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Drew Hunter breaks high school national record AGAIN (1 Viewer)

Higgs said:
Some more info from my son this morning:

Drew was sick the night before the race and was up all night coughing. Said he got 2 hours of sleep.
pseudoephedrine is a hell of a drug

 
NorvilleBarnes said:
AnonymousBob said:
He came in like 7th place. :confused:
Yeah I'm confused. How does he come in seventh and set the record?
He set a High School record. Obviously six other faster runners are all high school drop outs.
He was running against elite college runners and professionals. It was the fastest indoor mile ever run by a high schooler. The old record was sacred in the sport and had only been held by 2 people in the last 50 years - by two of the greatest legends in the sport - Alan Webb and Jim Ryun. Alan Webb also holds many US national records, and is the current record holder of the American mile (outdoor - all age levels) at 3:46. And Jim Ryun is known as the greatest high school athlete of all-time. ESPN voted him as #1 over Lebron James and Tiger Woods.

So yeah, this is pretty big stuff. And when you hear the back stories it becomes the stuff of legends. Drew's parents coached Alan Webb in high school. Drew destroyed the field in the Cross Country National Championships in the Fall, also set the national record last week in the 3,000 indoor, and ran the record setting mile race Saturday with a cold after getting only two hours sleep the night before. And the best may be yet to come. He thinks he can do the indoor mile even faster in the coming weeks when he feels better, throwing out numbers like 3:56. He already blew away the old record, and if he gets that margin to 3 seconds you're talking about a mark that might stand for a long long time. And in outdoor he's gunning for the one mile record there as well, and thinks he can do it in the 3:40's. Now you are approaching the fastest time ever run by any American at any age - in a sport where the peak age for performance is in the mid 20's.

 
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Higgs said:
eoMMan said:
Higgs said:
eoMMan said:
Higgs said:
eoMMan said:
Is he African American?
Hey can you and matsuki please take this garbage to another thread or pm me? I had been talking with my son about this thread and almost gave him a link to it. Thanks.
Huh? You're upset I asked if he was African American? Why would that bother you?
Why would you ask such a question?
Because I didn't see a picture in your article.

Now answer my question....why does this bother you?
Long story. No need to hash it out here. I'll pm you about it. My guess is that you just got caught in the crossfire.
Hey everyone - just to close the loop on this I talked with eoMMan and it was an honest misunderstanding. He wasn't trolling or race baiting. Back to the talking about the other kind of race :)

 
There are three meets schedule within a few hours of Detroit this weekend. We'll likely be heading to the University of Michigan on Friday night with my son and his buddies running two events out of the DMR, SMR & 400 depending on who can race. Last time they raced there, they got smoked in the SMR by The Motor City Track Club who just missed the state record with 3:36+ (and got beat in the DMR at Michigan State by the same club). One of my son's HS teammates went 14'7" in the PV at the same earlier meet (as a Sophomore) which currently ranks him second in the state. Hoping to seem him best this mark Friday. There is also a Freshman 1,600. While not the blazing speed that started the thread, I would bet there will be close to a 1/2 dozen freshmen sub 4:30.

 
Another interesting this from a running nerd perspective is how he trains. He runs longer speedwork interval type runs and really runs his non workout runs easy. Apparently runs around 7 minute pace. Which sounds fast to the average Joe but at his level for years guys have always run 6:00-6:30 pace on "easy" runs or faster. I will be interested to see if he can maintain this level of a full indoor and outdoor season on this type of training.

 
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?

 
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.

 
Ned said:
Can't even wrap my mind around how fast that is for a high schooler.
Think about it like this....

Let's say you go to the gym and are gonna do some sprints on the treadmill at 12. Drew is on the treadmill next to you. He cranks it up to 15....yes 15....and does it for 4 minutes straight.

 
Ned said:
Can't even wrap my mind around how fast that is for a high schooler.
Think about it like this....

Let's say you go to the gym and are gonna do some sprints on the treadmill at 12. Drew is on the treadmill next to you. He cranks it up to 15....yes 15....and does it for 4 minutes straight.
The treadmills at my gym only go to 12 (5 minute mile) they apparently consider 15 unpossible. I have tried 12 at zero incline and can maintain it for about half mile but that's it and that's all it will ever be because my heart rate is blowing through the roof and the paramedics are running to the ambulance at that point.

To me it's completing last half mile at a fast pace that makes the 4 minute milers so impressive. I don't understand how they do it.

 
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.
Then there were the "180" banked board tracks that I ran on "back in the day" at MSG, the Nassau Coliseum, Seton Hall... :yucky:

 
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.
Then there were the "180" banked board tracks that I ran on "back in the day" at MSG, the Nassau Coliseum, Seton Hall... :yucky:
:lol: I can still hear the the echo of the boards from running the turns.

 
Ned said:
glock said:
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.
Then there were the "180" banked board tracks that I ran on "back in the day" at MSG, the Nassau Coliseum, Seton Hall... :yucky:
:lol: I can still hear the the echo of the boards from running the turns.
My school actually bought a used 176 and set it up in a parking lot to practice on for indoor. Even in the snow. :excited:

 
Ned said:
glock said:
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.
Then there were the "180" banked board tracks that I ran on "back in the day" at MSG, the Nassau Coliseum, Seton Hall... :yucky:
:lol: I can still hear the the echo of the boards from running the turns.
My school actually bought a used 176 and set it up in a parking lot to practice on for indoor. Even in the snow. :excited:
Take a look at what U of M will have in the next few years: http://support.mgoblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/south_track.jpg From the look, it appears they will have a banked 200 for the sprints and a full indoor 400 for distance. Is it safe to assume any indoor records on the 400 surface would get an * as the indoor records, as I understand things, are required to come off of a 200M track?

 
Ned said:
glock said:
I came into this thread thinking that an indoor mile would be faster than an outdoor mile (no wind, perfect temperature, more spots to keep track of your pace) - but I see that the record for an outdoor mile is like 10 seconds less. Why is that? Less turns?
Yes and the turns are very tight as the indoor tracks are only 200 Meters (some are 300 Meters, but there get an asterisk as a "big track"). It can be much worse on the 200/400 runners as the stretches are shorter and they have tight turns right out of the start (it gets a bit easier as a runner moves out from lane 1). In addition, some indoor facilities are very dry and dusty from the dust from the long jump pits making it tough to get air. Its typical for a lot of the runners to be hacking like crazy after indoor events.
Then there were the "180" banked board tracks that I ran on "back in the day" at MSG, the Nassau Coliseum, Seton Hall... :yucky:
:lol: I can still hear the the echo of the boards from running the turns.
My school actually bought a used 176 and set it up in a parking lot to practice on for indoor. Even in the snow. :excited:
Take a look at what U of M will have in the next few years: http://support.mgoblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/south_track.jpg From the look, it appears they will have a banked 200 for the sprints and a full indoor 400 for distance. Is it safe to assume any indoor records on the 400 surface would get an * as the indoor records, as I understand things, are required to come off of a 200M track?
Oh definitely. I know I'm stating the obvious, but you'd get the best of both worlds with that - the lack of wind and the temperature control of indoor, and the long straightaways and more space that outdoor has. Would be great for training though. My poor son was out yesterday running up and down the street in the middle of a blizzard.
 
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Oh definitely. I know I'm stating the obvious, but you'd get the best of both worlds with that - the lack of wind and the temperature control of indoor, and the long straightaways and more space that outdoor has. Would be great for training though. My poor son was out yesterday running up and down the street in the middle of a blizzard.
I get it. My son scrapped outdoor running in late November after a bit of a post XC recovery period. Instead, he has been taking a race your way into race shape approach by running indoor meets almost every week since mid December. For HS track, he'll typically do the 4x8, 400M & 4x4. Over the winter, he has been doing two or three events per meet depending on what is offered as most meets do not include a full schedule. He has been doing the 200 to increase some foot speed and turn over, along with the 400, 4x4, SMR & DMR. He seems to think its working. All other workouts are in the gym working on core, upper body and leg strength.

 
Great job by Sports Illustrated. What a twist of fate that Drew's parents quit coaching Alan Webb as a Freshman to focus on their family when Drew was just a toddler. They missed out on Alan's record, but the just reward for their decision would come 15 years later.

