Korelev outkicks Cheserek at West Regional for the win!!!

I'd go with the former.

Anyone is beatable, but Korolev didn't beat anyone today. This was a qualifying meet. Korolev apparently didn't get the memo.

Johnny Walker Red wrote:

Anyone is beatable, but Korolev didn't beat anyone today. This was a qualifying meet. Korolev apparently didn't get the memo.

Sure he did. He qualified just fine.

Johnny Walker Red wrote:

Anyone is beatable, but Korolev didn't beat anyone today. This was a qualifying meet. Korolev apparently didn't get the memo.

Huh? To qualify you have to beat the other competitors. This is a great run by Korolev, hope he can hold it together for nats.

Pic on twitter showed king ches with a smile on his face at finish...he knows today was just a dress rehearsal for the big show.

Guess you didn't get the memo either. You don't have to be the winner in a qualifying race to qualify. Most great runners have figured out that you want to qualify without the minimum effort, but not to trash yourself in the process. This act has played out too many times to ignore. Korolev will likely struggle at the Indy NC's.

If you think running the last quarter mile slightly harder than others will make a difference in Terra Haute in 8 days, then you are as dumb as Letsrun posters describe Oregon students. Korolev might not run great next week for a lot of reasons. Cheserek happened to win this race last year, but you must have forgotten.

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Stanford did not get an auto qualifier. They ended up 3rd. I think that everybody on that team needed to score as little points as possible. Korolev did his job for the team.

I saw the race. I would say that for most of the race Cheserek held back and was never better than 5th. He looked to me like he was cruising.

However, he was sprinting at the end and Korelev did outrun him. Cheserek let up the last 30 or so when it was apparent he could not outrun Korelev.

Perhaps you are right that the outcome would have been different if Cheserek was aggressive throughout the race and Korelev was nowhere in sight to apply any kiind of kick that would have made a difference.

As a LR expert on XC races let me say that it is so clear that Cheserek is finished. Too bad, he had such a short career and was ruined because he chose to run for Oregon. Yes, he got terrible coaching, was over-raced, never went to class and had no support at Oregon, that's why he will never run another race and that's why he was destroyed today in probably the most important race of his life. I, like so many LR posters, am an expert and know when a runner is finished. Count on it. EOT

Looks to me that Cheserek is not only a great runner, but also smart...this was not the important race to win. 2 years ago Lawi Lalang like Cheserek was also heavily favored to win the NCAA's but killed it in the regional race and ended up flat at the finals coming in 3rd behind Kithuka and Sambu.

Ugh. Incessantly hearing the moniker, "king cheserek", has now gone beyond annoying. The flotrack people have their nose so far up his butt, they can see what he ate for dinner. Seriously, PLEASE stop.

Ches now enters NCAAs with a defeated mentality...He's done!

Vhyvgygvvygyvg wrote:

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Stanford did not get an auto qualifier. They ended up 3rd. I think that everybody on that team needed to score as little points as possible. Korolev did his job for the team.

This. Shame most LR posters or borderline retarded and can't understand this.

Plus he knows he's not winning NCAAs but it will be cool 15-20 years from now to say "I was West Regional champ!". Or say yeah I took it easy at regionals and I finished 12th in stead of 16th at nats!

Positive Contribution wrote:

This. Shame most LR posters or borderline retarded and can't understand this.

Plus he knows he's not winning NCAAs but it will be cool 15-20 years from now to say "I was West Regional champ!". Or say yeah I took it easy at regionals and I finished 12th in stead of 16th at nats!

I agree that winning was the "right" thing to do. However, it is safe to say that Korolev already has plenty to reminisce about. "I was 3rd in the NCAA meet behind Cheserek and Kithuka… Kithuka edged me by half a second." I don't think taking "12th in stead of 16th at nats!" would have ever made the cut 15-20 years down the road.

Johnny Walker Red wrote:

Guess you didn't get the memo either. You don't have to be the winner in a qualifying race to qualify. Most great runners have figured out that you want to qualify without the minimum effort, but not to trash yourself in the process. This act has played out too many times to ignore. Korolev will likely struggle at the Indy NC's.

Someone has to win.

You are correct that "someone has to win". And usually the "winner" of these Regional qualifier races ends up having an "off day" at Nationals. Sure there are exceptions such as Cheserek last year, but that had more to do with him being so superior to the rest of the field. This is simply not the case with Korelev, and that's why he will likely tank it next week. What he did was not a smart thing..

I didn't see the race and I have no doubt that Ches likes to always win, but also knows which races really matter. After watching his XC race year year at Terre Haute and the way he destroyed the "unbeatable" Kithuka in the last kilometer, and then watching his tremendous kick at Hayward during outdoors, I'm really surprised to read posts which state he was outkicked by Korolev (no insult intended towards Korolev).

Seems like either he is over-raced and has lost some leg speed (ha!) or he just didn't feel the need to win at the Regional.

Johnny Walker Red wrote:

You are correct that "someone has to win". And usually the "winner" of these Regional qualifier races ends up having an "off day" at Nationals. Sure there are exceptions such as Cheserek last year, but that had more to do with him being so superior to the rest of the field. This is simply not the case with Korelev, and that's why he will likely tank it next week. What he did was not a smart thing..

I agree everyone should have slowed to a walk refusing to be first across the line.