Successful miling by former ohio champs!

Yep. There are multiple reasons kids level off after HS...sometimes, tho, with the stud HS milers, it’s because they move up in distance in college and rarely race the mile anymore. That’s what I think happened to Ron Addison and John Zishka. They both ran unbelievably fast in HS, but never ended up breaking four. Ron went 4:05 and John 4:03 for Cleveland Rhodes and Lancaster, respectively. But the reason they never broke four, I suspect, was they didn’t run many mile races after HS.... Ron went to Tennessee then later ran for Athletics West and almost made an Olympic team in the Steeplechase. Almost broke the American record. John was an All-American for Oregon in the 5000. But then you have guys like Sam Borchers. Ran 4:02 in HS, went to a great program (Penn State). Ran the mile as his event, but never broke four. If you look at Joe Bistritz and Dustin Horder, you’d have thought they’d have been under by now, but it’s just not that easy. Sub four may happen more often these days, but it’s still extremely difficult to run 3 back to back 60’s and then tack on a 4th lap in sub 60. Just ask anyone who has tried it! It also takes a pretty special set of physical track tools, including (usually) a good program and a good coach. Most runners, no matter how hard they work, are not blessed with the physical tools AND the program/coaching.
 
I think it's worth remembering that Dustin Horter's career is not over yet. As State The Obvious points out, running sub 4:00 is really hard to do. I honestly thought Lucas would do it, but not this soon. I suspect Arjun will. I would love to see him race Lucas again. He, his teammate Andy Payne and Lucas had some really great races in high school.

Horter, Jha, Bons, Zaxk Kreft (now at Notre Dame), Andre Bollam-Godbott (now at Akron), Jacob Keating, Gabe Szalay (no at Kentucky), Matt Stump (at Cincinnati I believe), Nick and Noah Chaplik (I think Malone), and Ben Ewert ( all ran in maybe the greatest mile in Ohio State meet history. The Chapliks both went 4:12 and didn't get on the podium and Ben Ewert ran 4:13 and didn't get top 10. Horter won, with Jha and Bons both breaking 4:10.
 
OHIO CONNECTIONS AT OLYMPIC TRIALS 1500 METERS

Ohio was well represented in the metric mile at the 2021 Olympic Trials.

Grab some popcorn, sit back, and read about our Ohio boys exploits at historic Hayward Field...

Colby Alexander, Sam Prakel, and Ryan Adams represented us at the Trials last week.
The qualifying standard for the Trials was 3:37.50. That’s a 3:55 flat mile! That time represents the fastest Auto qualifying standard in Trials history. But the field is set at 30 runners and if 30 don’t hit the standard, they fill the field by selecting the next fastest times.

Only 26 runners had the standard and subsequently Ohio almost had four reps in the 1500. Unfortunately, Dublin Coffman grad, Lucas Bons (BYU), was the first athlete not accepted. He came in at 3:37.68. The last time accepted was 3:37.67! OUCH!!

Every year in the Trials history, a 3:39 will get you in. Sub 3:40 always qualifies. This year the “slowest” guy in the field was 3:37.67. “Slowest” is, of, course a relative term, as a 3:37.67 is roughly a 3:55.2 mile. Can you imagine that? A 3:55 miler not being fast enough to run in the Trials!?!

Of our three representatives, Ryan Adams (CVCA, Furman), placed 9th in his quarterfinal heat and failed to advance to the semi’s. He was very close to making it out, but the race was slow and tactical, with only 1.1 seconds separating Ryan from the win, yet he was 9th! A blanket finish.

Colby Alexander (Strongsville, Oregon) and Sam Prakel (Versailles, Oregon) both qualified all the way to the final. Sam was the first man not to make the final in 2016, so it was a sweet moment when he made it out of the semi’s to the final. Colby qualified for his second Olympic Trials 1500 final, having also qualified in 2016.

Colby‘s semi-final was one of the fastest semi’s in Trials history. The top 5 automatically made the finals. In Colby’s heat, the top 7 finishers all finished within 2 tenths of a second of each other, all running 3:38 and change. So 2 of those runners ran a 3:55/3:56 mile equivalent and did not auto qualify for the finals! Or to put it another way, to qualify for the final you had to run a 3:55/ 3:56 mile equivalent!

