First off, this field is stacked. Period. The Millrose 3K features arguably the greatest college runner of all time, the greatest American steeple chaser of all time, and a crazy Canadian dude who runs 190 miles a week. And that’s just scratching the surface.
It is easy to talk about favorites, but what about guys who kind of fly under the radar. I’m not calling a 7:40/13:02 guy a nobody, but Hassan Mead isn’t as much of a household name as say, Edward Cheserek. Mead is fresh off a 7:40 performance at Portland’s House of Track where he gave THE Matthew Centrowitz a scare, almost kicking him down in the final stretch. Mead is in a good place this year and can definitely make some noise in the Armory this weekend. Also featured in the aforementioned 3k was Trevor Dunbar, who dropped a nice 7:43 PR. Dunbar also has a 3:40 1500 to his name this indoor season. Lopez Lomong will be making his first appearance this season. Lopez has a 7:44 to his name, but finished 2015 with the fastest indoor 5K by an American. He knows his way around a 200 meter track and is no slouch.
Let’s talk about who I think will be up front in this race no matter what. In no particular order: Cheserek, Jenkins, Jager and Hill. Cheserek has proven that he can hang with the best no matter what situation he is put in (2015 NCAA Cross Country, 2015 Indoor Mile, etc.). His 13:35 at UW this past weekend was a big one, closing down the last 600 in ~1:25. Although, I don’t think many people were doubting Cheserek’s wheels at the end of a race. Eric Jenkins, the newest member of the Nike Oregon Project, has only beaten Cheserek once in head to head competition. Cheserek says that he let Jenkins win that 3K at NCAAs last year, but come on…Jenkins is fast. Jenkins went 7:45 at the end of January, getting beat out by Paul Chelimo in the final lap. He also has a 3:42 in the 1500 to take down Chelimo and Ben Blankenship. Evan Jager and Ryan Hill, teammates at the Bowerman Track Club. Jager, known for his luscious, golden locks, is one of America’s top distance runners right now. His credentials stretch from 3:32.9 in the 1500 to 13:02 in the 5K. He’s one of the most experienced guys in the field, and the Olympian is hungry every time he toes the line. Hill is one of those semi-under the radar guys, even with PBs of 7:34 and 13:05. He got the W at USA Outdoors last year, taking down the likes of Galen Rupp, David Torrence and Ben True in the final stretch, covering the final 200 meters in roughly 26 seconds.
Between the dark horses like Mead and the college kid who seems to be good at everything, the 3K is set up to be crazy exciting and is probably the race I’m most looking forward to on Saturday afternoon.
Levins?
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