NEW YORK – It seemed perfect. Bernard Lagat sat exactly where he needed to be with Asbel Kiprop of Kenya taking on all the work while he drafted and Great Britian’s Andy Baddeley kept him honest from behind. (Photo by Mary DiBiase Blaich/wingedfootfotos.com)  

NEW YORK – She looked like she had climbed a mountain or finally shouldered down a locked door that she pounded on for years. When Cory McGee finally snapped the finish line tape all she could do was stand there and take a second to enjoy a moment that teased her for her entire high school career.

NEW YORK – Cardozo’s Ahtyana Johnson laid sprawled long the floor in a corridor behind the track. She had nothing left.

NEW YORK – It wasn’t that Chelsea Johnson hated the pole vault. She just wanted no part of it. That was her dad’s thing. She wanted her own thing.

 

The press conference just ended which is always a good time for a photo op. So Willie Gault backed up in front of a wall of Millrose Games and Visa logos and put his fist up, then Tim Dwight joined him in a fight stance, like two boxers poising for flashing cameras before a Vegas main event.

Bernard Lagat barely remembers his first Wanamaker Mile win at the Millrose Games in 2001. What he does remember is being enchanted by New York City and Madison Square Garden so much so that he didn’t even realize that the track would be, well, umm, weird.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson and 2006 World Indoor champ Reese Hoffa will each look to win a third Visa men's shot put title, and all-time Jamaican women's sprint great Veronica Campbell-Brown will look to scorch the track in the Visa women's 60 meters January 29 at Madison Square Garden in New York City at the 103rd Millrose Games.

The Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden is a historical meet with a rich history, an event that immediately invokes magical memories of the One Mile Run for high school enthusiasts.  With the 103rd running of these games set for Friday, January 29th we have put together five defining moments of the girls and boys high school One Mile Run.  Our hope is that these stories encourage others to look up the history of this rich event and discover how many amazing athletes have run this 11-lap-to-the-mile track and emerged with fast times and incredible stories.

Then the race concluded, Natasha Hastings walked in the media room and sprawled across a black couch in the corner and settled in.  She’s always been comfortable at the Armory.

The crowd keep buzzing afterward, the way an audience sounds when they are still trying to accept the moment into reality. That’s how it sounded after the boys 4x200 at the New Balance Games – a buzzing that signified both awe and admiration.

 

In the ol’ movies there was a collection of riff-raff called the East Side Kids.  The movie plots were about bullies, the powerful gangsters and cops being outwitted and downsized by these street wise, mother loving kids.  Well, here’s the country version - the Juggernauts! They didn’t need much inspiration to train, and they trained laughing, and when their idol Steve Prefontaine died, they trained crying but they trained.  They ran for the love of it, they ran for the fun of it and they won because they were brave enough not to let each other down.

The Suffern senior chose her dream school, even when it seemed like it would turn into a nightmare. Clayton, who leaped 20 feet, 5 inches at the Hispanic Games Jan. 9, made a verbal commitment to Louisiana State University two weeks ago.  Her jump was the ninth-best all-time in the country and the top attempt in the nation this season.

Did you know that after the Armory Webcast's end, we load the entire file to the website so you can watch it on demand.  There is even a pull down menu so you can jump to the event you'd like to see.

An outstanding lineup of athletes who will be competing in the Millrose Games and New Balance Games will be present when the Track Writers meet on Tuesday, January 19 at 5 p.m. at the legendary Coogan’s on Broadway between 168th and 169th Streets. This is the first time the Track Writers are meeting at this time.

Before the start of every season, there are those people that look at the class that just graduated and those that returned to their team and they ask, who will be stars this year? Who will make an impact?

Coaches are reminded that entries will close at Noon EST Tuesday,  January 26.    MAKE SURE YOU FINISH BEFORE THAT TIME.

Photos courtesy of PhotoRun.net

Delbarton’s Pat Schellberg had led the entire race. He controlled every aspect. He decided the pace and when the field would move. But when Marco Bertolotti of Port Washington tried to relieve him of that burden with three laps remaining in the boys mile, Schellberg felt that he had let the field hold on to him long enough.

Chamique Francis snatched the baton from teammate Ahytana Johnson and without a hint of panic she turned her sights to the Medgar Evers anchor. Then like a vacuum she closed the space and pushed ahead.

