Posted: February 7, 2007

Athletics: Arkansas’ Peter Kosgei Set for Tyson invitational 5,000 Meters

By: Molly O’Mara Peter Kosgei NCAA Indoors Peter Kosgei is coming off a strong weekend at the Armory and is ready for the next race on his slate. After clocking a personal-best mile and a provisional-qualifying time, Kosgei will battle a deep field in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 Tyson Invitational, Fri., Feb. 9. “I feel very good especially after running a 4:01 mile in New York,” Kosgei explained. “(My performance in New York) tells me I’m in better shape this year than I was last year at this point.” Training is a key element of distance running and no one knows that better than Arkansas head coach John McDonnell. McDonnell has molded and shaped Kosgei into one the best distance runners in the nation. “This meet is a good judge of where I am in my training for Nationals,” Kosgei said. “I don’t have a plan for the race yet. We’ll see what Coach (McDonnell) says. (The race plan) will depend on who is racing and if we will sit or make a move early. We’ll see who will take this race out.” Currently ranked No. 2 in the 3K and No. 3 in the 5K in the Trackwire Dandy Dozen, Kosgei also leads the SEC in the mile and the 3,000 meters. His 3,000-meter clocking of 7:55.67, also a NCAA provisional-qualifying time, ranks No. 6 in the nation. His 4:01 mile time from the Armory would likely make the NCAA Championships but Kosgei uses the mile race to train for the longer distances. Running along side Kosgei will be teammate Scott MacPherson, Abilene Christian’s Nicodemus Naimadu, Martin Fagan of Providence (No. 4 in the nation and in the Dandy Dozen 3K), Steven Samoei and Japheth Ng'ojoy of UTEP and Texas Tech’s Kevin Chelimo, to name a few. “Most of the runners will run conservatively, trying to qualify (for the NCAA Indoor Championships),” Kosgei explained. “It’s hard to tell (what will happen) with this field. This field is running for Nationals. Martin Fagan of Providence will be a tough competitor.” Kosgei, an eight-time All-American and five-time SEC Champion, has high expectations, as always for the Tyson Invitational, and is hoping to improve his performance on his home track. “At previous Tyson meets, I have faded during the last two to three laps. This year I want to finish the last three to four laps strong.” Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest

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