Credit to Wesley Korir... 2nd in a big PR

We need to fast track him to citizenship status.

Pretty facking ridiculous that the brojos didn't mention him in their preview. "Oh, we won't mention anyone with a PR over 2:08 since this is a major" Well that dude has won LA twice and rocked Chicago from 5 minutes back a few years ago. Glad he had a result today that hopefully will get them talking about him.

I almost started a thread last week to ask if anyone knew what was going on with Wesley Korir, since we hadn't heard much after L.A. Well, now I know. Good for him and I agree that he should've been mentioned in the pre-race profile. His 2:08 in L.A. was pretty much a solo effort in a race not necessarily known for producing fast times.

Is it that guy who gave his last lunch to a homeless in LA before his marathon win?

haha YO. THIS is the beauty of our sport. When a guy who isn't in the 'it group' gets a huge PR. The guy had a 2.08 coming in and wasn't even considered. Great effort by Wesley. The attention always goes to the names we all know but often folks forget that others are out putting in the work too. 2.06.15, beautiful!

Korir? wrote:

Is it that guy who gave his last lunch to a homeless in LA before his marathon win?

Yes, same guy.

Wesley Korir is awesome. I've been a huge fan since that profile in the LA Times. Pretty sure he ran 2:07 in Amsterdam recently though. So much for "oh let's not bother talking about the 2:08 guys."

Seeking Knowledge wrote:

haha YO. THIS is the beauty of our sport. When a guy who isn't in the 'it group' gets a huge PR. The guy had a 2.08 coming in and wasn't even considered. Great effort by Wesley. The attention always goes to the names we all know but often folks forget that others are out putting in the work too. 2.06.15, beautiful!

Yeah, it's awesome to see him get the huge PR and everything but I still stand by my comment that it was ridiculous to not even mention him in the pre-race preview. I think most elite running fans know who he is because of his great story and his two wins in LA.

He's running well because he married a Canadian - he should run for them instead - it's not like like they have any sub-2h10 runners (although maybe next week that change).

Does anyone know if he is still living and training in Louisville? Who is coaching him? Coach Mann of U of L maybe?

Like a previous poster, I was just wondering last week what had become of him. Quietly training and getting the job done, I guess.

Agreed that he probably deserved a mention in the preview. Not the end of the world, but he did have the credentials.

Awesome to see him out there attacking and not just sitting back, and a great job moving back into 2nd position and holding it after Mosop covered his surge

joho wrote:

Does anyone know if he is still living and training in Louisville? Who is coaching him? Coach Mann of U of L maybe?

Like a previous poster, I was just wondering last week what had become of him. Quietly training and getting the job done, I guess.

Pretty sure he is still living in Louisville. I'd assume that's who is coaching him, but I am not sure.

If you like long straight sections along the river or rolling hills in the parks, there is some good training to be had in Louisville, KY.

Alan

He still trains here, at least sometimes. See him running occasionally.

can-can wrote:

He's running well because he married a Canadian - he should run for them instead - it's not like like they have any sub-2h10 runners (although maybe next week that change).

Canada is where Kenyan runners come to not run fast. People like Daniel Njena emigrated here and haven't done much.

...its too soft and cushy...

I'm a huge Korir fan. He and Kawauchi have to be two of my favorite runners.

Yes, same guy. Good man. I've been a big fan of his ever since his trip to Kenya when he was there to bring gifts to poor kids and talk about the meaning of Christmas and got caught in the post-election fighting over there. Same guy who got his bachelor's degree from Louisville and still works for the maintenance crew, and has made several hundred thousand dollars winning races but still lives in this tiny little house near campus because that's what makes him happy. My other favorite Wesley Korir stories are of him coming into student dorm rooms and libraries to fix stuff (for his job), listening to students struggling with their chemistry homework, helping them with it, and leaving them astonished that the maintenance guy can do their homework. That, and the time when he was up on a ladder changing a light bulb in an administrative office at the university a couple days after his big showing from the second-wave start at Chicago. A couple of people who worked in the office were talking about seeing a news story about this Kenyan guy who started in the second wave and caught the leaders at the Chicago marathon, and there he is up on the ladder changing a light bulb and chuckling to himself. They ask him why he was laughing, and he says "because the guy you're talking about was me."

Korir? wrote:

Is it that guy who gave his last lunch to a homeless in LA before his marathon win?

He did do well. I like the surge he made at the 19 mile mark- some might argue that it was a failed surge since Mosop caught right up to him, but the surge dropped 3 of the 5 lead runners, and after he was passed by Mosop, as far as I know, he stayed in 2'nd for the rest of the race.

Pretty sure he is living and training in St. Clements north of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.