Hedengren third at Cowboy Jamboree as Jepkirui breaks record
Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui closed hard enough to take down a record set at the 2022 NCAA championships.
Jane Hedengren finished third at the Cowboy Jamboree in 19:32, her first real meet of the season, behind Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui in 19:24 and Morin Chericig in 19:28.
Jepkirui's winning time took three seconds off Katelyn Tuohy's course record from the 2022 NCAA championships. Oklahoma State coach Dave Smith said she ran her last 1000 in 306. On the LetsRun YouTube show, the host pointed out that the fastest anyone has ever run on that stretch is 304.
Why the record matters less than it looks
Smith also laid out how different the two days were. When Tuohy set the record, he said, it was 15 degrees overnight and about 30 degrees at race time, the grass was dormant and cut very low, and the course was "as firm as the track." On Saturday the course was wet and soft, the grass thick and long, and it was 75 degrees and humid. Breaking a record in those conditions is the story, not the three seconds.
The Hedengren question
The reason anyone is talking about third place is what Hedengren did last year. The LetsRun host described her as NCAA cross country runner up and an indoor 3,000 and 5,000 meter champion, plus the NCAA record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000. As he put it, she did not lose to anybody in the whole regular season, lost to one person at NCAAs, and now has lost to two people in her first real meet of the year.
His concern level started at six out of ten and dropped to two once he factored in the weather and how hard Jepkirui closed. His one critique of the race itself is that Hedengren goes out too hard and got walked down by 17 seconds over the last 1,000 meters, and that she should learn to relax in a race.
Her BYU coach DJ Taylor has framed the year in advance. Taylor said that sometimes you overachieve as a freshman, and in your sophomore year just getting close to that is success. The host notes Taylor is coaching her with one eye on the long term and the LA Olympics as an eventual goal.
What it actually means is this was one soft, humid Saturday in September against a runner who closed faster than almost anyone ever has there, not evidence of a slump.
they were hauling ass on Saturday
This Saturday, the course was wet and soft. The grass is thick and lush and long. It was 75 degrees and humid.
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