This weekend was huge for the top talent in the Commonwealth of Virginia. After a long break we finally got to see National Champion, and the one who took down Grant Fisher, Andrew Hunter compete in his final XC season. Though everyone was paying attention to him, another big name in our state was also making their season debut and boy was it a big one, or should we say girl?
Weini Kelati flat out stole the show from Drew and anyone else wanting the spotlight this past weekend. She showed us more then we thought she had and then some. This performance and a nice long drive home from Oatlands got us thinking, is she now a bigger star than Andrew Hunter?
Before you make your decision, let's give you a little more info on this matter.
There is only one other girl that really stands on the same level as Weini Kelati in terms of bizarre circumstances in her arrival and performances in Virginia and that is Aurora Scott. Scott, just like Kelati, was a super athlete that just sprang onto the scene. Scott would inevitably set the course record at Foot Locker South running 16:26, a mark that Kelati could break this season.
Kelati has her own bizarre story which all starts back one year ago this week when she, not speaking any english, ran her first cross country race at Oatlands. She would win the race in a #2 all-time meet time of 18:12 after stopping twice to tie her shoes! She then went on to win a number of impressive races to only lose to Libby Davidson at Regionals and States in her first XC season ever. She eventually would become a Foot Locker Finalist and All-American breaking 17 in the 5K indoors.
For most people that type of season, especially considering the huge language barrier and adjustments, would be a dream but to Kelati it was almost a nightmare.
Once the season was over Kelati and her coach finally got a chance to sit down and figure out what was wrong. They both agreed that it was her mileage and that her body needed more mileage to really see improvements. What this ultimately would lead to was her mileage going from 40ish miles a week to 85! To many this mileage would destroy them but to Kelati it is only empowering.
Thanks to this training change she is officially back! And by back, we of course mean back into the form she was in when she ran 9:12 for the 3K at Worlds. Remember she is that fast.
This year things were different aside from her training. She checked "like five times to make sure my shoes were tied" and the result was a lot different too. She opened in 4:58 officially and finished as the clock read 17:11. That time bested the previous meet record (18:04) by 53 seconds.
That time was not only a meet record by a huge margin on a very difficult course but also a US #2 time this year (at the time it was run). It was also a state record time according to our database for times run in the state of Virginia. The time ranks #9 all-time behind 8 Foot Locker & Nike Regional times all run in NC.
It doesn't take a lot to connect the dots here. Weini's time puts her on pace to potentially break the Foot Locker South record of 16:26 set by Aurora Scott and potentially run one of the fastest times of the past decade!
That is side one of the story.
The other side of the story is not quite a whirlwind but a very quick ascent to the top and domination of the best by Andrew Hunter. This past year Andrew had six races that completely cemented himself as potentially the greatest distance runner in Virginia history and as one of the best in the nation ever. His races were: his 14:41 State Meet Record in XC, his cruising 14:36 victory at Foot Locker South, his 2 Mile indoor national title, his Penn Relays Mile victory, his Pan Am trials win, and of course his state record 2 Mile beating Grant Fisher en route to his Brooks PR national title.
These races have flat out made Drew Hunter a household name nationwide. He is the hands down favorite to take home the Foot Locker National Title this year and potentially go undefeated in track as he seeks to shatter the Penn Relays 3K record and then break 4:00 in the mile.
He is flat out unbeatable in Virginia and on a path that could see him break 14 minutes in the 5K this year. His schedule may not allow it unless he wants to really run at Great American, but he is very capable of doing that after going 90% and running 14:36 a year ago.
This all leads to the question who is the bigger star in our state? The one that does not have a single state title to their name but has competed against the best in the world or the one that has not lost in Virginia in years? History is going to be set right in front of us and it could all go down in early October at the Great American XC Festival.
Vote here! Tweet us your thoughts @MileStatdotcom