RYUN CONTINUES TO INSPIRE By Chris Lotsbom (c) 2010 Race Results
Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission
NEW YORK (11-Jun) -- As the
inaugural Jim Ryun High School Dream Miles are set to be run at
tomorrow's IAAF Diamond League adidas
Grand Prix meeting here, the attention has shifted to how American
running has grown in recent memory, especially at the prep level. High
school running, over the past 50 years, has blossomed into something few
could have ever imagined.
And it all started with Jim Ryun.
Ryun, at the age of 17, broke the four-minute mile barrier as only a
junior in high school, running 3:59.1 to become the first prep runner
ever under the four-minute mark. As a senior, he set the then American
Record at 3:55.3. The flat-topped Kansan would go on to inspire runners
for decades to come, still to this day known for these achievements.
Here
we are, 45 years later, celebrating his accomplishments by bringing the
top high school milers of the nation together. A field which includes
state champions, World Junior team members, and a sub-four minute
(downhill) miler have arrived here, ready to run their best and attempt
to be
the next one under the barrier. As adidas' slogan goes: "Jim was
first. Who's next?"
There is a great chance we could see a
sub-four minute performance tomorrow at Ichan Stadium. The best shot
will be with Lukas Verzbicas, the Illinois triathlete who was the winner
of the 2009 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships last year. Running
a 3:56.88 downhill road mile in St. Charles, Ill., on Memorial Day, the
sophomore is primed to make a stab at the mark. This time it would be
official.
"I can't say 100% that I will do it tomorrow," said
the lanky Verzbicas. "In the near future, I can promise you I will, and
before I graduate high school, I will definitely do it. But is it
going to be tomorrow? we'll have to see. There is going to be other
competitors who are going to be trying to do the same thing."
As
Ryun himself said, he sees a little of himself in the athletes taking to
the track tomorrow.
"To get to the level that they are at is
great determination, great coaching," said the former congressman. He
continued: "They are very versatile, you see them running anywhere from
the half mile to the 5000m, and doing extremely well."
Talking to
the athletes, Ryun used an old portion of the movie "Hoosiers" to
inspire the group, leaving them with the message to just remember what
you got here with, and try to keep your focus while enjoying the
moment.