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2016/02/06/drew-hunter-alan-webb-indoor-mile-record-sub-four



NEW YORK — As a freshman at South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., Alan Webb was a swimmer who thrived in running despite his skinny legs and strong upper body build. Webb grew into his body with time and became the first and only high school runner to break four minutes in the indoor mile when he ran 3:59.86 as a senior in 2001.
It was a proud moment for Marc and Joan Hunter, who coached him as a freshman before stepping away from coaching for family reasons.

When the record fell on Saturday afternoon at the Armory Track Invitational at the New Balance Track and Field Center in upper Manhattan, the Hunters felt the same joy along with another kind of excitement: parental pride.

Drew Hunter, the fourth of Marc and Joan’s nine kids, broke Webb’s record by running 3:58.25 for seventh place against professional and collegiate runners. Their son, who started walking as Webb started to succeed in his freshman year, became the one to erase it.

“Everyone knows Alan’s done some special things in his career and this is a record that has been around for a while,” Hunter says. “People haven’t come close too many times and so to run faster than it to go along with our connection is really special.”

CHAVEZ: Drew Hunter shatters 3,000-meter high school​ record at 7:59.33http://www.si.com/more-sports/2016/...r-high-school-record-run-75933-jdl-fast-track

When the Hunters decided to expand their family of five and Joan was pregnant in the spring of 1998, a decision was made to step away from coaching Webb and the rest of the South Lakes team.

“I remember a close friend our family telling us that we were doing the right thing for our family by stepping down because we couldn’t be the coaches we wanted to be and the parents we wanted to be at that season in our life,” Joan says. “They said God is going to bless this decision even though it is a hard one to make. I almost feel that this is that blessing. We walked away from something we truly loved. We loved coaching Alan and it is like we were given this second chance to work with another special athlete who happens to be our own kid.”

Hunter stepped on the track Saturday with his white singlet and black spikes, which his mother helped unknot right before the race. At 5'11" and 141 pounds, the Loudoun Valley, Va., senior star looks nothing like Webb, the fastest high school miler who later became the American record holder at the distance as a professional.

Hunter was battling a respiratory infection that had him coughing the entire week leading up to Saturday’s race. He told himself that the eight laps on the banked track would hurt. A cough kept him up all night and resulted in just two hours of sleep.

“The first 200 felt like a sprint,” Hunter said. “I thought that if this is what we’re supposed to be running then it’s going to hurt a lot.”

Even Marc Hunter, who was watching from the upper deck across the finish line, did not think history was in the cards for Saturday’s race.

“When he had three laps to go, he looked like toast,” Marc said. “With two laps to go, he had this spurt of energy and I thought, ‘Oh maybe this kid is not done.’”

Tom Schwartz, who has been writing Hunter’s workouts and taken over his training since May 2015, estimated that the high school cross country national champion would be in 3:58.6 shape. The previous week he estimated that Hunter would run 7:58 for the 3,000-meters and instead Hunter ran 7:59.33 for a new high school record at the distance.

With two laps remaining in Saturday’s race, Hunter regained form and was clocked at 57 seconds for his final 400 meters.

Hunter claims it was the announcer getting the crowd riled up. The roar of the crowd pushed him and the cry of one fan alongside the track that said “You’re close to the record.”

Webb knows that feeling. He did not call Drew Hunter in the days leading up to the race but called Marc to pass along his well wishes and let them know that he would be thinking of the family in New York.

“You’re the automatic underdog and everybody is cheering for you,” Webb said. “Psychologically that is very powerful knowing that everyone in attendance is behind you. I felt that when I went into those races. Everybody that goes to the Armory wants Drew Hunter to run under four minutes. They want to be a part of that special moment.”

​​With 100 meters remaining, he knew he could break four minutes. He watched as the video board ran through each finisher. His name was seventh with a record attached to it.

“I think it’s something that’s not ironic but unique and special. I think everything happens for a reason,” Hunter says. “ I think this is the beginning.”

Joan Hunter rejoined her son as he took a victory lap that consisted of autographs, high fives and of course selfies. It was much different from Webb’s run and rise to fame that was celebrated with high fives and published on the cover of Track and Field News and newspapers across the country. Hunter was an instant star with calls, texts and tweets blowing up his phone when he finally got around to cooling down.

