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Boston 3000m Race Analysis and
Interview with Alistair Cragg
3 February 2005
BOSTON - 29 January - When asked
before the race if he was going to go with Kenenisa Bekele if he
made an early move or ran a torrid pace, Alistair Cragg confidently
told Irish Runner.com, "I didn't come all this way to sit back and
watch him." It's not an outrageous query when you consider that
Kenenisa Bekele is the reigning 10,000m World Record holder
(26.20.31) and Olympic Champion along with being the World Record
Holder (12.37.35) and the reigning Olympic silver medallist in the
5,000m while Cragg owns a personal best of 13.12.74.
The early part of the Reebok 3,000m
race went according to script. Both novice track fans and
aficionados alike felt the race would materialise with the pacemaker
ushering the Ethiopians around until they were dissatisfied with the
pace. At some point Bekele would unleash his potent kick and go onto
victory leaving the throng of Ethiopian fans chanting and waving
their own tri-colour flags. After all, Haile Gebrselassie did all
that last year winning in a meet record time of 7.35.24 and history
shows us that Bekele has had little problem matching his mentor's
exploits.
Playing the role of the rabbit was
Russian Alexander Skvortsov who jumped to the lead opening an almost
10-metre gap on the first half-lap. Only Alistair Cragg played the
part of the greyhound with the Ethiopian pair of Bekele and Markos
Geneti in their comfort zone trailing Cragg. Cragg closely followed
Skvortsov for six laps hitting splits of 28.1 (200m), 58.1 (400m),
1.28.9 (600m), 2.00.4 (800m), 2.31.4 (1 kilometre) and 3.30.6
(1,200m) before the rabbit stepped off the Mondo oval just before
the completion of the seventh lap of this fifteen lap contest.
Cragg, 24 and already an Irish
Olympian would lead for the next three laps crossing the 1,400-metre
mark in 3.34.8, 1,600m in 4.05.1 and lap nine (1,800m) in 4.36.1.
As the trio entered the
backstretch, Cragg moved out into lane two forcing Geneti to take
the helm. Geneti, who placed second last year in 7.41.06 seemed
poised and prepared to do the same this year, reluctantly took the
lead and immediately went from hunter to the hunted. Bekele was now
tucked in behind Cragg as they passed two-kilometres in 5.08.5
(2.37.1). The next split was 2,200m (5.40.7).
There was still no change with
Cragg now the meat in an Ethiopian sandwich passing 2,400m in
6.13.2. A mere 600 metres remained with the racing and surprises
about to begin. Shortly after they entered the straightway on the
backside of the track with about 500m remaining in the race Cragg
burst to the lead passing Geneti. Bekele effortlessly matched the
move with Geneti now grimacing in third. Bekele seemed to enjoy the
ride on Cragg's shoulder. The unlikely pair traversed the 7,400m
mark in 6.42.7 - 400 metres, two laps left!
At almost the identical spot where
Cragg showed his cards a lap before, Bekele passed Cragg who
gainfully followed but lost precious distance to the Track and Field
News Man of the Year. As Bekele exited the final bend, his lead now
almost 10 metres, he mysteriously drifted into lane two as if to
finish. As Bekele crossed what he thought was the finishing line he
glanced in disbelief to his left as a lad feverishly rang the bell
signifying one lap to go. Cragg finishes the penultimate lap in
7.10.0 and pursues his idol on the turn. Bekele is now labouring.
Cragg recognised the miscue and swiftly passed Bekele on the bend
taking a lead he would never relinquish. He peeked up at the
television screen to survey his advantage, no doubt fearful that
Superman would catch him. The fear was never realised. Cragg raises
his arms in victory as he crossed the line in 7.39.89 (2.31.4,
2.37.1, 2.31.4).
Bekele and Cragg exchanged silent
taps of respect on each others shoulders. Cragg savoured the
victory.
Surrounded by reporters after the
race, Cragg was an extremely gracious and reverent winner,
admitting, "Ninety-nine times out of a hundred Bekele would have
beaten me. I don't know if Bekele is all right, he's had a lot on
his mind." Cragg was referring to the recent tragedy that struck
Bekele. His fiancée Alem Teshale died after collapsing due to a
heart-attack while on a training run with Bekele in Ararat, Ethiopia
on 4th January. A grieving Bekele missed some training and a
European event but honoured his obligation to the Boston event.
Cragg continued, "I saw him kicking with a lap to go, and I knew
something wasn't right, whether he just wasn't feeling good or if it
was an honest mistake. That kind of kept me going, it kept me
excited, because I knew his mind wasn't on the race. I tried to hit
him straight after he realised he'd made the mistake. That's it,
after that I don't remember much about the last lap."
What was it like to beat Kenenisa
Bekele? Did you think he was unbeatable? The questions rang from a
chorus of media. Cragg said, "What a feeling! I'd never wish those
kinds of circumstances on anyone, but I'm just glad I was there to
take the opportunity.
