,” Carlile said, “until it was that guy from New Jersey and me.”
The Kenyans, running an impressive five abreast (below, photo by Robert Rosenberg), looked strong as they covered the course with grace and ease, then hammered home to finish between 15:50.9 and 15:51.5, led by Nickson Chepseba. Thornton was sixth in 16:15, followed by Carlile at 16:19. The Apache Runners were the second place team with 67 points, followed by Big Bear XC at 79.
Although the conditions were quite cold in comparison to Kenya, a short chat with the boys showed they are having a wonderful experience.
“We are having a good time in Portland, especially in the Nike Headquarters,” said Tanui.
Tanui, Cheruiyot and Kiprono agreed that, “the meals are good.” Their favorite, and what they may miss most after returning home, is Denny’s food. With four races before World Junior trials, the Kenyan boys are hoping to go home and continue to win races as a team.
Carlile, the second non-Kenyan finisher, plans to return for his fourth year at Portland Meadows, “Hopefully in Nationals…the real Championship.”
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