“We’re again in this situation where we’re coaching a top kid and he’s setting records. Not that we knew Alan would be at that level but it seemed that way,” Joan Hunter says. “It’s sort of amazing to be in a situation that we thought we lost when we stopped coaching that first time and it’s our own kid.”

“This is the life we live now, where he’s instantly famous,” Marc added.

In the week before Hunter’s record run, Webb sent an email to SI.com that read, “All of my records are in jeopardy.”

The first has fallen.

“There’s definitely a bit of nostalgia in seeing this process happen all over again,” Webb said. “Because of my relationship with Drew and his family, it gives you a good feeling to know that Dathan Ritzenhein, Ryan Hall, Matt Tegenkamp and myself are all part of this cycle of the track and field world. I see Drew going through this and how incredible and exciting everything is. It will be the beginning of many special moments that we enjoy watching.”

Alan Webb grew up idolizing Jim Ryun and had his picture in his room along with a poster of Adam Goucher. Similarly, Hunter is an avid enthusiast of track and field. He sleeps below a photo of Roger Bannister, the first man to break four minutes for the mile. A Life magazine cover of American legend Frank Shorter is by the obligatory Steve Prefontaine poster and picture of Ryun, the first American high school runner to break four minutes.

Hunter says there are no pictures of Webb in the room. Instead, he prefers to share emails with Webb.

That, and some history, too.

 
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Oh definitely. I know I'm stating the obvious, but you'd get the best of both worlds with that - the lack of wind and the temperature control of indoor, and the long straightaways and more space that outdoor has. Would be great for training though. My poor son was out yesterday running up and down the street in the middle of a blizzard.
I get it. My son scrapped outdoor running in late November after a bit of a post XC recovery period. Instead, he has been taking a race your way into race shape approach by running indoor meets almost every week since mid December. For HS track, he'll typically do the 4x8, 400M & 4x4. Over the winter, he has been doing two or three events per meet depending on what is offered as most meets do not include a full schedule. He has been doing the 200 to increase some foot speed and turn over, along with the 400, 4x4, SMR & DMR. He seems to think its working. All other workouts are in the gym working on core, upper body and leg strength.
Sounds like a good training plan. My son pulled a hammy in his first indoor race and we had to shut him down for about 2 months. He's just now starting to run again. I'm interested in your experiences with the weight training. I'll pm you to chat offline about it. Maybe we'll meet up at a future race.

 
Pfft... I think I ran a mile faster than that when I was 16 and my girlfriend told me her parents had just left for the evening... Damn broke down 81 Malibu Classic.

 
Oh definitely. I know I'm stating the obvious, but you'd get the best of both worlds with that - the lack of wind and the temperature control of indoor, and the long straightaways and more space that outdoor has. Would be great for training though. My poor son was out yesterday running up and down the street in the middle of a blizzard.
I get it. My son scrapped outdoor running in late November after a bit of a post XC recovery period. Instead, he has been taking a race your way into race shape approach by running indoor meets almost every week since mid December. For HS track, he'll typically do the 4x8, 400M & 4x4. Over the winter, he has been doing two or three events per meet depending on what is offered as most meets do not include a full schedule. He has been doing the 200 to increase some foot speed and turn over, along with the 400, 4x4, SMR & DMR. He seems to think its working. All other workouts are in the gym working on core, upper body and leg strength.
Sounds like a good training plan. My son pulled a hammy in his first indoor race and we had to shut him down for about 2 months. He's just now starting to run again. I'm interested in your experiences with the weight training. I'll pm you to chat offline about it. Maybe we'll meet up at a future race.
PM away, but I think you started the official HS Track thread so you might want to post things here. There is some elite talent over in the 10K Thread, some of which have already been seen in here, that I'm sure can offer amazing perspective.

 
Good idea. So here's my question...

15 year old distance runner, still growing and on the smaller side, just started running last Spring. He runs pretty much every day as part of the high school teams (XC, indoor, outdoor) and has little time for much else. I'd like to start him on some strength training at the gym, maybe right after his practices. Is that too much? What type of weight training? Obviously higher rep workouts, but would something like squats be inappropriate? He also seems pretty averse to upper body work. The kid's got a big chest and he sees that most of the best distance runners don't have that look.

