The BGSU cross country team had a bitter sweet experience at their first meet of the season Friday against archrival Toledo. While Eddie Kipchoge and Brad Wells finished first and second in a field of 14. The next BG runner finished just eighth. Because of the lack of supporting cast for Kipchoge and Wells, the Falcons fell 30-25 to the Rockets.
“I thought they did terrible,” said BG coach Cami Wells “They were at home against their rival and they laid down. Our first two runners ran well but the rest just didn’t show up.”
Wells then went on to say the poor showing was not due to a lack of effort – the team runs between 80 and 100 miles a week to help prepare mentally and physically. The team does a combination of long conditioning runs and shorter interval runs for speed. Wells said all of their hard work should prepare them better for their meet on Friday.
Despite not performing to the level they expected, Kipchoge remains optimistic about the season. He pointed to the team’s strong freshman class, which includes himself, as a big reason to be excited about the year.
“They panicked (during the race) – we will get better as the season progresses,” Kipchoge said.
Kipchoge put on a very good showing not only winning the race, but maintaining a convincing lead. Kipchoge finished in 15:29, his next competitor and teammate Brad Wells finished in 15:59. He admits that it is tough to run out in front with no one to catch, and says that’s another part of the mental difficulties in cross country.
“I was scared,” Kipchoge said. “I feel like someone is chasing, it pushes me, it keeps me motivated.”
Kipchoge plans to continue his individual success while helping the team succeed more. His goal for the team is to compete and win in the conference, while he himself would like to represent BG at the national meet.
Even though the team did not win the race or meet their expectations, there were a few bright spots in individual glory and the rest of the season does look bright.
“Like I said, we didn’t lose because of lack of effort,” Wells said. “We will keep working hard and hopefully have better races.”