|
Boys 3200m |
|||||
|
Event Info: 2014 Winner: Mickey Burke (Rush-Henrietta) 9:03.87, State Record: 8:42.92, Meet Record: 8:52.75, State Qualifier Mark (FAT): 9:20.74 (D1) - 9:32.04 (D2) |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
State of the Action |
|||||
|
All the race predictions said the same thing. For any shot at winning, the leader would have to power through the race at even splits, hitting sub-9 to secure the win. Well, so much for that. The opening 1600m came through in 4:47.12, a more than pedestrian time for the abilities of the athletes in the race. Many thought that the unseeded winner at 9:30 had a legitimate shot to take home a State Title. But the pack sat and waited, as race leader Bryce Millar lead them through the race. Nobody had any intent to pass Millar, so they were content to stay on his pace. Millar was the fastest seed heading into the race, and many thought the way to win, was to outkick the XC Standout. But little did they know, Millar's race plan had shifted. While warming up, Millar had rolled his ankle, all but dousing any ideas of a sub-9 performance. But the rest of the field didn't know that. Around and around they went, almost to a jog reminiscent of the Penn Relays 4xMile fiasco (skip to 13:10). With one lap to go, they were at 8:20.00. And yet, still, nobody wanted to go. It wasn't until the 200m mark on the last lap that we saw signs of life. Marco Pompilj, the fastest miler in the field by far, surged past Millar, waking him up. The longest race on the track had suddenly turned into a sprint. Pompilj had caught the field off guard, and led into the final straightaway. But Millar was charging back, having the path of least resistance at the front of the pack. His longer stride began to overtake Pompilj, and they were neck and neck. It was a blanket finish down the last 50m, but Millar would lean over the line, capturing the State Title, closing the last 200m in 25.2 seconds. |
|||||
|
Top Athletes - Overall |
|||||
|
|
|||||
