After Pulling His Training Partner To The Podium at Trials, Kenneth Rooks Will Help His Former BYU Teammate In Philadelphia 

By Aaron Heisen for DyeStat

Kenneth Rooks wasn’t surprised with how the men’s steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials played out. 

He was comfortable when the race went out slow, trusting when his instincts encouraged him to make a move earlier than initially planned, and confident that his training partner, James Corrigan, had the physical ability — and the guts — to stick with him.

Why? 

Rooks had seen Corrigan make a similar move in their joint training session a few weeks prior to the Trials. In fact, the BYU sophomore used his kick to overtake Rooks in the final portion of that rep. 

“When we finished that workout, we were both stoked,” Corrigan said. 

They knew then, they both had what it took to win make the team in Eugene. 

While Corrigan’s kick couldn’t make up the length that Rooks put between himself and the field last Saturday, it did help him finish in 8 minutes, 26.78 seconds, good enough for third place.

His jaw dropped as he rounded the last curve. Rooks hugged him just beyond the finish line, their embrace quelling Corrigan’s disbelief and reminding him to act like he’d been there before. It symbolized the togetherness they’ve experienced over the past year while training in Provo. Their partnership has been mutually beneficial, providing Rooks with continuity and Corrigan with mentorship.

The result: they’re both in line for a trip to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Neither, though, has confirmed their spot on Team USA, officially, because they’ve yet to obtain the Olympic standard of 8:15. Achieving that mark will require them to continue relying on one another once more. 

Rooks, whose World Athletics ranking is high enough for a spot in the Olympic Games, will set the pace at the Sunshine Showcase in Philadelphia on Saturday as Corrigan tries to obtain the Olympic standard for himself.

After pulling Corrigan to the podium at the Trials, Rooks will try to drag him along to Paris. 

Saturday represents Corrigan’s only chance. The Olympic standard deadline closes June 30.

The short turnaround and cross-country flight may leave both runners with some fatigue. But, there’s nobody else more fitting to lead the way. If they both go to the Olympics, it'll be yet another product of their synergy. 

Rooks spent the cross country season competing for Brigham Young University before signing a Nike deal and turning pro in January.

Soon after, Rooks took a slight break from competition to focus on his wedding. Amidst all the change, his environment, his schedule, his coach — Ed Eyestone — remained the same. Rooks also continued with school, finishing out his Engineering degree. 

“If you're in an environment that has given you enough success to sign with a shoe company, it’s a little scary leaving that,” Eyestone said. “Anytime you change that up, then you run the risk that it might not be a positive change.”

Rooks isn’t the only former Cougar that coach Eyestone oversees. He trains marathoners such as Conner Mantz and Clayton Young in the morning. Rooks tends to have his own schedule, but he’ll occasionally hop in larger groups with Eyestone’s collegiate athletes, his former teammates. 

When that happens, he pushes their pace. Corrigan, who tends to lead the pack, says, when Rooks joins, “it makes it a whole different type of workout.”

“I took advantage as much as I possibly could when I did get to run with him,” Corrigan said. 

Rooks also slid into a volunteer coaching role. He’d challenge Corrigan, answer his questions, provide advice. Their dissimilar competition schedules allowed for only a few of those joint training sessions.

Rooks, though, never failed to message him after a meet. 

His tips were minimal in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Trials. 

After all, if Corrigan could beat him in a training session that closely mimicked the race, there wasn’t much to say. Coach Eyestone structured that rep with alternating bursts of 800-meter and 1,200-meter stints. Some laps they’d run free, and others, they’d go into lane 2 to hop over hurdles. 

“A lot of times, in this type of workout,” Eyestone says, “Kenny’s gonna crush you and the collegians are gonna come in a bit behind.” 

It certainly started out that way. Rooks dashed ahead trying to set a pace they thought would be necessary to win the men’s steeplechase at the Trials. Corrigan wasn’t too far off it. That first set, they both ran some of their fastest times.

Then it went even quicker. 

“On the last one, with about 300 to go, I just kind of eased past him and started accelerating,” Corrigan said. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never gone this fast.’”

Eyestone claims Rooks was a bit tired because he had led each of the intervals to that point. Still, he was delighted, knowing he had two runners set to contend at the Trials. So was Rooks. This was the pinnacle of his season. His training and teaching, coalescing.

The next step, apply it to the real thing. 

Rooks’ plan for the men’s steeplechase final on Saturday was to wait as long as possible to begin his kick. But when Hillary Bor fell, he decided not to risk anything. Not after this season. All its ups and downs. He thought back to the Achilles' tendon injury he sustained during cross country — a blessing in disguise, as it reset his schedule to peak at the Trials.

Rooks' strategy wasn’t to begin sprinting with 800 meters remaining, but “the momentum was carrying me forward and so I just rolled with it. I threw down the hammer,” he said. 

He ran a 59-second penultimate lap. 

Eyestone had prepared Corrigan for that scenario. He told him not to panic if a gap opened up. He told the younger runner to trust his kick to move him up near the top. 

Rooks’ daring move helped them both reach the podium.

They'll work together again on Saturday to see if they can both reach Paris.