NEW YORK – Michael Rodgers walked to the microphone behind a podium in the backroom of Coogan’s Restaurant in Washington Heights and calmly announced that he had something to prove this season. He plans to start making his point at the Millrose Games Jan. 29 at Madison Square Garden.

After winning the HS Weight Throw by almost 11 feet at 55-7 on Saturday in the scholastic portion of this annual 3-day meet, Melissa Kurzdorfer, a senior at Lancaster HS, in western NY, returned Sunday and entered the College/"Open" event, which she won handily at 60-2, breaking her own All-Time New York State Record of 57-6.25, set just a few weeks ago. Her throw ranks #5 all-time US HS.

NEW YORK - Stars of NFL Championship Games spanning the last three decades will trade in their cleats for spikes in the Super 60 at the 103rd Millrose Games.

Wednesday, January 13th - Over sixty relay teams will qualify for the Millrose Games Wednesday night, along with two weight throwers and potentially three milers.  At the conclusion of the meet the only high school events not to be finalized will be the Metro 4x800m Relays, Miles, and Weight Throws.

Erin Donaghue returns to the Armory in New York City for the women's mile at the New Balance Games on January 23rd.  Erin will be looking to continue her winning streak this year having won the NYRR Midnight Run 4 miles in Central Park on New Year's Eve.  Erin who graduated from Haddonfield HS in New Jersey will be on familiar terrain at the Armory having won the Eastern States HS mile on this very track, has since gone on to graduate from the University of North Carolina after a stellar collegiate career and represented the USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Carlton LaVong is not shy. He’s not quiet and he’s hardly reserved. The Methacton (Pa.) senior is boisterous and fun and inviting. And as soon as he hits the runway he’s on fire. There’s no spotlight that shines on the jumpers alone so he’ll make one.

Jen Clayton doesn’t excite easily. She expects more from herself than anyone else would put on the Suffern senior’s shoulders. So for her, what’s “good” is never good enough.

Erin Donohue, a 2008 Olympian, started her first indoor season since wearing a North Carolina singlet by winning the mile and the 800 meters at the Metropolitan Coaches Invitational Friday at the New Balance Track and Field Center.

  The weight throw one of the most exciting and artistic events of indoor track will be contested at the Millrose Trials January 13, 2010 @ The Armory Track and Field Center. Technique (movement) and strength are essential factors in the success of the weight throw; the weights of the ball are 20lbs for HS girls and 25lbs for HS boys.

Three of country’s top milers have accepted invitations to race in the high school mile at the Millrose Games Jan. 29, including Roslyn’s Emily Lipari. Race directors also gave automatic bids to Anthony Kostelac of Ablemarle (Va.) and last year’s runner-up Cory McGee of Pass Christian (Miss.). Lipari ran the fastest mile time in the country last indoor season in 4:47.44.

Dan Kelley, a former distance runner and frosh coach at St. Joseph by the Sea, passed away Saturday morning after nearly a week in "extremely critical condition" at Staten Island University Hospital. Kelley was hit by an intoxicated driver while running on Hyland Boulevard, Jan. 5 and suffered severe head and chest injuries.

The 16th Hispanic Games will be presented for the first time this Saturday by the United States Navy.  In announcing this sponsorship, Armory president noted “this is a great opportunity for our student athletes to be acquainted with the terrific programs the Navy offers to high school graduates:  The chance for an appointment at the US Naval Academy (www.usna.edu) in Annapolis, MD receiving a first rate college education with all expenses paid and the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC), www.nrotc.navy.com, where most college expenses are paid at over 160 participating colleges and universities across the United States.  Navy Day at the Armory promises to be an exciting event combining the great spectacle of high school track & field with the added interest in one of America’s great national institutions.  Anchors away this Saturday at the Armory!    

It may just be a month into the season but John Thomas of Sheepshead Bay has already proved what many should have believed at the start of the season: that he is the preeminent sprinter in New York State.

Texas A&M, NCAA national  champions last spring for men and women, returns to the Armory for the 2010 New Balance Collegiate Invitational Feb. 5-6. The Aggies, coached by Pat Henry, were women’s team champions at last year’s NB meet as well. Baylor won the men’s.

When Marco Sturm from Germany scored in overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 2 to 1 victory over Philadelphia in the outdoor NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park, New Year’s Day it was a major win for the sport of hockey in general.

American women's pole vault record holder Jenn (Stuczynski) Suhr and 2004 Olympic men's pole vault gold medalist Tim Mack will attempt to reach new heights at the 103rd Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden.