Edward Cheserek Returns to Armory for NYRR Wanamaker Mile

It’s been two years since Edward Cheserek raced at The Armory, and as much of a high school sensation as he was then, he’s even bigger now.

Cheserek was the dominant high school cross country and distance running athlete in the country during his three-year stay at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J. after moving from his native Kenya. 

Now at the University of Oregon, “King Ches” has taken college distance running by storm. He is already a two-time NCAA cross country champion and has three track titles under his belt – and he’s still getting started. 

Even in the context of Oregon’s rich heritage of distance running – from Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight and the birth of Nike to athletes such as Steve Prefontaine, Alberto Salazar and Galen Rupp – Cheserek’s growing list of accomplishments stand apart.

“I love seeing anyone at Oregon do well,” said Galen Rupp, who won six NCAA distance titles in 2008-09. “Edward handles it with class. I’ve met him several times. Oregon is lucky to have a guy like that.”

Rupp and Cheserek are among 15 current or former Oregon Ducks who are on the starting lists for the NYRR Millrose Games on Feb. 14. 

Cheserek, who broke the national high school record in the 2-mile at the 2013 Millrose (8:39.15), is entered in the Wanamaker Mile against three previous champions – Bernard Lagat, Matthew Centrowitz and Will Leer. Cheserek has not yet joined the sub-four mile club, but figures to go well under in his Armory homecoming.

Rupp, who will head the field in the 5,000 meters, believes that Cheserek could end up being the most decorated distance runner in NCAA history, not just the University of Oregon.

“What he’s been doing right now, I think he will have the best (college career),” Rupp said. “What he did as a freshman, indoors and out, was a great way to start off a college career. There’s no reason why he can’t go all four years winning everything.”

Cheserek won his second NCAA title in cross country last fall, going 1-2 with teammate Eric Jenkins. Jenkins, who transferred from Northeastern, is one of five current Oregon Ducks entered in the men’s 3,000 meters at Millrose. 

Cheserek split 3:57.98 on the anchor leg of Oregon’s DMR victory at the Penn Relays last April. The Wanamaker will be his first chance to race in an actual mile since the 2013 high school mile at the adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium, where he ran 4:05.36.

Oliver, Eaton, Richardson Among 5 Olympians In NYRR Millrose Games 60m Hurdles

The five Olympians, three of them medalists, highlight one of the most star-studded events in this year's 108th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center.

As athletes, ambassadors for track and field, and cross-over personalities, it's hard to beat a 60m men’s field that includes David Oliver, Jason Richardson, Jeff Porter and Ashton Eaton.

Oliver, who responded from a disappointing Olympic Trials in 2012 by coming back to win the 2013 IAAF World Championships title in the 110-meter hurdles, opened 2015 with a third-place finish at the Hilton Invitational/Camel City Elite Races in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Jan., 31, running 7.69 seconds.  

A week later, also at Winston-Salem's JDL Fast Track, was the David Oliver Invitational – a high school event that the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist is actively involved with as an initiative to give back to the sport.

Richardson, the Olympic silver medalist in 2012, placed second at the Hilton/Camel City meet with 7.60. Aleec Harris, another entrant in the Millrose field, won that race with 7.55 seconds, second-best in the world so far in 2015. Harris ranked sixth in the world in 2014 in the 110 hurdles outdoors.

Jeff Porter, a 2012 Olympian and 2013 Millrose Games winner, manages a full-time job, training and is pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Michigan.

Eaton, a world-class elite in a handful of his 10 decathlon events, returns to the 60 hurdles at The Armory after placing fourth last year. Eaton, the world's greatest athlete by virtue of his world record in the decathlon, is one of the most popular and engaging athletes in the sport.

“What could be better than the in-form Ashton Eaton, the world’s greatest athlete, taking on two world champions David Oliver and Jason Richardson in the 60-meter hurdles,” NYRR Millrose Games Meet Director Ray Flynn said.

Additionally, Syracuse grad Jarret Eaton, third at Millrose last year, is part of a field that also 2014 world indoor champion Omo Osaghae, who lives and trains in Texas, and Barbados Olympian Greggmar Swift.

