News01 Feb 2005


Cragg – “Ninety-nine times out of a hundred Bekele would have beaten me”

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Alistair Cragg of Ireland runs outside Kenenisa Bekele (background, right) in Boston (© Victah Sailer)

After a traumatic month in the life of 2004 Athlete of the Year Kenenisa Bekele it would be unjust to read anything significant into his upset defeat by Alistair Cragg in the 3000m in Boston on Saturday. However, that should not preclude us from examining the merits of his vanquisher, as Irishman Alistair Cragg is fast making surprise defeats of famous champions into a habit.

Racing and beating his idols

Cragg, 24, should perhaps consider setting up a consultancy for emerging athletes who wish to learn how to outrun Olympic champions. Twice, now, he has gone to the line with gold medallists at the Boston Indoor Games, and come away with an upset victory. In 2003, his victim was Noah Ngeny; in 2005, Kenenisa Bekele.

In the past three years, as Bekele has dominated the tracks and cross-country courses of Europe, precious few athletes have had the experience of crossing a finish line ahead of him. If you are one of them, you might have already seen what Cragg has seen. The rest of us have to listen to him tell his story…

"Going in to the summer and the Olympics, Bekele was the king of the great, you know? But I knew that with what's happening in his life, that he was human this month. I felt like I could go with him today, no matter what, even if he was going for a World record or something. Definitely, like last time, I was running against one of my idols.”

"Last time, a few years ago when I had a chance to race Noah Ngeny here, it was a career-changing race. I just went for Noah. I tried to get him to pull me along as long as possible. I mean, he's Noah Ngeny. He ought to do that. You don't think of him as an Olympic champion. You think about racing fast.

"I knew the rabbit today was a little dodgy. He went out way too quick, and I knew the Ethiopians didn't want to go with him. Everyone stood off him. So I said to myself, 'Let's get something out of this run. I don't want to sit back and then get out-kicked and get nothing out of it.' So I went up to try and keep the pace going.”

"Then the rabbit dropped out, and I was on my own with Bekele and (Markos) Geneti behind me. Those are two guys you don't want sitting on your back with 1200m to go. So I went out a little wide and let Markos take the lead.”

"Training has been easier for me this year. I've been training with Mark Fountain, who ran a 3:54 today. There's no way I can think I can run a 3:54, and he and I have been training easily together. We've definitely taken our training to another level. 3:59 is slow for me right now. In this kind of a race, in these circumstances, where we sort of fall asleep after the mile mark, this is a walk in the park.”

“It felt like somebody punched me in the face”

"The plan today was to go hard from 500m remaining, no matter what, if I'm hurting or feeling good. I went, and I went hard.”

"The Reggie Lewis Center keeps everything inside. The crowd might not be massive, but there's excitement. When Bekele came around me...wow.
It felt like somebody punched me in the face. It was such a big roar.”

Make sure you're there

"Not much was going through my mind. I don't know what to think when a guy like that comes around you. You don't know how strong he is or how strong you are, it's a matter of just sticking to the plan and following what Coach told me to do. He's never failed me up until today. I had thought I'd just follow what Coach McDonnell said, and take off. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred he would have beaten me. I just had to make sure I was there in case the wheels came off, or he made a mistake.”

"That's what Coach said: Make sure you're there. Once you're there, you'll forget about who he is, how you're feeling, and where you are. Your racing instincts will kick in, no matter who's around you. And it did, it happened. When he came around me again, I was thinking, maybe that was a little stupid. But every race you go through those feelings.”

"I don't know if Bekele is all right, he's had a lot on his mind. I saw him kicking with a lap to go, and I knew something wasn't right, whether he just wasn't feeling good or if it was an honest mistake. That kind of kept me going, it kept me excited, because I knew his mind wasn't on the race. I tried to hit him straight after he realised he'd made the mistake. That's it, after that I don't remember much. It just skips to the finish.”

I'm just glad I was there to take the opportunity

"What a feeling. I'd never wish those kind of circumstances on anyone, but I'm just glad I was there to take the opportunity."

From the start…

Born in South Africa, Alistair Cragg first came to the USA to run for Southern Methodist University, in Texas, but he dropped out of SMU after a year and returned home. When he came back to America, he was recruited by Coach John McDonnell at the University of Arkansas. In his first year at Arkansas, Cragg finished third in the 2001 NCAA cross-country meet, then won the 5000m at the 2002 collegiate indoor track championships, held at the Tyson Center in Fayetteville.

Irish grand-parents

Cragg finished second in the 2002 collegiate cross-country meet, then ran the European Championships for Ireland, where he held citizenship through his grandparents.

In 2003, after defeating Ngeny in Boston and running the fastest 3000m ever run by a student at an American university, Cragg returned to the Tyson Center to win both the 5000m and 3000m races at the NCAA indoor championships, then combined with his training partner Daniel Lincoln to sweep the 5000m, 10,000m and steeplechase for Arkansas at that year's outdoor championships.

After struggling with an injury early in the 2003 cross-country season, Cragg repeated as indoor 3000m and 5000m champion in 2004 and won the outdoor 10,000m title he had conceded to Lincoln in 2003.

At home in Fayetteville

With a record like that in an Arkansas uniform, Cragg has become a hero in Fayetteville, the home of the University of Arkansas, and it is little wonder he chose to remain there when his eligibility to compete in the NCAA was finished. He still refers to races at the Tyson Center as "home meets." He trains there with Lincoln, a three-time NCAA steeplechase champion himself and a 7:40 3000m runner, and Mark Fountain, whose 3:54.77 in Boston was an Australian National Mile record.

Like the great Irish runners of recent years, Cragg's most dramatic races are coming in indoor competition. "(The Boston Indoor Games) is one of the best meets, I think, in the world," Cragg said afterward. "Atmosphere, organization, everything. It's definitely one of the places I like coming to. I've had two career-changing runs here. If you call me back here in twenty years, I'll be back."

European Indoors and World Cross are the aims

Cragg's goal race now is the European Indoor championships in early March, but if his final classes at the University work out, and he is selected, he will run the World Cross Country Championships for Ireland as well. When asked about his goals for the season, however, he defers to his coach. "We don't really look far ahead at what's possible. He knows. I don't ask. He knew what was possible today, and he told me what I can run and that I shouldn't be scared. He's got high expectations. I'm just here to follow his directions."

"I'm just in awe of the man"

Finally, Cragg was asked if defeating Bekele was his most memorable indoor race to date. "It will be. I'm just in awe of the man. I've done it, you know?"

Parker Morse for the IAAF

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