Also, what about supplementation? Is creatine out of the question? I know there are concerns about dehydration since creatine monohydrate requires drinking a ton of water. But I take creatine HCL which doesn't have that issue and though I don't do a lot of running, I've never had any problems with cramping or dehydration. There's not a lot of discussion in the running community about creatine so I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon. Just curious if you've heard anything.

Other runners, please feel free to chime in.

 
Good idea. So here's my question...

15 year old distance runner, still growing and on the smaller side, just started running last Spring. He runs pretty much every day as part of the high school teams (XC, indoor, outdoor) and has little time for much else. I'd like to start him on some strength training at the gym, maybe right after his practices. Is that too much? What type of weight training? Obviously higher rep workouts, but would something like squats be inappropriate? He also seems pretty averse to upper body work. The kid's got a big chest and he sees that most of the best distance runners don't have that look.

Also, what about supplementation? Is creatine out of the question? I know there are concerns about dehydration since creatine monohydrate requires drinking a ton of water. But I take creatine HCL which doesn't have that issue and though I don't do a lot of running, I've never had any problems with cramping or dehydration. There's not a lot of discussion in the running community about creatine so I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon. Just curious if you've heard anything.

Other runners, please feel free to chime in.
My son's weight training has looked like a pendulum, with XC on one side and Track on the other. He did some maintenance lifting in the early summer that tapered to none during the peak of summer runs and through the season. He took almost 2 weeks off post XC and eased into lifting 3-4 days a week for track pre season. He will do a bit of in season lifting but very little. Since he is technically a sprinter with the 400 as his specialty, there is some solid science behind needing a strong core and upper body to keep the frame proper over the last half of a 400. If you saw a pic post XC to now it looks like a total before and after shot with him very lean after XC and very toned now.

For (4) years of HS my son's coach comes from the grind out high mileage, period. My son did not respond to the 500 mile summer concept at all. He scaled back a bit to around 350 and was very focused on his workouts. The end result was a PR 16:52 5K at regionals (where the crew of 500 mile summer kids faded at the end of the season). While some of it may be recruiting :bs: the college coaches we've met with so far state they gauge each runners mileage capacity and ability to improve. Just a word of warning about too many miles. And, ice and lots of it. We iced (I was in there too recovering from knee surgery) every night after XC practice and races.

As for diet, one of my son's HS distance coaches is old school and all about red meat, green vegetables and a multi-vitamin to stay healthy. My son has for the most part stuck to this, avoided soda of any kind and does use a whey protein post workout/run/etc. For XC races, especially in warmer weather, through trial and error he realized that (2) Hammer Endurolytes can fend off most cramping.

Thanks for allowing me to :nerd: out on this.

 
Good idea. So here's my question...

15 year old distance runner, still growing and on the smaller side, just started running last Spring. He runs pretty much every day as part of the high school teams (XC, indoor, outdoor) and has little time for much else. I'd like to start him on some strength training at the gym, maybe right after his practices. Is that too much? What type of weight training? Obviously higher rep workouts, but would something like squats be inappropriate? He also seems pretty averse to upper body work. The kid's got a big chest and he sees that most of the best distance runners don't have that look.

Also, what about supplementation? Is creatine out of the question? I know there are concerns about dehydration since creatine monohydrate requires drinking a ton of water. But I take creatine HCL which doesn't have that issue and though I don't do a lot of running, I've never had any problems with cramping or dehydration. There's not a lot of discussion in the running community about creatine so I'm pretty sure it's frowned upon. Just curious if you've heard anything.

Other runners, please feel free to chime in.
My son's weight training has looked like a pendulum, with XC on one side and Track on the other. He did some maintenance lifting in the early summer that tapered to none during the peak of summer runs and through the season. He took almost 2 weeks off post XC and eased into lifting 3-4 days a week for track pre season. He will do a bit of in season lifting but very little. Since he is technically a sprinter with the 400 as his specialty, there is some solid science behind needing a strong core and upper body to keep the frame proper over the last half of a 400. If you saw a pic post XC to now it looks like a total before and after shot with him very lean after XC and very toned now.

