ADIDAS GRAND PRIX DEBUTS HIGH SCHOOL MILE, NEW COLUMNIST
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

NEW YORK (21-Apr) -- Organizers of the adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meet announced today that they will stage their first Jim Ryun High School Dream Mile, and that former USA Today sportswriter Dick Patrick was their new guest columnist on their website.  The meet is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, at Ichan Stadium on Randall's Island here.

The Jim Ryun High School Dream Mile builds on the success of the invitational "junior" miles held at the Reebok Grand Prix indoor meet in Boston, which is also organized by Global Athletics & Marketing, the Boston-based athlete and event management firm owned by Mark Wetmore.  Ryun, the first USA high schooler to break four minutes for the mile, will be in New York to see the race.

"At adidas we understand that the ultimate goal of many athletes is running faster," said Mikal Peveto, head of running for adidas America.  "We are thrilled to be sponsoring the country's premium mile event that we hope will motivate the next generation of running legends.  We look forward to seeing what these sensational athletes will do throughout this competition and in the future."

Invited high school athletes will receive an all-expense paid trip to New York City to compete, organizers said.  The race fields will be limited to 12 participants, and first priority will go to male and female milers who "automatically qualify based on pre-determined time standards."  Those time standards were not disclosed.

adidas sponsored two high school road miles in Boston last Sunday, part of the four-race B.A.A. Invitational Mile.

Separately, meet organizers also said that former USA Today sportswriter Dick Patrick was their guest columnist on the meet website this week.  Patrick recalls covering Alan Webb's U.S. mile record in 2007, the moment he realized how dramatically times had changed for print media.

"Suddenly it dawned on me that my Monday story would be old news," Patrick writes.  "Any diehard track fan by then would have seen the race and heard Webb talk about it (on the Internet).  Even an obscure meet in a small town in Belgium could be accessed immediately by fans around the world."

The column, and other meet information, can be accessed at http://www.adidasgrandprix.com

The adidas Grand Prix will be the second part of a special athletics weekend here.  On the morning of June 12, the 39th NYRR New York Mini 10-K will take place, the oldest all-women's race in the world.  That event is organized by the New York Road Runners.

ENDS