To give you an idea of how extremely difficult it is to make a Trials final....3:49 miler Johnny Gregorek didn’t make it. High school phenom, Hobbs Kessler, a 3:34 runner, did not make it. Eighteen guys that were 3:37 runners (3:55 mile) or faster didn’t make it.

Stories like that are what makes the Olympic Trials qualifying heats terribly anxiety provoking for runners, coaches, friends, and family!!

The final was exciting. Alexander took the lead around 600 and forced an honest pace. That was refreshing. It became an actual race, not a 1100 meter jog, followed by a 400 sprint. I am guessing he took the lead because he didn’t have the Olympic standard. He was a few tenths off. So a top 3 finish without the standard would not net him a berth on the Olympic team. He set a pace that, with a good finish, would be right at 3:35.00 (the Olympic Standard). But leaders rarely win in highly competitive 1500’s. Leading takes its toll. And it did for Colby. With 100 left, he was in position to challenge for a top 3 spot, but couldn’t find that extra gear.

Ditto for Prakel. At the bell lap, 3 former Oregon Ducks led the way...Colby, Centrowitz, and Prakel. They were in prime position heading into the final lap. As with Alexander, Sam was in position, coming off the final turn, to challenge for a top 3 spot, but, like Colby, couldn’t find that last gear. And Sam normally has a smokin‘ last gear.

Of the 12 men in the final, 9 of them were either former USA 1500 champions or former NCAA 1500/mile champions. The 3 that weren’t were all 3:34/3:35 1500 guys. All Olympic Trials finals boast amazing fields, but this one has to rank right up there with the best.

Congrats to Colby, Sam, and Ryan. Here’s to a great summer of racing!
 
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ALEXANDER RUNS 3:33.65...1/100 of a second off the U.S. #1...

Colby Alexander barely missed running the fastest 1500 in the United States for 2021, running 3:33.65 in winning the Sound Running 1500 in Mission Viejo, CA. Craig Engels owns the top time at 3:33.64, 1/100 of a second faster than Alexander.

That is a PR for Colby and the fastest 1500 ever run for an Ohio native….Colby’s 3:34.88 from 2016 was the old Ohio record.

3:33.65 is the equivalent of a 3:50.74 mile.

Splits, according to Letsrun…300 in 42.15…then 56.65…57.58…57.29. Came thru 800 in 1:52, behind the rabbit, and then led the rest of the way, winning by almost two seconds.


TOP 1500 RUNNERS IN OHIO HISTORY... UPDATED 9/1//21

(All sub 3:37 runners)

1) Colby Alexander 3:33.65 run in 2021 ...converts to 3:50.74 mile
2) Rob Myers 3:34.89 run in 2005
3) Cory Leslie 3:34.93 run in 2013
4) Jeff See 3:35.21 run in 2012
5) Brannon Kidder 3:35.27 run in 2019
6) Tom Byers 3:35.75 run in 1982
7) Dave Wottle 3:36.2 (HT) run in 1973
8) Clayton Murphy 3:36.23 run in 2016
9) Sam Prakel 3:36.36 (indoors) run in 2021....converts to a 3:53.66 mile

NOTE: In 2021, Colby Alexander had the best year for an Ohioan for fastest times recorded during a single season. He already had the #1 time ever for an Ohioan at 3:34.88. Then on July 18, he ran a PR 3:33.65, thus giving him the top 2 times in Ohio history. Additionally, earlier, on June 3, he recorded a 3:35.81 which, historically, has only been bettered by 5 other Ohioans.

NOTE: In 2019, Sam Prakel ran 3:35.66 for 1500 en route to his indoor 3:50.94 mile. At the time, it ranked (and counted) as #9 All-Time on the US indoor performer 1500 list but can't count as an IAAF PR because it wasn't run in a 1500 race.

To make the list, Prakel's 3:36.36 1500 converts to a 3:53.66 mile.

