Heading the American team this year is road merchant and three-time Armagh winner, Christian Hesch. In 2011 Hesch had many highlights, most notably breaking the 4 minute barrier for the first time at the Falmouth Mile. After the race Hesch commented, "How often has the tenth-place finisher broken four-minutes, and for the first time?" What makes this accomplishment all the more impressive is that Hesch did this at the grand old age of 32. Now 33, Hesch is looking to take his 4th title around the infamous loops of Armagh Mall. And if Hesch wasn’t already a formidable opponent he also has the strength which comes off the back of a 64 minute half marathon.
Aside from his running pedigree, Hesch is a real character in the running community and famously known for dawning board shorts, most notably at the 1500m Olympic trials in 2008. On his twitter page (@Sub4Medic), Hesch’s tag line is “Surfer turned Miler turned profligate road racer...living the dream every sunny California day!” The charismatic American can also be seen in a photo crossing the finish line of the LA Marathon 5k race with an actual surf board! Having run the whole race with said surfboard, his pedestrian time of outside16minutes will be of no worry to him, as he looks to regain his Armagh International 5k crown. If the pace is hot next week, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him go under 14 minutes.
Other Americans making the transatlantic flight include Lex Williams, Landon Peacock and Michael Crouch. These three athletes are making their debuts at the race this year and will undoubtedly be to the fore all boasting 5000m pb’s in the 13:45 region. Crouch in particular has a stellar resume including a NCAA Division II XC title. He is now a member of the Zap Fitness post-collegiate group. Rounding out the American team is Cole Atkins, better known as a steeplechase having run 8.47, but also has very credible pb’s of 14.04 and 29.20 for 5/10k respectively.
