Distance Stars Earn 2017 Pro Performer of the Year Awards

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week's DyeStat's Pro Performer of the Year poll, while DyeStat's editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Eliud Kipchoge

With 41.75 percent of the vote, Eliud Kipchoge won our Readers’ Choice vote, beating Emma Coburn with her second-place tally of 25.96 percent.

Kipchoge has never finished worse than second in a marathon. He has won every marathon, but his first, the 2013 Berlin Marathon. In 2016, he ran what is now the #3 all-time mark in the marathon with his London Marathon win, before going on to win Olympic gold.

In 2017, the Kenyan distance runner elected to skip the spring marathons. Instead he took part in Nike's Breaking2 Project. Running in the early morning hours on a car race track in Monza, Italy, Kipchoge, along with Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea and Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, made an attempt to run a marathon in under two hours.

Kipchoge was the top finisher in the specially paced event that prevented it from being record eligible. He fell just short of the goal, running 2:00:25. That still bettered the real world record by over 2:30.

In the fall, Kipchoge returned to the Berlin marathon, where he won in 2015 while the insoles of his shoes made an effort to escape his shoes. The 2017 edition of the race was supposed to be a world record attempt. Wilson Kipsang and Kenenisa Bekele were also in the field, hoping to break Dennis Kimetto's world record of 2:02:57.

However, rain dashed the record hopes of all. Kipchoge still ran 2:03:32 for an official world-leading time. He was the only one of the big three in the race to complete the race.

Kipchoge has announced he will compete in the 2018 London Marathon.

Editors’ Choice: Emma Coburn

The readers made a great choice in selecting Kipchoge. However, with so many events and so many great performers, there are other athletes to consider.

Joyciline Jepkosgei had a big year on the roads. The Kenyan distance runner did not compete in a marathon, but she twice broke the world record for the half marathon, along with four other road distances. Her second marathon record was paced by Kipchoge.

Sam Kendricks is another deserving athlete. The American pole vaulter cleared six meters at the USATF Outdoor Championships and went undefeated on the year, winning two USATF titles (indoors and outdoors), the Diamond League title and IAAF World Outdoor Championships gold.

However, this year's award goes to Emma Coburn. Alone, she likely had the performance of the year with her IAAF World Outdoor Championships gold in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Coburn started the year with a small indoor campaign. She raced once, part of an all-star team in the distance medley relay at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The team of Coburn, Sydney McLaughlin, Brenda Martinez and Jenny Simpson broke the world all-time best for the indoor event, running 10:40.31.

During much of the outdoor season, Coburn ran well, but not at the level required to win World Championship gold. That was not so much a fault of Coburn, but the sudden depth at the front of the steeplechase pack, between Bahrain's Ruth Jebet and the Kenyan trio of Celliphine Chespol, Beatrice Chepkoech and Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi. Three women ran under 9:00 this year.

From that standpoint, the steeplechase final at the World Championships was a perfect storm for the Americans. With two laps remaining, the lead pack was down to six, with world record holder Jebet pushing the pace.

That pack was down to five at the bell and down to three coming off the final water jump. Coburn entered the home straight first, followed by fellow American Courtney Frerichs and Jepkemoi. Coburn powered away to win in an American and championship record 9:02.58. Frerichs finished second in 9:03.77 and Jepkemoi finished third in 9:04.03. Afterward, the American duo fell to the track in an embrace.

Coburn became the first American to win the women's steeplechase at a global championship. She improved on her bronze medal from the Rio Olympics and demonstrated the importance of hurdle form in the steeplechase event.

Coburn is scheduled to race the 3,000 meters at the 2018 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.