To top the list, Alexander's 1500 converts to a 3:50.74 mile
 
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Just saw this on Letsrun, who mentioned they got it from T&F News....Alexander's 3:33.65 was the 7th fastest 1500 ever run on U.S. soil. It was the 5th fastest by an American on U.S. soil. He was only 0.68 off the American soil record.

AMERICAN TOP 6
3:32.97 Evan Jager
3:33.1 (HT) Jim Ryun (former World Record)
3:33.41 Matthew Centrowitz
3:33.64 Craig Engels
3:33.65 Colby Alexander
3:33.92 Leo Manzano

NOTE: Bernard Lagat ran a 3:32.94 but was representing Kenya at the time.
 
Interesting stuff. I’m a stats nut myself and did a bit of research off the T&F News site.
From 2016 thru 2020, a 5 year span, the only runners to run faster than 3:33.65 were Engels (by 1/100 of a sec) and Matthew Centrowitz.

Colby...
#7 ever on U.S. soil
#5 American on U.S. soil
#17th fastest American ever at 1500 meters (any soil !!)


Here is the All-Time U.S. top 20 at 1500 meters…..We have an OHIO representative, folks!!
Colby Alexander finds himself in mighty good company.

1) Bernard Lagat 3:29.30
2) Sydney Maree 3:29.77
3) Matthew Centrowitz 3:30.40
4) Alan Webb 3:30.54
5) Andrew Wheating 3:30.90
6) Leo Manzano 3:30.98
7) Jim Spivey 3:31.01
8) Steve Holman 3:31.52
9) Steve Scott 3:31.76
10) David Krummenacker 3:31.93
11) Lopez Lomong 3:32.20
12) Evan Jager 3:32.97
13) Jim Ryun 3:33.1 (HT)
14) David Torrence 3:33.23
15) Chris Lukezik 3:33.28
16) Craig Engels 3:33.64
17) COLBY ALEXANDER 3:33.65
18) Seneca Lassiter 3:33.72
19) Paul McMullen 3:33.89
20) Steve Lacy 3:33.99
 
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Interesting, but Tom Byers mile PR of 3:50.84 from the Koblenze meet on 25 Aug 1982 converts to 3:33.74 1500m. I'm going to have to dig into my 1982 T&F News issues to see if they had a 1500m split on that race.
 
Hey JAVMAN83…There is no converting on All-Time lists. So the formula’s don’t come into play. As for having a clock at the 1500 en route, times do count as records that way, but trying to hit a fast 1500 en route to a mile is tough because you start kicking in a mile race much later than you would in a 1500 so you come thru the 1500 slower than you would if racing just a 1500. In that fast indoor race in Boston on 3/3/2019 for example, Johnny Gregorek ran a 3:49 indoor mile. They had a clock at the 1500. He hit 3:35.21 at the 1500. In that same race, Sam Prakel ran 3:50 and hit 3:35.66 thru 1500. Byers more than likely had around 3:35 en route to his 3:50, which is well outside the U.S. all-time top 20 for 1500.

Same holds true the other way round, as well. Just the opposite. Adding 17.5 seconds or so for the final 109 meters may seem like too much time for a guy running sub-4. But in a 1500 race, he would have hit 1500 way faster than he would have if he passed 1500 and still had a whole straightaway to go. He would have begun his kick much sooner.

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State The Obvious said:
Hey JAVMAN83…There is no converting on All-Time lists. So the formula’s don’t come into play. As for having a clock at the 1500 en route, times do count as records that way, but trying to hit a fast 1500 en route to a mile is tough because you start kicking in a mile race much later than you would in a 1500 so you come thru the 1500 slower than you would if racing just a 1500. In that fast indoor race in Boston on 3/3/2019 for example, Johnny Gregorek ran a 3:49 indoor mile. They had a clock at the 1500. He hit 3:35.21 at the 1500. In that same race, Sam Prakel ran 3:50 and hit 3:35.66 thru 1500. Byers more than likely had around 3:35 en route to his 3:50, which is well outside the U.S. all-time top 20 for 1500.

Same holds true the other way round, as well. Just the opposite. Adding 17.5 seconds or so for the final 109 meters may seem like too much time for a guy running sub-4. But in a 1500 race, he would have hit 1500 way faster than he would have if he passed 1500 and still had a whole straightaway to go. He would have begun his kick much sooner.
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Click to expand...
See my reply in the "Ohio schoolboys who have gone on to break 4 minutes for one" thread.
 
