Editor’s Note: The Arizona Daily Wildcat caught up with men’s cross country senior Robert Cheseret yesterday after he placed second overall over the weekend in the Pacific 10 Championships with a time of 23:10.96 to lead the Wildcats to a third-place finish. Cheseret discussed the 8-kilometer race, upcoming regional and national races and Lance Armstrong’s upcoming marathon.
Wildcat: You placed second in the Pacific 10 Championships this weekend. What was going through your mind as you crossed the finish line?
Cheseret: Going into the race, I wanted to win and defend my title from last year. Going through the line knowing that I came in second, I was a little disappointed.
W: The NCAA Western Regional Championships are coming up Nov. 11, and the NCAA Championships are Nov. 20. How will you go into those races after this last race?
“”I think if you run with music, you don’t pay attention to what pace you are running, how hard you are running.””
– Robert Cheseret,
senior runner
C: I’m just going to go there and compete and run hard, the way I normally do. In Pac-10s, I ran really hard. I wanted to win it, but unfortunately I couldn’t get it done. I’m going to go to regionals and nationals and just compete harder and give it another try.
W: You were married to your wife, Dorcas Chepkoech, in August in your hometown of Kapsabet, Kenya. Where did you take your honeymoon, and did you run during the honeymoon?
C: No, that is when I was taking my two-week break after the track season when I finished (summer competition) in Europe, so I got to relax and enjoy my time off with my wife. The honeymoon was near Lake Victoria, in the western part of Kenya, near Uganda.
W: When you train, do you run listening to music?
C: Absolutely not. I think if you run with music, you don’t pay attention to what pace you are running, how hard you are running. You will also miss how your body responds to your running. I learned to run without music from my brother (Bernard Lagat), and also, (UA head) coach (James) Li doesn’t encourage us to run with music.
W: No iPod for you?
C: (laughs) No, not for me.
W: Lance Armstrong is going to run in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5. How will he do?
C: I think he’s going to be OK during the first part of it, but I think he will get tired toward the end. I think it will be challenging for him. I would expect him to do OK with his first marathon, but he will do much better in the next marathon that he runs.
W: What kind of shoes do you wear when you run?
C: I prefer the Nike Pegasus. Those are my favorite.
W: P.F. Flyers came out in 1937. They guaranteed that if you wear them you will “”run faster and jump higher.”” Would you still choose your Nikes over Flyers?
C: (laughs) Oh yes, definitely.