For (4) years of HS my son's coach comes from the grind out high mileage, period. My son did not respond to the 500 mile summer concept at all. He scaled back a bit to around 350 and was very focused on his workouts. The end result was a PR 16:52 5K at regionals (where the crew of 500 mile summer kids faded at the end of the season). While some of it may be recruiting :bs: the college coaches we've met with so far state they gauge each runners mileage capacity and ability to improve. Just a word of warning about too many miles. And, ice and lots of it. We iced (I was in there too recovering from knee surgery) every night after XC practice and races.

As for diet, one of my son's HS distance coaches is old school and all about red meat, green vegetables and a multi-vitamin to stay healthy. My son has for the most part stuck to this, avoided soda of any kind and does use a whey protein post workout/run/etc. For XC races, especially in warmer weather, through trial and error he realized that (2) Hammer Endurolytes can fend off most cramping.

Thanks for allowing me to :nerd: out on this.
Good stuff! Thanks for posting. My son had similar XC summer training. He did about 350 miles last summer and I think the coach will probably want to increase that to 400 this year. Congrats on the 16:52 time. That's very impressive. Was that at Nike Regionals or Foot Locker?

You probably already know about this, but if not, do some reading up on the Fayetteville-Manlius Cross Country program team from upstate New York and its Coach Bill Aris. The guy has won 9 of the last 10 National Championships for Girls and a bunch other for Boys. Not sure if he's doing some sketchy recruiting or other funny business, but it's an amazing accomplishment.

 
Was that at Nike Regionals or Foot Locker?
No, Regionals were bittersweet. His school is in a very tough region, one of the best D1 in the state and his school, with around 1190 students isn't anywhere near A size (and some have upward of 2500+ students). Anyway, his teams #1 who was close to 15 all year inexplicably flamed out 1/2 through the regional to finish around 30th place out of 140 with a time in the mid 17s. This eliminated any chances of the team going to states so me son would have to go top 15 to go to states and beyond. He ended up in a pack with three of his teammates at the finish and a couple of other schools runners. End result was that he went 17th with two of his teammates going 15 (a freshman who went to states) and 16.

 
Michael Carter deserves mentioning amongst all-time great track and field athletes.  His shot put toss of 81' 3" in 1979 was more than 12ft further than the previous record.  No one has been within four feet of it. 

This kids mile time is unreal btw.

 
Un-#######g-believable that he did it again.  That's now 4 national high school records that he's broken in the last 3 weeks.  And he's been sick two of those weeks.

Just found out he'll be at the Pre classic in Oregon Memorial Day weekend.  Will see him then.  Can't wait.

 
Totally unspoiled. He has no idea how great he is.
But he did a victory lap after finishing 7th and took selfies with the crowd?

He seems totally aware that he's pretty good at running.

 
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I got to see an amazing race last night at Michigan's HS Indoor State Meet (day one last night).  My son and his teammates qualified in the Sprint Medley - SMR (400,200,200,800).  For a group of XC distance guys they had a pretty good race in heat 1.  They came in ranked 15th in the state and left moving up a spot finishing 14th.  But the race of the night was the SMR Heat 3.  The Motor City Track Club, at least for a day depending on today's state finals around the nation, took over the nations #1 in the event by just over a second.  The race can be seen here at about the 2:28.10 mark.  I'm hoping I can catch a webcast of the New Balance Nationals in a few weeks to see if they can bring home the nation's best there.  

 
Did anyone catch the Penn Relays last week?  Drew Hunter cemented his legacy as the greatest high school runner of all-time in an epic performance helping his team win the Distance Medley Relay.  To set the stage, Drew's team (Loudoun Valley) was the underdog in the event, facing reigning champion La Salle from Rhode Island.  In the first leg of the race the Loudoun runner fell to the ground in a nasty wipeout.  The announcers basically conceded the race given that the kid lost about 10-15 seconds.  The other two legs go great for Loudoun, both pr's, but the race is still over.  The last leg of the race is the mile and the kid for La Salle, an incredible runner in his own right whose pr for the mile is 4:08, gets the baton cleanly with about a 9 second lead.