Well, I checked the September 1982 issue of Track & Field News for the results of the Koblenz meet where Byers ran his mile PR. He placed 6th in that race with his 3:50.84 PR, and that made him the #4 American all-time at that moment. Unfortunately, no 1500m enroute times appear to have been recorded :(
 
FYI - Wottle's run would've made him the #2 performer, but not with the #2 performances in US history. Ryun had run both 3:51.3 and then 3:51.1 world records in '66 & '67, respectively. Ryun also had a 3:52.8 run in '72. I don't have a detailed compilation of miles from that era, so there may be more.
 
JAVMAN83 said:
FYI - Wottle's run would've made him the #2 performer, but not with the #2 performances in US history. Ryun had run both 3:51.3 and then 3:51.1 world records in '66 & '67, respectively. Ryun also had a 3:52.8 run in '72. I don't have a detailed compilation of miles from that era, so there may be more.
Click to expand...
Keeping me honest. I love it! I re-worded the bit about Wottle. I believe, as it is now worded, it is correct. Thank you Javman83.
 
An Interesting list...

Ohioans who have made it to the the Olympic Trials 1500 final…

Wottle 1972 (2nd)
McAfee 1972 (7th)
Byers 1976 (9th), 1984 (12th)
Ryan 1980 (8th)
Myers 2004 (3rd), 2008 (9th)
See 2012 (9th)
Alexander 2016 (7th), 2021 (8th)
Prakel 2021 (9th)
 
Sam Prakel had a busy and very successful 2021. It should net him his 3rd Track and Field News end-of-year Top 10 ranking at 1500 meters.
He ran under 3:39 for 1500 meters 7 times, with a best of 3:36.36. He added in 4 sub 4:00 minute track miles and a couple sub 4:00 road miles as well. His 3:49.98 at the Cleveland Guardian Road Mile was his road mile PR and his 3:55.33 at the Sir Walter Miler in NC was his season best outdoors.

He made his first Olympic Trials 1500 Final in June, placing 9th.

Sam was a multiple time Ohio State Champ for Versailles (2013 grad) at 800, 1600, 3200, and XC. At the U of Oregon, Sam was a 5 time All-American.

Sam has one more race left to run as he'll toe the line in the Big Apple for the NYRRC 5th Avenue Mile later this month.
 
Colby Alexander had a short, but sweet, campaign in 2021. Just like his Oregon teammate, Sam Prakel (see above post), Colby should ride his 2021 success to his 3rd Top 10 National ranking at 1500 meters when T&F News comes out with their end-of-year rankings.

Because of injury, Colby got off to a late start and didn't run his first race until a month before the Olympic Trials. On June 3rd, he ran 3:35.81 in Portland, sending out word he would be a contender at the Trials. At the OT's, Colby made it thru the 2 qualifying rounds to his 2nd OT final. In the final, he led the race until 400 to go. With 100 to go, Colby and Sam Prakel were right there poised for a possible top 3 finish, but neither runner had that final gear up the homestretch to make the team. But a solid performance nonetheless from both Ohioans. (Colby 8th, Sam 9th).

The highlight of Colby's season came 3 weeks later, as he began rounding into peak shape, when he raced the Sunset Tour 1500 in Mission Viejo.
Colby raced to a 3:33.65 win, beating an elite field and becoming the 5th fastest American performer ever at 1500 meters on American soil. That time also ranked him as the 17th fastest American of All-Time for 1500 meters.

For good measure, Colby threw in a 3:50 28 road mile at Cleveland's Guardian Mile on July 31 to close out his brief, but ultra successful season.
His 3:50.28 beat his 3:50.30 road mile PR from 2016 when he almost upset newly crowned Olympic Champion, Matthew Centrowitz, at the NYRRC 5th Ave Mile.

Colby was a two-time State Champ for Strongville HS (2010 grad), and an All-American for the Oregon Ducks.
 
