Ricky Quintana: What is like to be back here watching this year after year?
Bob Kennedy: It's a lot of fun. It's fun and it's disturbing. The disturbing part of it is that I just realize how old I am now. I ran this thing in '86 and '87, which in a lot of senses doesn't seem like that long ago to me, but then I do the math and I see that it's been a while. It's great to come back. The guys who do well in Foot Locker tend to be some of the guys who become some of the better guys in the future. I think the depth just keeps getting better and better, and I think that eventually we'll see someone pop out as one of best in the world some day, I hope.

RQ: Some Foot Locker finalists have done very well at NCAAs.
BK: Yeah. That's the next level. It's hard to jump multiple levels at the same time. These kids are focusing at being the best in the country at their age, their high school age. Many of them, within a few months or a year, will be focusing on being the best in the country at the next level, which is the collegiate level. That involves many people from other countries as well.

RQ: You come back to watch many of these races. Is there someone that sticks out in your mind.
BK: I thought Chris Solinsky's performance last year was probably one of the most dominating performances I've seen in a long time here. And it will be exciting to watch Chris over the next few years and see how he develops and progresses. I think this year will be exciting because it is so wide open. I'd love to see [them] coming down the straightaway, about five or six guys running for the tape. That would be fun to see.

RQ: What kind of advice would you give kids on this course?
BK: It's interesting because at points, the footing is very good, which is nice. A lot of times when you think footing is good, you think fast course. This course rolls, there aren't any flat areas. Obviously, there's the steep uphill and the steep downhill, but the rest of the course is up and down. You have to understand your preparation, your strengths and your weaknesses, and plan accordingly. Because if you go out too hard on this course, you will pay for it late. The smart runners are the ones that have put in the work to be able to handle that for 5,000 meters straight or run tactically smart.

RQ: Are there any guys that stick out in the race for you tomorrow?
BK: I think there are a lot of guys. I think Matt Withrow from the Midwest... I think Christian Wagner. I know I'm from Indiana and I'm possibly biased, but I think he's a super talent, he's going to be a force. Of course, Shadrack Kiptoo and a couple of guys from the West. Galen Rupp is a super talent. Not one of them really stands out. Maybe Kiptoo really stands out, but I've heard rumblings that he's ill or injured or something, so we'll see what happens. I hope it's a great race.

RQ: And Shadrack has that Kenyan mystique about him. You've faced it before [when competing internationally]. What can you tell someone when they are facing such talented foreign athletes?
BK: Whenever I'm asked the question, I can remember having dinner with the great Kip Keino and he was asking me about myself. At the time, I had run a 13:21 or 22. He said, that's really good. He said just remember that the Kenyan athletes, they're just men. [You're a] man, they're men. There's nothing different except they work really hard and they want to win really badly. And if you work really hard and want to win very bad, you can be just as good as they are. And it's true. They are just human beings and there is no mystique about them. And American athletes can be as good or better than Kenyan athletes, if we get the best talent we have and that talent is committed to the task that is at hand.

RQ: What are your plans for next year?
BK: I want to run the 10,000m in the Olympic Games. That's my plan and that's what I base everything on. If I can stay healthy, I'm very confident I'll have a great year.

RQ: And these injuries that you've had. That's something that you didn't have to deal with for much or your career. How has that been to deal with?
BK: It's been rough. I've struggled with it. It all started with the car accident which I think threw off some balance, which made me weak and awkward in other areas. But I've got it under control now and I'm a lot stronger, so I feel I'm back on track.

RQ: Time-wise, what do you think it's going to go in? Do you think 14:36 is way out there?
BK: Yeah, probably, but you never know. 14:40s or 14:50s.

RQ: What was your winning time here?
BK: 14:59. I was one of the slower winners.