What happened in the next 4 minutes has to be watched to be believed.  Hunter steadily closes the gap, and in the last 200 meters puts on one of the greatest surges you will ever see in any racing event.  He almost dives across the finish line and ends up winning the race in a photo finish by one-thousandth of a second.  His split was 4:00.73 - the second fastest split in race history.  The Penn Relays mind you.  I'm telling you guys - this kid is going to end up being one of the best runners we've seen in a long long time.  I'm going out to Oregon for the Prefontaine Classic later this month with my son and I'm hoping to see him there.   :thumbup:

https://twitter.com/brandoncparker/status/726171631777923072

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/loudoun-valley-wins-penn-relays-distance-medley-on-drew-hunters-big-finish/2016/04/29/4bd1851c-0e2d-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html

 
Loudoun Valley in Virginia.  His parents coached Alan Webb when he was in high school.  Great story about it posted up-thread.  This story reads like a movie in the making.  This kid seems destined for greatness.

 
Ned said:
Phenomenal. :eek:  

Gives me chills seeing the start/finish and the kids waiting in the corral to run; lots of great memories running Penn Relays. :wub:  
When did you run Ned, and for what school?

I went to Penn and used to jog around that track every day after working out.  I'd always dream of a race and a finish like that.  Once in a lifetime.

In order to fully appreciate the race you have to see it from start to finish with the broadcasters narrating it.  It's on flotrack.  I'll try to upload a copy and link to it tonight.  When Drew gets the baton to start the mile he's about 100 yards behind the leader and in last place.  That poor kid from La Salle... Not only did he have a huge lead, but he also ran one of the best races of his life.  He's going to have nightmares for many years about Drew Hunter chasing him down.

 
When did you run Ned, and for what school?

I went to Penn and used to jog around that track every day after working out.  I'd always dream of a race and a finish like that.  Once in a lifetime.

In order to fully appreciate the race you have to see it from start to finish with the broadcasters narrating it.  It's on flotrack.  I'll try to upload a copy and link to it tonight.  When Drew gets the baton to start the mile he's about 100 yards behind the leader and in last place.  That poor kid from La Salle... Not only did he have a huge lead, but he also ran one of the best races of his life.  He's going to have nightmares for many years about Drew Hunter chasing him down.
I hope his coaches and parents reinforce the bolded.  Going up against a once in a generation runner is going to end up bad no matter how you slice it.

I got to anchor our HS 4x400 relay in '97 (small HS from Delaware).  I honestly don't even know how we got in - we weren't very fast.  I think I ran a high 53 that day.  Bill Cosby was there collecting batons post-race...  I was hunched over sucking wind and he came up to take the baton "don't vomit on my shoes". :lol:  

I can vividly remember the stadium going 'wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooop' when someone was getting caught.  

Those were the day when Obea Moore was big - dude could fly.  It's a shame he fizzled out.

 
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I hope his coaches and parents reinforce the bolded.  Going up against a once in a generation runner is going to end up bad no matter how you slice it.

I got to anchor our HS 4x400 relay in '97 (small HS from Delaware).  I honestly don't even know how we got in - we weren't very fast.  I think I ran a high 53 that day.  Bill Cosby was there collecting batons post-race...  I was hunched over sucking wind and he came up to take the baton "don't vomit on my shoes". :lol:  

I can vividly remember the stadium going 'wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooooop' when someone was getting caught.  

Those were the day when Obea Moore was big - dude could fly.  It's a shame he fizzled out.
You should have ralphed on Bill's shoes.

 
Looks like I hit the jackpot by letting my son talk me into going to the Prefontaine Classic in a couple weeks.  I was hoping to see Drew Hunter compete in the high school mile, but it looks like he's actually going to compete in the Bowerman Mile - with the best class of runners probably ever assembled for the race (5 Olympic or World Gold Medalists).

It's going to be tough watching this race - I won't know who to look at.  Hunter going for Alan Webb's all-time high school record of 3:53.43 which he set at the Pre Classic in 2001 - a record that was thought to be untouchable.

http://registerguard.com/rg/sports/34353112-81/world-indoor-champ-matthew-centrowitz-entered-in-world-class-bowerman-mile.html.csp

 
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My son just told me more about the Bowerman Mile field.  It's like a who's who of the best runners on the planet.  Drew Hunter is the only amateur.  There's not even a college runner in the race - just world class Olympians and a little high school kid nobody heard about 6 months ago.  At the place where Steve Prefontaine became a legend, where Bill Bowerman created Nike, and where Drew will be going to college his next 4 years.  Think the kid is going to be a little jacked?

 

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