Here is the updated list of top milers in Ohio History: UPDATED 2/4/22

TOP MILERS IN OHIO HISTORY

1) Tom Byers 3:50.84 run in 1982
2) Sam Prakel 3:50.94 run in 2019 (indoor) **
3) Clayton Murphy 3:51.99 run in 2017
4) Colby Alexander 3:52.84 run in 2022 (indoor)
5) Dave Wottle 3:53.3 (HT) run in 1973 *
6) Cory Leslie 3:53.44 run in 2014
7) Rob Myers 3:53.78 run in 2004
8) Jeff See 3:55.24 run in 2012
9) Steve Foster 3:55.1 (HT) run in 1977
10) Lucas Bons 3:55.45 run in 2021
11) Kevin Ryan 3:55.9 (HT) run in 1983
12) Brannon Kidder 3:56.06 run in 2018
13) Bob Kennedy 3:56.21 run in 1994

* NOTE: Dave Wottle's 3:53.3 was run in a race in Eugene, Oregon at Hayward Field. Pre invited Wottle to come out and race him in a mile. Wottle outkicked Pre for the win in, what at the time, made Wottle the second fastest American of All-Time. Only Jim Ryun was faster at the time. This race is featured in the "Fire On The Track" documentary on Pre.

NOTE: Sam Prakel ran 3:49.98 at the Guardian Mile in 2021. Colby Alexander ran 3:50.28 in the same race. Additionally, Colby Alexander ran 3:50.3(HT) at the NYRRC 5th Avenue Mile in 2016 and Prakel added a 3:50.6 (HT) at the 2021 5th Ave Mile. Those are the four fastest miles ever run by an Ohioan indoors, outdoors, or on a certified road mile.
 
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WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER OF THE SUB-4 CLUB!!!

Dublin Jerome Alum, Elliott Cook dipped under the magic 4 min barrier last weekend at the Razorback Inv, running 3:59.02. Elliott was the 2019 indoor mile champ for Jerome and is currently a redshirt freshman at Oregon.

Colby Alexander, Sam Prakel, Mick Stanovsek, and now Elliott have made their collegiate home in Eugene and what better place to be a miler than TrackTown USA?!? No college track program is better at churning out elite milers than Oregon.

Elliott is the 31st Ohio schoolboy to go on to break 4:00. Congratulations Elliott!
 
Colby Alexander and Sam Prakel shine at Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile

The Wanamaker Mile is the most prestigious indoor mile in the world. It's the highlight event of one of the most star-studded indoor meets on the planet, The Millrose Games.

To get an invite to toe the line in a meet like this is quite an honor. In this years Wanamaker Mile, there were 14 runners, over half of them from countries outside the US. The two favorites were Scotland's Josh Kerr, a 3:29 1500 runner and the 2021 Olympic Bronze medalist at 1500, and Ollie Hoare from Australia, a 3:32 1500 runner and a 2021 Olympic finalist at 1500 meters.

US entries included former US indoor 1500 champion, Craig Engels... 3:49 indoor miler Johnny Gregorek... Henry Wynne, 3:34.01 1500 and 5th at last years Olympic Trials... former HS phenom Hobbs Kessler, now running for adidas...and three Ohio HS alums, Colby Alexander, Sam Prakel, and 2021 Olympic Trials 800 Champ, Clayton Murphy.

Hoare, Kerr, and Colby quickly separated from the field with pacer Erik Sowinsky setting a torrid pace. Hoare came thru 400 in 55, 800 in 1:54, and won in 3:50.83, becoming the 11th fastest indoor miler in history. He didn't pull away from Kerr and Colby until the final 150 meters however, as Kerr finished in 3:52.27, followed closely by Colby in 3:52.84. Prakel closed well for 4th in 3:55.73.

Hoare ran his indoor PR and also set an Australian national record. Olympic Bronze Medalist, Kerr also ran an indoor PR and set a Scottish national record. Alexander hung on gamely to set an indoor PR and overall mile PR, proving he can run with the world's best even when they are running personal bests. Alexander's time now ranks him as the 14th fastest American indoor miler in history. It's also currently a US #1 rank.
 
