Edward Cheserek (born 2 February 1994) is a Kenyan distance runner. He is a 17-time NCAA champion collegiate distance runner for the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
. Cheserek was the most highly recruited high school distance runner in the nation out of
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines.
The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredit ...
in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
history to win the NCAA National Cross Country Championships. Cheserek repeated this feat in his sophomore and junior years at Oregon before coming in third in the race in 2016 during his senior year. In total, Cheserek has 17 NCAA National Titles, including two indoor distance medley relays and one cross-country team title.
Early life
Edward Cheserek was born on 2 February 1994 in Chepteran, Iten, Kenya to a family of ethnic
Marakwet
:''Marakwet is also a district in Kenya, see Marakwet District''
The Marakwet are one of the groups forming the ethnolinguistic Kalenjin community of Kenya, they speak the Markweta language. The Marakwet live in five territorial sections namely Al ...
subsistence farmers. Cheserek is from the
Marakwet
:''Marakwet is also a district in Kenya, see Marakwet District''
The Marakwet are one of the groups forming the ethnolinguistic Kalenjin community of Kenya, they speak the Markweta language. The Marakwet live in five territorial sections namely Al ...
tribe, which is a subgroup of the Kalenjin people. Edward Cheserek's father, Jacob, was a corporal in the Kenyan military, and is deceased. His mother, Dinah, is still living in Kenya. Cheserek is the fourth of seven siblings and is the only person in his family to have emigrated from Kenya at 14 years old. He was raised on a farm with no electricity or running water. Cheserek grew up in Kapker hamlet, Kapchebau village in the hills of northeastern
Elgeyo-Marakwet County
Elgeyo-Marakwet County is one of Kenya's 47 counties. Elgeyo Marakwet County is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its capital and largest town is Iten. It borders the counties of West Pokot to the north, Baringo County to the east, so ...
, western Kenya, where the altitude is close to two miles above sea level.
Running career
High school
Edward Cheserek began running at age 14, after his father urged him to focus on running when his running ability was noticed on the soccer field. He joined athletic training camps in Iten when his father moved the family there. In 2009, Cheserek won the Kenyan junior national titles in the steeplechase,
5,000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
, and
10,000 metres
The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...
. The following year in 2010, the
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
-based missionary group Stadi za Maisha assisted him in obtaining a scholarship at
Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines.
The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredit ...
in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Saint Benedict's Preparatory School
St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines.
The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredit ...
Gerry Lindgren
Gerald "Gerry" Paul Lindgren (born March 9, 1946) is an American track and field runner who set many long-standing high school and national records in the United States. In 1965, Lindgren and Billy Mills both broke the world record for the six-mi ...
's 49-year-old record of 8:40.00. During his senior year, Cheserek was the most highly recruited high school distance runner in the nation.
:''I have been lucky enough to have a good coach. To be good, to train good and want success, you need your coach to show you those things. I also want to be as good as what my coach wants me to be. That is what makes a difference with a runner. When you run and practice, you can do it for the coach. When you do it for the coach and yourself, you are at your best. You try harder and get better each day. I like being better each race. There is no reason to run if you don't.''
Collegiate
Cheserek was recruited by the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
and in the fall of 2013 was the first freshman in Oregon history to win an NCAA National Cross Country Championship. As a freshman, Cheserek was the 2014 NCAA Indoor T&F champion in both the indoor 3000m and 5000m runs. Cheserek showcased his versatility at different distances by placing first in the indoor mile at the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
At the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 11, Cheserek unleashed a final 400 meter sprint in 53.17 seconds to win the Men's 10,000m race with a time of 28:30.18, a personal best. He returned on June 13 to compete in the 5,000m race, dwindling the pack with a furious 56.84 final 400 meters, but it was not enough to out-kick Lawi Lalang of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, as Cheserek placed 2nd in a personal best of 13:18.71 to Lalang's 13:18.36, which was an NCAA Meet Championship record. Cheserek's 18-points contributed significantly to the University of Oregon's Men's team title. After his phenomenal success on the collegiate scene, a 2015 ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' article described the 21-year-old Cheserek as the next great American distance runner. Cheserek hopes to become an American citizen.
During his college running career, Cheserek earned the nickname King Ches, a reference to his many winning streaks.
Professional career
In 2017 Cheserek turned professional, signing with Skechers Performance Team. At the 2018 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational he ran the mile in 3:49.44, a personal best and at that time the 2nd fastest indoor mile in world history. In 2019, at the Carlsbad 5k road race, he tied the official IAAF world record with a 13:29 and his girlfriend for two years,
Sharon Lokedi
Sharon Lokedi (born March 10, 1994) is a Kenyan middle and long-distance runner. She won the 10,000 meters at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Lokedi has been a 10-time All-American & 12-time Big 12 champion, as of ...
*1000 m (indoor): 2:19.02 (2013)
*Mile (indoor): 3:52.01 (2017)
*1500 m: 3:36.50 (2014)
*1600 m split in DMR: 3:52.88 (2016)
*3000 m (indoor): 7:40.51 (2016)
*5000m: 13:18.71 (2014)
*10,000 m: 28:30.18 (2014)
Professional
*1500 m (indoor): 3:33.76 (2018)
*Mile (indoor): 3:49.44 (2018)
*3000 m (indoor): 7:38.74 (2018)
*5000 m (indoor): 13:08.05 (2019)
*5000 m (road): 13:29 (2019)
*5000 m: 13:04.44 (2019)
*10000 m : 27:42.69 (2020)
*10000 m : 27:23.58 (2020)
*Half marathon: 61:31(2021)
*10000m :(road) 28:25(2021)
*Half Marathon road 60:37(2022)
Notes
* The "i" next to a result indicates an indoor performance.
* Cheserek's 1500 meter personal best was 3:33.76 en route to his 3:49.44 mile. 3:36.50 is only his outdoor 1500 meter personal best, not en-route of a mile race.