Korir ready for bigger and better things

UW photo
Mark Korir and the UW cross country teams will open the season at the Wyoming Invitational Friday at Jacoby Golf Course.

by Richard Anderson

Wyoming Sports.org

Mark Korir is already the most decorated runner in University of Wyoming cross country history. In fact, he’s one of the top runners in Mountain West Conference history.

Yet, he looks for bigger and better things, not only for himself individually, but for the Cowboys as a team.

Korir and the UW runners will open the season Friday with the annual Wyoming Invitational at the Jacoby Golf Course. After a high school meet, the college runners begin with the women’s race at 6 p.m. and the men’s race at 6:30 p.m.

“I’m really excited for my senior year,” Korir said. “I feel well prepared. I think our team is coming in with a lot of conditioning and we’re going to get things done. I feel that our team is really, really stronger than last year. We’re seeing a better thing here. We can probably punch our ticket to nationals.”

For the Eldoret, Kenya, native, it was almost hard for him to talk about himself … he’s thinking as a team.

His goals this season: Win individually and do well as a team.

“We are shooting for individual titles and also as a team,” he said. “If we can punch our ticket to nationals, that would be cool for everyone around. It would be good for the school.”

A two-time cross country All-American, Korir finished 19th at the NCAA Championships a year ago, coming off a 22nd-place finish his sophomore season. He was also first in the Mountain West Conference championships and finished fifth in the Mountain Region a year ago.“He’s ready to go out and have his best year this fall,” UW coach Randy Cole said. “He has prepared himself better than ever.”

What’s next? The sky is the limit, Cole said.

“It’s kind of a crapshoot in cross country; you have to be strong on that day,” Cole said. “He could be a Top-10 performer at the national meet. He’s already a Top 20 guy, and there is not much difference between the Top 10 and Top 20. He’s that caliber. He could be right up there in the mix.”

Korir’s national experience can only help this year. He said as a runner progresses, it gives you a chance to improve every time.

“I feel that this is my last year, but compared to the other years, I feel better,” he said. “I’m more improved compared to the other years. I feel that I will be able to do better than what I did before.”

While he has done some different training this summer, much of it is the same, but with time, he said.

“When you take more time to train, your body can get used to the training,” Korir said. “Compared to 2006, when I first competed, I didn’t felt I had the training, but the experience was not there yet. This kind of experience, I feel that I am a little better.”

This summer, Korir was named to the MWC All-Decade Team.

“I was proud of that. I was proud for my team, I was proud for my coaches and I was proud for myself,” Korir said.

When Korir first came to Wyoming in January of 2006, the Wyoming coaching staff redshirted him for the indoor season. He opened some eyes in the outdoor season, winning his first race -- a 3,000-meter run in Arizona, breaking the school record.

"We thought this guy is pretty good,” Cole said in an understatement.

Korir went on to win the conference 5,000-meter run that spring. The rest, including placing fourth at the national indoors championships in the 5,000-meter run last season, is history.

“What he is done has helped give us recognition on the national level and helped us bring in some good guys to the program,” Cole said. “The guys on the team helped raised their training too and their enthusiasm for running. The way he has raced, he is not afraid to get up there with the leaders no matter what race he is in. He’s leaving a good trail of historical efforts.”

Wyoming Invitational

Competing along with UW will be last year’s women’s champion Colorado State, the reigning men’s winner from last year, the Air Force Academy, and the University of Northern Colorado.

“Friday will be a nice kickoff to the season and a nice gauge to see where we are after an entire summer of training,” Cole said. “I am excited to see whose competitive instinct will stand out in our first meet of the year."

For the Cowgirl harriers, junior Emily Higgins will lead the charge but will be followed by a nice pack of returning runners.

“The women are really showing good camaraderie thus far this season and will compete to improve on their second place finish from last year,” said Cole. “They really have their work cut out for them as they go against one of the top teams in the nation in Colorado State.”

Along with Korir, the Cowboys are returning letterwinners include senior Brett Schuler and sophomore Taylor Kelting and Seth Grossman.

“Schuler, Kelting and Grossman have really worked hard and it has showed in our practices this week,” Cole said. “I also look forward to newcomer Philemon Kimutai to have a good showing this Friday.”