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ALEXANDER AND PRAKEL IN THE TOP ECHELON OF U.S. 1500/MILE RANKINGS

World Athletics is the organization responsible for all rankings in the sport of track & field. They use a scoring system that awards points for performances. The points you are awarded are based on the quality of your effort, the quality of the meet, and the quality of competition within your event. They take the average score of your top five performances over the past 12 months and rank you based on that average score.

Thru April 12 here are the U.S. rankings based on the performances over the last 12 months.

1) Cole Hocker
2) Colby Alexander
3). Matthew Centrowitz
4) Sam Prakel
5) Johnny Gregorek
6) Henry Wynne
7) Craig Engels
8) Josh Thompson
9) Yared Nuguse
10) Vince Ciattei

This ranking system was what got Cole Hocker into the Olympic Games last year. He won the Trials but didn't have the "A" standard. He was however ranked high enough in these rankings to be permitted to run in the Games. (I believe a top 50 World rank was required to run in the Olympics if you hadn't achieved the "A" time and. obviously, you had to be one of your country's chosen participants thru their selection process.)

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COLBY AND SAM AT THE USA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

My post (above) on the latest US rankings, forgot to mention Colby and Sam and their efforts at the USA indoor Championships at the end of February in Spokane, WA.

Colby went in as a favorite to make the World team based on his previous indoor efforts in January and early Feb. He'd run 3:52 and 3:53 for the mile at the Millrose Games and the NB Indoor Grand Prix. He'd raced most of the top US milers (Engels, Gregorek, Prakel, Kessler, Murphy) and the closest any of them came to Colby was 3 full seconds back. Entering the USA meet, Cole Hocker was a legitimate concern, but he would be running the 3000 the night before and doubling back in the 1500 the next day.

Colby has had his share of injuries in the past but this season he'd finally been healthy. But the injury cloud returned the day of the meet. His Twitter account that day stated that in the first 3 steps after the gun, he felt his hamstring pull. He shortened his stride and slowed his pace to allow him to continue without fully pulling his hamstring, but he couldn't risk changing speeds or accelerating (or kicking). As it happened, he finished 6th and out of the money for the World team. I haven't read any updates on the injury and I haven't seen any race results since then from him. Hopefully he'll be back at it outdoors.

His Oregon teammate, Sam, ran to a 4th place finish, also out of the money for a World team berth. But, unlike Colby, luck was on Sam's side because one of the runners ahead of Sam didn't have the World "A" time and another declined to go (injury?). So Sam ended up running at the World Championships in Serbia. Sam's World team debut was a very successful one as he qualified for the final and then ran to a 9th place finish in the final.

It says a lot about the state of miling at the moment in the US, when the 4th place finisher at our National Meet placed 9th at the World Championships.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SAM AND COLBY ON OUTSTANDING INDOOR SEASONS​
 
Gofast.edu wrote...The kid from St. X Nathan Mountain ran 3:40 last week as a freshman. A matter of time before he breaks 4.

I agree. Just a matter of time. He has the advantage of great talent plus great coaching. Vin Lananna and Trevor Dunbar form a fantastic coaching tandem for Nathan. But even tho a sub-4 mile is more common these days than back in the day, it"s still a significant achievement, and never a guarantee.

Off the top of my head...Just look at some recent Ohio alum that we thought were shoo-ins...

Dustin Horter went to Indiana. Ran 4:05 in HS...Best so far...4:04.31
Joe Bistritz went to NC State...Ran 4:06 in HS...Best so far 4:04.39
Arjun Jha went to Indiana..Got real close...Best so far 4:00.84
Ashwinn Briggs went to Navy..Got real close...Best so far 4:01.12

These guys are at the tail end of their college careers (or already out) and opportunities are likely diminishing.

Some older guys that we thought were shoo-ins...

Sam Borchers went to Penn State. Ran 4:03 in HS...Final PR 4:01.98
John Zishka went to Penn State/Oregon. Ran 4:03 in HS, never broke 4
Ron Addison went to Tennessee. Ran 4:05 in HS, never broke 4

There's more. Way more...But I think you get my drift. Having said all that, I think Nathan breaking 4 is a no-doubter. The question is, how far under will he go?
 
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