Hofstra Grad Student Hopes To Follow The Path Of His Olympian Siblings

By Theresa Juva Brown for DyeStat

Running shoulder-to-shoulder Monday with pre-race favorite Wesley Kiptoo of Iowa State through the middle of the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Okla., Alex Masai of Hofstra University knew he was where he belonged. 

“I went there with one plan, and that was to give all I got, and that’s what I executed,” said Masai, the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Northeast Regional Cross Country champion and three-time Colonial Athletic Association winner. 

Although the wind and hills on the 10-kilometer course eventually took its toll on Masai, the 24-year-old graduate student hung on to finish in 32nd place, becoming the first Hofstra runner to achieve All-America honors in cross country. BYU's Conner Mantz ultimately prevailed in 29:26.1.

“I am always, always proud of Alex," said Vincent Giambanco, Hofstra’s head coach of men’s and women’s cross country and track. "He left absolutely everything out on the course."

Masai, who grew up in Eldoret, Kenya, before coming to the United States in 2017 for college, doesn't have to look far for inspiration. 

His older brother Moses Masai and sister Linet Masai are Kenyan Olympic distance runners, with Linet earning bronze (upgraded years later from fourth) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10,000 meters. 

"We are very close, and they are always encouraging me to keep on pushing harder,” said Masai, who frequently trained with his sister when he lived in Kenya, but was more of a "water boy" for his super fast brother. 

Masai took up running in high school, but held back on training seriously to focus on school. In 2016, local runners told him about scholarship opportunities in the United States to go to college and run competitively. 

“That’s when I learned about the NCAA and started training more consistently,” he said. 

Masai first attended Monroe College in New Rochelle, N.Y. before transferring to Hofstra, a small, four-year college on Long Island. In addition to setting school records in track and cross country, Masai earned All-America honors following indoor track last year, making him Hofstra's first All-American runner. He placed 127th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2019. 

Like everyone, Masai saw his plans upended by the pandemic, but with NCAA eligibility extended, he decided to pursue a master’s degree in criminology after graduating last spring. 

Racing unattached last fall on the track, he ran a personal best of 4:01 in the mile and 28:11 in the 10K. 

With momentum from Monday’s race, which took place this month instead of November due to the COVID-19 crisis, Masai is eager to get back on the track. 

He hopes to finish in the top five at outdoor nationals in the 5K and 10K and keep plowing ahead to his long-term goal of one day representing Kenya at the Olympics, just like his brother and sister. 

"I know I have a long way to go, and the only way to replicate what they have done is to continue training," he said. 

Because of the pandemic, he didn’t go home last summer like he usually does, but remains hopeful he will finally get to visit his family, including his nine siblings, in the coming months. 

“They (are) all happy for me, but they will be happier (when we) see each other,” he said.