Catholic Tradition Carries On During Coronavirus

Much like with our history of the PSAL, the CHSAA has been going just as strong, for just as long. And one event in particular, has cemented itself as the marquee of the league.

What has been cemented as the 4x800m for the last thirty years, may not have always been that distance. Prior to that period, from 1976-1989, it was the full two mile relay. That accounts from the transition from yards to meters going on in the sport at that time. And before 1976, dating all the way back to 1920, the Catholic High School league was doing half the distance. The Mile Relay is closer to what we would now call a 4x400m, with a switch to the 1.25 Mile Relay in 1945.

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Flash forward to 2021, and the tradition continues. Ahead of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the CHSAA held the relay portion of their annual Intersectional competition. It was a slice of normality in what may be the only major indoor competition head-to-head in New York this year. And at the center, for the distance runners, was that 4x800m Relay, held in honor of George Eastment.

For the first time in six years, Saint Anthony's was back on the throne, winning in 8:00.22, the fastest mark since 2018. Their effort was aided by the strong 1:53.58 anchor leg by Robert Doherty. The mark makes them currently US #3, and the most likely to keep New York's Sub-8 Streak alive.