Earlier this month, USA Track & Field announced that both the Armory Track Invitational, held last weekend, and the NYRR Millrose Games will make up half of this season’s indoor USATF Championship Series. The NYRR Millrose Games is scheduled to be televised live nationally by NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) from 6-8 p.m. USATF.tv will carry live events from both meets as well.

This year’s NYRR Millrose Games promises to be one of the best ever and features the likes of 2014 World 800m leader Ajee' Wilson along with the “fast and fashionable” Sanya Richards-Ross, who will attempt to break her own Armory Track record of 50.89 in the 400m, Olympic pole vault gold medalist Jenn Suhr, Olympic silver medalist Galen Rupp in the 5,000m with last week’s ATI champion Cam Levins, The men’s all-time NYRR Wanamaker Mile champion Bernard Lagat will try to win his ninth title in the elite mile field that includes defending champion Will Leer, 2012 champion Matthew Centrowitz and five-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek, while the women’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile will feature defending champion Mary Cain and her Nike Oregon Project teammates Shannon Rowbury, Treniere Moser and Jordan Hasay.

This marks the fourth NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory and will include the country’s premier professional, college and high school track & field athletes competing on one stage.

Tickets for the NYRR Millrose Games can be purchased at http://Tickets.NYRRMillroseGames.org. 

Further questions about both meets can be answered by calling The Armory at (212) 923-1803 ext. 7200.

A Look Back at the 2005 Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile

The latest track at Madison Square Garden was not known for yielding fast times, but no one told Bernard Lagat. Confident that he would have no trouble winning his 3rd Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, and with an eye on the beautiful Waterford Crystal trophy that went to the meet's Outstanding Performer, Lagat set his sights on Eamonn Coghlan's 24-year old hand-timed meet record of 3:53.0.  

A quick 55.8 first-quarter split by pacer Elkanah Angwenyi left Lagat well ahead of Laban Rotich, who had beaten Lagat the previous week in Boston, and Alan Webb, who was making his long-anticipated Millrose debut. Lagat followed Angwenyi closely through the 1/2-way point (1:54.3-1:54.5) and was all alone as he went through the 3/4-split in 2:52.8. 

Needing a 60.1 final 1/4 to break Coghlan's record, Lagat did just that to close out his 3:52.87 winning performance. He also took down Noureddine Morceli's Madison Square Garden Record of 3:52.99, set at the U.S. Indoor Nationals in 1991. Rotich finished a distant 2nd in 4:00.33, with Webb in 3rd at 4:00.91.

Lagat will compete for his ninth NYRR Wanamaker Mile title at the 108th NYRR Millrose Games. Find more information on the Mile field at http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=45586&do=news&news_id=313215

Bernard Lagat and Mary Cain Featured in NYRR Wanamaker Mile

New York, February 2, 2015—Eight-time champion Bernard Lagat of Tucson, AZ, and New York native and defending champion, Mary Cain, 18, of Portland, OR, will star in the NYRR Wanamaker Mile at the 108th NYRR Millrose Games on Saturday, February 14, it was announced today by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. Lagat will chase his ninth event victory and the masters indoor world record of 3:58.15 against defending champion Will Leer of Marina Del Rey, CA, and 2012 champion Matthew Centrowitz of Portland, OR. Cain, racing in front of her hometown crowd, will face three Oregon Project teammates—Shannon Rowbury, Treniere Moser, and Jordan Hasay, all of Portland, OR—in an attempt to become the first woman since 2009 to win back-to-back NYRR Millrose Games titles at the distance.

“NYRR is a proud partner of the Armory and is once again excited to support this wonderful New York City time-honored track and field tradition,” said Wittenberg. “The NYRR Wanamaker Mile is renowned for its history of great athletes and memorable races. Bernard is one of the most distinguished runners in American history, the master of the NYRR Wanamaker Mile, and a New Yorker at heart. We also welcome home Mary to the iconic track that launched her early career success and now has her poised to become one of America’s great track and field stars. Bernard and Mary lead two incredibly talented NYRR Wanamaker Mile fields that provide inspiration for people of all ages to get moving and dream big.”

Lagat, 40, is the king of the NYRR Wanamaker Mile with a record eight titles in nine attempts, recording six consecutive victories from 2005 to 2010. The 2011 NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile champion’s decorated career is highlighted by podium finishes at 13 global championships, including five IAAF World Championship titles, an Olympic 1500-meter silver medal in 2004, and an Olympic 1500-meter bronze medal in 2000. The four-time Olympian holds six individual American records—three indoor (1500 meters, 2000 meters, 3000 meters) and three outdoor (1500 meters, 3000 meters, and 5000 meters); he set the 2000-meter record at last year’s NYRR Millrose Games.

“I am extremely excited to race another NYRR Wanamaker Mile in front of some very loyal New York fans,” said Lagat. “New York has been great to me. The energy I get from the crowd pumps me up like it's my first professional race! This year's race will be challenging, but I'm up for it. My training has been going well, and I'd like another win. While eight is great, nine would suit me just fine!”

Lagat will be targeting the masters indoor world record of 3:58.15, held by Ireland’s Eamonn Coghlan, the previous record-holder for the most NYRR Wanamaker Mile titles, with seven; Lagat took ownership of the record with his eighth win in 2010. In addition to Leer and Centrowitz, Lagat will also face 2008 Olympic 1500-meter silver medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand, who lives in Ann Arbor, MI, 2012 Olympic 1500-meter silver medalist Leo Manzano of Austin, TX, 3000-meter steeplechase American record-holder Evan Jager, of Portland, OR, and the University of Oregon’s five-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek of Kenya, who lives in Newark, NJ.

“I see Mr. Eamonn Coghlan as one of the all-time greats in track and field, so I don't think about breaking his records,” said Lagat. “He made the records and broke the boundaries for people like myself to follow. Age is only a number, and he made us all believe it. I'm still listening and learning.”

Growing up just north of New York City in Bronxville, NY, defending NYRR Wanamaker Mile champion Cain is the reigning World Junior champion at 3000 meters; that victory last year made her the first American athlete ever to medal at the World  Junior Championships in a race 1500 meters or longer. The 1000-meter world junior record-holder also holds four national junior records: outdoor 1500 meters and indoor 1500 meters, mile, and two miles. In 2013, she became the youngest American to represent the United States at an IAAF World Championships and the youngest athlete ever to qualify for an IAAF World Championships 1500-meter final; she finished 10th in that race. As a student at Bronxville High School, she set multiple high school national records and became the first high school female to break the two-minute barrier in the 800 meters.

“I am extremely excited to be returning for this year's NYRR Millrose Games,” said Cain. “It's always fun to run on my home track, and even more exciting to have the chance to defend my title! The Armory always has the best crowd because I know that it's always filled with my friends and family.”

The women’s and men’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile will start at 7:20 p.m. and 7:53 p.m., respectively. Last year, Will Leer won the men’s race with a time of 3:53.48 and Mary Cain won the women’s race with a time of 4:27.73.

The NYRR Millrose Games, part of the USATF Championship Series, will be presented live on NBCSN from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, featuring the NYRR Wanamaker Miles, the girls’ NYRR Fastest Kid on the Block, and more. Fans can also catch the excitement on the live webcast all day beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST on USATF.tv. Tickets to attend the NYRR Millrose Games, which will take place in New York City from 1:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Armory (216 Fort Washington Avenue), can be purchased on the event website at https://tickets.nyrrmillrosegames.org/Tickets.

Olympic Gold Medal Winner Jenn Suhr Will Add To NYRR Millrose Games’ Rich Pole Vault Tradition

The pole vault has been one of the cornerstone events at the NYRR Millrose Games going back 90 years and once again the fields assembling for February 14 at the Armory New Balance Track & Field Center promise another great aerial show.

Fredonia, New York native Jenn Suhr, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, returns to The Armory for the first time since the 2013 Millrose, when she edged fellow American Kylie Hutson to win at 15 feet, 3 inches because of fewer misses at earlier heights.

Suhr and Hutson own the building record at 15-3. This time, Suhr faces a talented field that includes two more of the top 10 vaulters in the world last year -- American Mary Saxer and Greek champion Ekaterina Stefanidi.

The tradition of men's vaulting at the NYRR Millrose Games, now in its 108th year overall, stretches back to 1925 and includes the most influential names in the sport. Three-time Olympic medalist Bob Richards won 11 consecutive Millrose titles from 1947-57. Earl Bell won six times between 1976 and 1990.

In 2009, Australian Steve Hooker smashed the meet record with 19-8 ½ in Madison Square Garden and then took square aim at the world record with attempts at 20-2.

Nobody has cleared 19 feet at The Armory, at least not yet.

But there is rising talent at the high school level right now and a couple of young stars will be on hand in the junior boys pole vault. Armand "Mondo" Duplantis, the freshman sensation from Lafayette, La., has already broke the national class record for ninth graders by more than a foot and brings a personal best of 16-8.

Mondo Duplantis started breaking world records for his age when he was 7 and is the son of former standout vaulter Greg Duplantis. In his first year of high school vaulting, Duplantis has been one of the most talked-about vaulters in the country this winter.

Tommy Dial of Norman, Okla., the son of 1980s great Joe Dial, is also one of the top high school prospects in the country. Dial cleared 17-1 ½ last year at the Kansas Relays.

And national leader Paolo Benavides, from Franklin High in El Paso, Texas, is a late addition to the field. He cleared 17-6 ½ on Jan. 24 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The 11 boys entered in this year's competition come from seven different states and six of them are state champions.

The junior girls’ pole vault, scheduled for Thursday, February 12 at The Armory, also features six state champions from seven states. Two-time Florida champion Nikki Carroll, who cleared a new personal best 13-0 on Jan. 24, is the top entrant in that field.

Earlier this month, USA Track & Field announced that both the Armory Track Invitational and the NYRR Millrose Games will make up half of this season’s indoor USATF Championship Series. Both meets at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center are scheduled to be televised nationally by NBC Sports Network (NBCSN): Armory Track Invitational, 4:30-6:30 p.m. January 31 and NYRR Millrose Games 6-8 p.m. USATF.tv will carry live events from both meets as well.

This year’s NYRR Millrose Games promises to be one of the best ever and features the likes of world champion hurdlers Jason Richardson and David Oliver, 2014 World 800m leader Ajee' Wilson along with the “fast and fashionable” Sanya Richards-Ross, who will attempt to break her own Armory Track record of 50.89 in the 400m. Ashton Eaton, the decathlon and indoor pentathlon world record holder, should add plenty of excitement to the New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory along with many more of the sport’s most decorated athletes yet to be announced.

This marks the fourth NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory and will include the country’s premier professional, college and high school track & field athletes competing on one stage.

Tickets for the NYRR Millrose Games can be purchased at http://Tickets.NYRRMillroseGames.org. Further questions about both meets can be answered by calling The Armory at (212) 923-1803 ext. 7200.

Olympic Silver Medalist Galen Rupp Returns to Armory For Both ATI and 108th NYRR Millrose Games

The last time Galen Rupp came to The Armory he was a senior at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Ore.

On Saturday, January 31, the Olympic silver medalist in the 10,000 meters and the centerpiece of the Nike Oregon Project will return to The Armory. He is due to race at the Armory Track Invitational (ATI) on Saturday and will return for the 108th NYRR Millrose Games on Feb. 14. His indoor season will conclude in Birmingham, England a week after that.

Rupp had very little experience running on banked tracks (there are none in Oregon), but he had loads of talent and a very good reason to be in New York City. His coach, Alberto Salazar, was part of a gala lineup that The Armory assembled for the occasion of the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame dedication on Jan. 24, 2004.  

In the New Balance Games that day, Rupp took on another high school standout, Josh McDougal, and aimed for the national high school record in the 2-mile.

“The only thing I remember is that I died pretty hard,” Rupp said. “I think we were both talking about going after the 2-mile indoor record and we went for it. But I felt miserable those last couple of laps. I can’t remember what we ran, but (McDougal) beat me pretty good.”

McDougal, of Peru, N.Y., ran 8:50.40. Rupp ran 8:54.45.

Rupp has enjoyed plenty of success indoors the past couple of winters. Last January he broke American records in both the 2-mile (8:07.41) and 5,000 meters (13:01.26). Near the start of 2013, he ran an indoor mile in 3:50.92.

“The last couple of years January has been a pretty good month for me,” Rupp said.

The biggest change in 2015 may be the fact that Rupp is now a father. He and wife Keara welcomed twins Grayson and Emmie last summer.

“Honestly, training is about the same,” Rupp said. “Things haven’t changed too much. I’m lucky that Keara is so amazing with (the babies). She has always understood the things that I need to do as far as my training goes. So just like any family would, with jobs, we make it work.”

Rupp traveled back and forth from meets to Beaverton, Ore. to be with his wife and the two newborns as often as he could last summer. In the fall, the Rupps mapped out how to accommodate schedules and make sure the twins had the care they needed. Two sets of grandparents nearby also came in handy.

“I definitely have to be more disciplined and balance my time better,” Rupp said. “You can’t sit around and play video games (any more).”

That sense of added responsibility and focus on family is something that Rupp takes pride in.

“Focusing on track, it’s a selfish profession,” Rupp said. “You do what you have to do and that’s it. Getting married, having kids, that’s something I’ve looked forward to since I was a little kid. Two great babies that are healthy, I couldn’t ask for more. When you have a bad day or things aren’t going great … then you hear a baby’s laugh or something, it changes everything.”

Rupp has out-fitted his little ones in Oregon Ducks on Saturdays last fall and he said they have recently outgrown their first set and moved up to the six-month sizes.

Rupp is a deeply loyal Oregon football fan and traveled to Dallas to watch his alma mater take on Ohio State in the first NCAA national championship game.

The result didn’t turn out as he’d hoped. The Ducks went in as slight favorites but lost 42-20.

“Obviously, that was hard,” Rupp said. “I thought it would be (our) year.”

Rupp will turn 29 in May and the six-time U.S. 10,000 meters champion has another chance to make it his year. With an IAAF World Championships on the horizon this summer, and Rio de Janiero looming in 2016, Rupp is focused on trying to improve upon his 2012 silver in London.

This week at The Armory, and again on Valentine's Day at the NYRR Millrose Games, Rupp will aim to show that he’s come a long way these past 11 years.

Earlier this month, USA Track & Field announced that both the Armory Track Invitational and the NYRR Millrose Games will make up half of this season’s indoor USATF Championship Series. Both meets at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center are scheduled to be televised nationally by NBC Sports Network (NBCSN): Armory Track Invitational, 4:30-6:30 p.m. January 31 and NYRR Millrose Games 6-8 p.m. USATF.tv will carry live events from both meets as well.

The Armory Track Invitational (ATI) is a new event featuring some of the country’s finest professional, collegiate and high school athletes and replaces the former Collegiate Invitational. More than 40 collegiate teams and hundreds of high school competitors will compete in the ATI.

Highly-touted middle-distance performers Mary Cain, and Ajee Wilson will clash in the 800m. Matthew Centrowitz, a world silver medalist (1500m), will represent a USA team on a leg of the much-anticipated international distance medley along with teams from Kenya, Ireland, New Jersey-New York TC, and college DMR squads from Columbia, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Duke and Princeton.

Tickets for the Armory Track Invitational are available at tickets.armorytrack.com.  

This year’s NYRR Millrose Games promises to be one of the best ever and features the likes of Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault Jenn Suhr, world champion hurdlers Jason Richardson and David Oliver, 2014 World 800m leader Ajee' Wilson along with the “fast and fashionable” Sanya Richards-Ross, who will attempt to break her own Armory Track record of 50.89 in the 400m. Ashton Eaton, the decathlon and indoor pentathlon world record holder, should add plenty of excitement to the New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory along with many more of the sport’s most decorated athletes yet to be announced.

This marks the fourth NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory and will include the country’s premier professional, college and high school track & field athletes competing on one stage.

Tickets for the NYRR Millrose Games can be purchased at http://Tickets.NYRRMillroseGames.org. Further questions about both meets can be answered by calling The Armory at (212) 923-1803 ext. 7200.