They call it the afterburner effect. When the race is on the line, the best runners in the country can kick it into overdrive. They turn up the speed and energy when everyone else is feeling fatigued in a last final to win.

Just like the other top cross country teams in the nation, Oregon has a few runners that can find an extra gear in the final moments of a 8,000 meter race, which is just under five miles in total.

Sophomore Edward Cheserek and senior Eric Jenkins are two of the Ducks’ best, and they make it look easy.

At the Battle in Beantown on Sept. 26, this uncanny ability was on exhibition in the most dramatic of ways. Cheserek and Jenkins placed first and second, respectively.

Sam Prakel, a redshirt freshman from Versailles, Ohio, who placed sixth overall, said that both Cheserek and Jenkins can help push the rest of the team to success by pacing the pack.

“It’s very unique,” Prakel said of their second half speed. “Two outstanding runners. Edward proved that last year and so did Eric. It’s a huge help having those two up front and just being in the race and one moment being with them, and the next moment, they’re gone. It’s something else to see and something else to experience. It gives the guys, three, four, five, like me some motivation to stick with them as long as possible.”

Head coach Robert Johnson said that while Cheserek and Jenkins are often the first across the finish line, the rest of the team is just as important in capturing team titles.

“For us to to be able to have those types of guys on our team is special, but we like to think that our supporting cast is really talented as well, probably some of the best in the country,” Johnson said.

It’s not easy to find the next level in the closing moments. It is certainly a test of endurance and training, something the Ducks did plenty of before the season started.

“Some people call it a kick. Some people call it a lot of heart. A great finish,” Johnson said. “It’s just one of those things where you measure yourself.”

According to Steve Magness of The Science of Running, runners get the best kick when they “get to the point X as efficiently as possible and having a big tank of anaerobic energy to throw down that wasn’t tapped into during the race.”

Having the extra drive and endurance plays a significant role in how the race ends.

In cross country, the team score is determined by the finishes of a team’s top five runners. Each team can only run seven runners in total, but the two additional runners can alter other team’s scores by placing well.

“Having a deep team and other teammates to run with helps a lot pushing through the last moments of the race,” Prakel said.

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne