EUGENE, Ore. — Marc Scott finally took his spot.
Atop the podium, that is.
Scott, a redshirt senior, began his kick with a little less than 300 meters remaining in Wednesday’s 10,000-meter final and quickly built his lead.
“It feels great. I’ve worked so hard for five years to try and attain a title,” Scott said. “Things felt great this year and it all worked out great in the end. Five years later, I’m a national champion. Really, really happy with that.”
The win marked the first time since 2013 that someone not named Edward Cheserek took the top step of the podium. With Cheserek not competing due to injury, the 5,000-meter race was an interesting race on paper.
Scott won in 29 minutes, 1.54 seconds.
10K NATIONAL TITLE FOR MARC SCOTT!
— TulsaHurricane (@TulsaHurricane)
After the race, Scott said Cheserek's absense didn't play a role in his own strategy.
“It didn’t really feel any different. It’s one guy. It doesn’t necessarily change the way I view a race. The goal is to always go in and beat whoever is on that start line,” Scott said. “It’s a shame for him to go out the way he did, but it opened the door for me so I can’t really complain. The news was definitely surprising at the time.” ;
His kick caused for excitement at Hayward Field, and when he looked back as he was 10 meters ahead you knew he saw the finish line in his sights.
“I thought some guys might take it earlier,” Scott said. “That’s what I’ve done all year — sit and sit as long as I can and then go after it in the last 400. That was spot on for me.”
