 |  |
Former Owl runner Rob Edson to be inducted into National Cross Country Hall of Fame
KEENE, N.H., 11/18/08 - Former Keene State runner Rob Edson will be inducted into the Division II Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame during this weekend's national championship festivities at Slippery Rocky University in Pennsylvania.
Edson, who ran both cross country and track for the Owls from 1988 to 1989, was surprised to hear about his induction. "I was a bit surprised, since I won the NCAA Championship so long ago," said Edson, who was inducted into the KSC Hall of Fame in 1996. "Doug Watts, the coach from Edinboro University called to tell me the news. I think he always appreciated the Keene State program."
Edson won his national title at the 1989 Cross Country Championships at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University. "What I remember most is that Coach (Pete) Thomas and I had four different strategies planned out before the race," Edson said. "Which one I used would depend upon how the race was going and what the other runners were doing. In the end, I used all four strategies."
Edson won't soon forget the final moments of the race. "The fans on the sidelines were telling me it was over and I should enjoy the finish (I had a 15-second lead at that point). There was a tremendous sense of accomplishment. I could finally enjoy the results that came from all the training and hard work."
A track star at Keene High School, Edson arrived at Keene State after spending a few years at Colby College in Maine. Coach Thomas coaxed him back onto the trails. "Pete talked me into running again after he heard I was enrolling at KSC. I hadn't run competitively for a few years, and I was in terrible shape. Pete and the other runners, including Scott Hatch, stuck with me," said Edson, who culminated the season with an All-American performance at the 1988 nationals. "There's no question that Pete's confidence in me and the quality of runners in the program was a key reason for my success."
In 1989, his senior year, Edson was back in full gear. He won all but one race in his final year of competition - including the New England Championship - when he became the only non-Division I runner to win the open title. Facing very tough competition, not to mention a challenging, hilly course and a brisk wind, Edson wouldn't be denied his national crown.
"Rob was the perfect athlete to coach," Thomas said. "He understood the sport and had an innate ability to know what it takes to win."
Edson also excelled on the track. He completed his Keene State career by gaining All-American honors in the 5,000 meters in both indoor and outdoor track championships. His Owl career might have been brief, but it was productive from both an individual and team perspective. The Keene native helped cap an impressive decade for the Owl cross country juggernaut that made five consecutive trips to the NCAA championships from 1979 to 1989.
Completing his degree in elementary education, Edson turned his attention to his teaching career. Currently living in Norwich, Vt., with his wife Cindy and children Shannon and Connor, Edson is in his first year as the principal at the Claremont (N.H.) Middle School.
Other than keeping a reign on his kids, Edson says he doesn't do much running these days. Cindy, who also competed at KSC, is still pounding the pavement. She finished fifth at the Clarence Demar Marathon a couple of years ago.
