Quick hits for a Wednesday morning:
- Dark Sky Distance’s Sharon Lokedi, the runner-up in last month’s Boston Marathon, was left off the Kenyon Olympic Marathon team, instead being selected by the country’s athletics panel as an alternate.
Lokedi was beaten out for the third and final spot by Brigid Kosgei, who has solid credentials but has not run as well lately as Lokedi. Kosgei most recent results include fifth place in the London Marathon, fourth in the 2023 New York Marathon and first at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Marathon.
The two have raced head-to-head, with Lokedi finishing third in New York in 2023, 12 seconds ahead of Kosgei. Lokedi’s runner-up performance to Hellen Obiri at Boston was widely seen as a superior effort than Kosgei’s fifth place in London. Obiri, herself, had lobbied for Lokedi to be picked for the third Kenyan spot. Peres Jepchirchir earned the second spot on the team.
Some journalists and track observers have speculated that Kosgei got the nod because she is sponsored by Nike, which also sponsors the Kenyan team. Obiri runs for On, Jepchirchir for Adidas, and Lokedi Under Armour.
- While the four Flagstaff area high schools prepare for this weekend’s divisional state track meets, a group of unattached runners from Northland Prep, coached by former Sparatan coach Xavier Rodriguez, concluded its season last Saturday at the Steve Scott Invitational at UC Irvine.
The group, led by senior Jack Flugstad, raced this spring in several college meets in Arizona, California and Texas. At the Scott Invite, Flugstad ran 4:27 for the mile to finish 10th in a mostly-college field.
Flugstad, according to Rodriguez, came through the 1,600 meter mark (the distance high school runners compete) in 4:25, which is the second fastest time ever for a Northland Prep runner. It was an eight-second personal best.
Emilio Haubert and David Hayes ran the 800 meters and finished in 2:05 and 2:09, respectively. “They made history,” Rodriguez said, “as only a few students from NPA have ever gone both sub-4:50 in teh 1,600 and sub-2:10 in the 800 before their senior year.”
Senior Deia Mulligan ran 5:55 in the women’s mile race, a 13-second personal best. And Harrison Kessenich ran 5:00 for the mile (4:58 for 1,600), a 16-second PB.
- The Cocodona 250 Mile race, from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, starts on Monday and race organizaer Aravaipa is still looknig for volunteers to help in adi stations and with other duties during the event. Sign up here.
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