Going in to the summer, he was
Bekele the great, you know? But I knew that with what's happening in
his life, he was human again - at least this month. I felt like I
could go with him today, no matter what, even if he was going for a
World record or something. Definitely, like last time, I was running
against one of my idols."
The 'last time' referred to Cragg's
last visit to the Boston Indoor Games in 2003 where he beat reigning
Olympic 1,500m Champion Noah Ngeny from Kenya. "Last time, a few
years ago when I had a chance to race Noah Ngeny here, it was a
career-changing race. I just went for Noah. I tried to get him to
pull me along as long as possible. I mean, he's Noah Ngeny. He ought
to do that. You don't think of him as an Olympic champion. You think
about racing fast."
Cragg, a 2004 graduate of the
University of Arkansas commented on the on the race, "The rabbit
today was a little dodgy. He went out way too quick, and I knew the
Ethiopians didn't want to go with him. Everyone stood off him. So I
said to myself, 'Let's get something out of this run. I don't want
to sit back and then get out-kicked and get nothing out of it.' So I
went up to try and keep the pace going. Then the rabbit dropped out,
and I was on my own with Bekele and Geneti behind me. Those are two
guys you don't want sitting on your butt with 1200m to go. So I went
out a little wide and let Markos take the lead."
What went through your mind when
Bekele passed you, you had to expecting it? Cragg responded, "When
Bekele came around me, it was like wow! It felt like somebody
punched me in the face. It was such a big roar! Not much was going
through my mind. I don't know what to think when a guy like that
comes around you. You don't know how strong he is or how strong you
are, it's a matter of just sticking to the plan and following what
Coach told me to do. He's never failed me up until today. I had
thought I'd just follow what Coach McDonnell said, and take off. I
just had to make sure I was there in case the wheels came off, or he
made a mistake."
"The plan today was to go hard from
500 metres remaining, no matter what, if I'm hurting or feeling
good. I went, and I went hard. Coach said, 'Make sure you're there.
Once you're there, you'll forget about who he is, how you're
feeling, and where you are. Your racing instincts will kick in, no
matter who's around you.' And it did, it happened. When he came
around me again, I was thinking, maybe that was a little stupid. But
every race you go through those feelings."
His collegiate coach, John
McDonnell, from Crossmolina, Co Mayo continues to Coach Cragg in
Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Cragg relished his victory and
wasn't concerned that he narrowly missed breaking his own Irish
record of set 7.38.59. "Records can create barriers in your mind. I
grew up in the collegiate NCAA system. I've been taught the times
will come. I want to close the gap between and the top runners in
the world."
Cragg looked under control for the
entire race. He remarked, "Training has gone to a new level. I've
run 7.38 for 3k twice before but compared to how I felt in those
races, today was a walk in the park. This was the easiest it ever
felt. A 7.39 may be slow for me now but in this kind of race, under
the circumstances, I'm pleased."
Cragg no longer has the demanding
university schedule of competitions to deal with, which has had a
positive impact on training. "Training has been easier for me this
year. I've been training with Mark Fountain, who ran a 3:54 today
[Fountain ran 3.54.77 to place 3rd in mile]. There's no way I can
think I can run a 3:54, and he and I have been training easily
together. We've definitely taken our training to another level. A
3:59 mile is slow for me right now."
What's next for Cragg? "My next
race will be the 3k at the Tyson Invite." The Tyson Invitational is
slated for 11th February at the Randall Tyson Track Centre in
Fayetteville, Arkansas. We were expecting a tactical race at
Arkansas and a fast one here. We may have to reevaluate things."
Before Bekele's heartbreak, he had planned to go after Daniel
Komen's World Indoor Record of 7:24.90 set in Budapest in 1998.
"The plan, so far is to race the
European Indoor Championships. It's time to get my career beyond the
NCAA. If all goes right, I'll go to World Cross." Cragg joked that
he doesn't really think about season goals. He leaves that up to
Coach McDonnell. Laughing he said, "We don't really look far ahead
at what's possible. He knows. I don't ask. He knew what was possible
today, and he told me what I can run and that I shouldn't be scared.
He's got high expectations. I'm just here to follow his directions."
With a poorly disguised smile,
Cragg concluded, "Not too many people can say they beat Kenenisa
Bekele. It will change my entire attitude toward the whole track and
field world.
Reebok 3,000m: 1) Alistair Cragg,
Ireland, 7:39.89; 2) Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 7:41.42; 3) Markos
Geneti, Ethiopia, 7:42.97; 4) Tim Broe, USA, 7:44.87; 5) Kevin
Sullivan, Canada, 7:50.75; 6) Jonathon Riley, USA, 7:51.63; 7)
Bolota Asmeron, USA, 7:57.19; 8) Charlie Gruber, USA, 8:05.76; 9)
Steve Slattery, USA, 8:05.99; DNF) Alexander Skvortsov, Russia, pace
With Thanks to Tim O'Dowd
www.irishrunner.com
Keeping Track of Ireland
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