by Larry Eder
This is the fifth day of the first week of Summer Mileage, this is about your future.
Kenneth Rooks is a steeplechaser.
Kenneth started out in high school track winning several titles. His PBs were 800m in 1:53.56, 4:11.40 for the mile and 9:20.86 for the 3200m at College Place High School in College Place, Washington.
Kenneth went to BYU and would be coached by Ed Eyestone, one of our sports’ most respected coaches. In his freshman year, Kenneth did not run for BYU, as he spent the year as a missionary in Uganda, as part of his Mormon faith.
He is very, very good. In 2023, Kenneth broke the 46 year old record for American steeplers in the NCAA , set by BYU’s Henry Marsh. Kenneth ran 8:17.62. Kenneth followed up with a big NCAA win in 8:26.17 in 2023.
The steeplechase has barriers and they hurt when you hit them, trust me. Kenneth Rooks surprised the heck out of the fans at the US Champs in 2023, by falling over a barrier, getting up and winning the championships! Kenneth then went on to the Budapest 2023 steeplechase final, taking tenth.
2024 was a magical year. Kenneth made the US Olympic team, by winning the Olympic Trials final. Kenneth Rooks made the final of the steeplechase. Now the steeplechase final, like all Olympic finals are rather physical. Lamencha Girma fell hard, and took several other runners down. With a lap to go, Kenneth charged to the front, and over the last water barrier, was passed by Soufianne El Bakkali, the finest steepler in the world. Rooks had to battle Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot over the last barrier, just edging the Kenyan steeplechaser. Kenneth took the silver, ran a PB by nine seconds and ran 8:06.41.
Kenneth Rooks’ most excellent adventure in Paris was years in the making, with a healthy dose of cross country training, track training and then, moving to BYU under the tutelege of Ed Eyestone.
Watch Kenneth Rooks this weekend!
The road to 2025 Cross country is just beginning
Time to build some mileage for fall cross country!
Today is July 11 , 2025
Week One, Day five, Summer Mileage.
Friday, warm-up, 45-65 minutes of easy running, cooldown.
Hydrate and stretch. Always hydrate.
Some thoughts on summer mileage program.
Have you considered cross country?
Cross Country is offered in over 16,500 high schools and many junior high schools. It normally goes from mid-August to November for most. To prepare for cross country, we at RunBlogRun encourage you and your 550,000 closest friends who like the 400m to 5,000m, consider cross country!
It is a great way to stay in shape and it builds your fitness so that you are ready for the challenges of cross country.
What motivated Steve Prefontaine in the summer between his sophomore and junior year?
Was it the knowledge that he had not done his very best in track and field? Perhaps, he had not taken his commitment as serious as he thought he should?
When you have not achieved what you expected, how do you respond? Are you being called to put in some more effort? Many of us have had those challenges, and Summer mileage is a great program to get one self focused.
Think about five things you can do better for fall cross country, write them on a post card, and tape it to a place in your room where you will see it at least once a day!
Remember to drink 8 glasses of water, 12 ounces each a day!
When Pre was in high school, after he failed to make his State track meet as a sophomore, he became obsessed with daily training. These were not just easy runs, they were bone-churning, gut-wrenching efforts focused to make him unbeatable. In his junior year of cross country, Pre saw that his summer of running made a huge difference.
Do you want to be a better cross country runner than you were in the past? Focus and follow our training. It is all about the consistency.
Other book suggestions include Self Made Olympian by Ron Daws, A Clean Pair of Heels by Murray Halberg, and Pre! by Tom Jordan.
The Nike Pegasus PLUS is a great entry shoe for high school cross country. You should consider it, and learn more about it at nike.com. It is light, cushioned, a good summer mileage shoe. If you need a little more cushioning, try the Vomero 18.
