Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Dec 5, 20184 min
It happens every year.
When the D1 Cross Country National Championships end, most student-athletes opt to take a break and prepare for the madness of final exams (if you're in college and reading this, finish the article and then get back to studying).
However, a select few distance stars will often enter an indoor 5k in an effort to earn an early-season national qualifying mark before their winter break. For many of the nation's top entrants, the results are typically respectable, but not exactly crazy fast.
Last year, Ben Veatch won the Hoosier Open with a 13:57. The year before that, teammate Bryce Millar won the BU Season Opener in 13:59. 2015 was a relatively strong year for the BU Season Opener after Gilbert Kirui ran 13:50 and led two others under 14 minutes. Considering no one had cracked the barrier at Boston in 2014, that was a solid performance.
Then there are rare occasions like the 2015 Hoosier Open 5k where four men broke the 13:50 barrier. Willy Kincaid and Futsum Zienasellassie battled to the finish line in that race, both finishing with times of 13:44 (Kincaid took home the win).
The 2014 Hoosier Open was headlined by Brian Shrader who kept the rest of the nation on notice after running 13:40 in his season debut. New Mexico's Adam Bitchell ran 13:44 in 2013 while Ryan Hill won his season opener in 13:43. In 2011, Diego Estrada ran a monster time of 13:39 to begin his winter of competition.
Of the six names I just mentioned, five of them are currently professional distance runners. As for Bitchell, he is currently the Welsh national record holder for the indoor 5000 meters.
That's why it is shocking to me that we aren't talking more about Amon Kemboi. You know, the guy who just ran 13:33 on an indoor track two weeks after finishing 7th at the Cross Country National Championships? That guy?
Here's a fun stat for you: Amon Kemboi's 13:33 is the fastest time ever run by a collegiate runner in December since TFRRS began collecting meet results in 2010. He joins Estrada as the only collegiate to ever break 13:40 for 5000 meters in December.
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Was this the defining race of Kemboi's career? Was it the breakout performance that now puts him among the NCAA's best? It might be, but it's hard to look at his development and say that you didn't see this coming. His 5k personal best has improved in every track season since he entered the Campbell program. He went from 13:52, to 13:47, to 13:43, to 13:37, to (now) 13:33. Just imagine what we could see from him if he continues this extraordinarily consistent rise in fitness...
Like many eventual collegiate superstars, Kemboi has had the luxury of having multiple veteran leaders come before him. Amon Terer was in his final year with Campbell when Kemboi began takes classes in the United States. Since then, Lawrence Kipkoech has embraced his role of mentoring the young star and together, they have created a dynamic 1-2 punch that has put Campbell on the map.
Let's not forget that Kemboi can do more than just run a quick 5000 meters. With additional personal bests of 3:39 and 28:53 (XC), his combination of speed and endurance gives Kemboi an edge in both aggressive and tactical races...and that isn't just speculation.
Just take a look at the Outdoor National Championships last spring. A slow race followed by a blistering last lap eventually led to Kemboi finishing 5th overall. The guys he lost to? All of them have national titles (McGorty, Knight, Fisher, and Trouard).
Just two weeks ago, we saw Kemboi place 7th at the Cross Country National Championships, running an impressive 29:14 on a Wisconsin course with narrow paths, tight turns, and sneaky long hills.
Long story short, he can do it all.
What's even scarier to think about is that we're only just beginning the second half of Kemboi collegiate eligibility. In fact, the junior has yet to redshirt a single season of competition, meaning we could potentially still see Amon around the NCAA circuit during 2021.
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Maybe it's because we still think of him as an underclassman. Maybe it's because he's from a smaller university. Maybe it's because we've seen the level of success and the national titles from the competition around him. Maybe those are all legitimate reasons why we haven't given this young man the recognition he deserves.
If he hasn't already, Amon Kemboi will enter the elite tier NCAA distance runners in 2019. He'll be in the same conversation as Morgan McDonald, the NAU men, and maybe even Grant Fisher. You could probably even throw Edwin Kurgat in there (but that's a conversation for a different day).
If I'm one of the best in the nation, who is the one guy I don't want to race? An individual who has potentially hit his peak? Or a rapidly progressing star with phenomenal range, exceptional race tactics, experienced teammates, and multiple All-American finishes?
Say what you will, but Amon Kemboi is the one person that no one wants to race in 2019.