NorthWest Florida Report - One More Mile - by Herb Wills
There still aren't as many post-season high school track meets as there are college football bowl games. There are more such events than ever, though. One of the newest is the Brooks PR Invitational, which began in 2011 as an indoor meet on the Dempsey Stadium track in Seattle, Washington. This year the Brooks PR Invitational turns four, moves from February to June 21, and becomes an outdoor meet. The competition remains in Seattle, though. After all, the Emerald City is the headquarters of Brooks Sports. Renton Memorial Stadium is the new venue.
The ultimate event at Saturday's Invitational is the boys mile. Not 1500 meters, not 1600 meters, but the mile, just like your father used to run. Among the athletes lining up for the mile will be Tallahassee Leon's Sukhi Khosla, Florida's top high school miler, nearly 3000 miles from home. It won't be the longest trip that Khosla has ever made. In 2012, he flew to India, crossing twelve time zones.
"That was a horrible adjustment," recalls Khosla.
After that, three time zones should be a piece of cake. Seattle will still be new territory for Khosla.
"I've never even been to that part of the country," he admits.
There will be some familiar faces there, though. In fact, it will almost be a reunion of the field of the June 14 Dream Mile. In addition to Khosla, who ran 4:13.77 in the New York race, Dream Mile alumni in the Brooks PR Mile will include Matthew Maton (4:03.23 in NYC), Josh Evans (4:04.38), Garrett Corcoran (4:05.19), and Wesley Pectol (4:05.25). Joined by nine fresh milers. What does Khosla expect the winner to run?
"Just based on Matthew Maton's performance last week at the Dream Mile, probably close to 4:03 again, maybe faster."
If that's the case, say goodbye to the Brooks PR mile record of 4:07.18, set two years ago by Marcus Dickson.
Another Tallahassee athlete, Chiles High hurdler Justin Cromartie, will also be making the trip to Washington. Cromartie, the class 3A champion in the 110-meter hurdles, takes a 13.90 PR into that event in Seattle. In all, five boys and seven girls will be representing Florida at the Brooks PR Invitational.
On the Wednesday before Seattle, Khosla was out on the Lake Overstreet Trails north of Tallahassee, putting in some distance. Thursday is the long flight to the west coast, and Saturday at 4:35 PM PT is the mile. After that it's back to Tallahassee and the trails.
"Back to much longer runs," Khosla describes it. "Way less intensity, base training."
Because after the Brooks PR Invitational, it's only ten weeks till the first cross-country meet, and only eleven more weeks till the State Finals. And Khosla as a state title to defend.
Brooks PR Mile Champions, 2011-2013
Date Time Athlete
2/27/2011 4:07.52 Jantzen Oshier (Trabuco Hills HS, Mission Viejo, CA)
2/26/2012 4:07.18 Marcus Dickson (White River HS, Buckley, WA)
2/24/2013 4:08.24 Trevor Gilley (Carroll HS, Southlake, TX)
Northwest Florida Correspondent Herb Wills
Herb Wills' running career goes back to the 1971 boys' age-group mile at the Florida Relays. Since losing that race he has won the 1976 Florida High School class 4A cross-country championship, 1979 AAU USA junior titles in cross-country and the 10,000 meters, and the 1989 TAC USA 30K national championship. As a distance runner at Florida State University from 1978 to 1982, he was NCAA All-American three times in track and once in cross country, and won a silver medal in the marathon at the 1981 World University Games. Graduating Florida State with a degree in mathematics, in the following years Wills ran in the USA Olympic Marathon Trials in 1984, 1988, and 1992, and placed tenth in the Boston Marathon in 1989. After more than a few years of duty as a hurdle setter and lane judge at track meets, Wills discovered that the public address announcer not only got to sit down at meets but was also sheltered from the rain. Since that revelation you can hear him with a microphone in his hand at several track and cross-country events in the Tallahassee area. Writing is another activity you can do while sitting down, and Wills has written about running for Racing South magazine and Tallahassee's local newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat.
You can read more running related tidbits in his blog at http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/
Herb Wills NorthWest Florida Reports LINK
