A well noted observer of this site once quipped \"Some middle school distance runners turn out to be great but all great distance runners were once middle schoolers!
We\'ll get a chance to see the next generation of possible greats this weekend on the oak and pine covered banks of the Bolles School Saturday, 8 May, starting at 10:30.
Webb, Ritzenheim, Solinsky, Decker and Flanagan were all middle schoolers at one time or another. The stage will be set to see if the likes of Griffin, Harris, Cooke, Traylor, or Steel will cement their names amongst the next generation of great distance runners.
There will be a slightly different twist in the events from what the High Schools have been running. First off, the 3000M, the longest race of the day, will be run first, in order to race during the coolest part of the morning. Secondly, instead of running a 1600M, the mile equivalent, the runners will compete in the 1500M, a slightly shorter version favored by the Olympics, Colleges, and the AAU/USATF.
All of the races are expected to be fast with keen competition.
The Boys 800 will feature 2 of the States fastest 800 runners. Ryan Harris of Oak Hall and Joseph Franklin of Griffin Middle School. Harris has already split 2:02 during a 4x800 relay and according to the premier middle school runner\'s website, http://www.Miletich.us; Joseph is listed as having the States fastest open time at 2:06.
This is going to be a battle between the gutsy Harris and the swift Joseph from the starting gun. For Joseph to have a chance though, he\'ll have to battle for the lead at some point in the race, something which Harris isn\'t likely to give up easily.
The Boys 1500M will be just as competitive. It\'ll be interesting to see if Harris, Cooke or the others can approach the equivalent of the meet record set by Matt Hensley in 2002, the first year a true statewide middle school championship had been organized.
In order to run the equivalent time in the 1500M, they\'ll have to break 4:25, something this field of fine young runners are very capable of attaining.
Harris has run a Personal Best 4:34 in the 1600M already this season and may be able to pull the other runners to faster times as well. Look for Harris to take the lead early and the rest of the field to settle in on his heels.
In case you haven\'t noticed, presently there is an abundance of great girl\'s talent in the State. The next generation of young ladies are running super fast times and are led by Maggie Traylor, an 8th grader who transferred from the Bolles School to Episcopal this past year.
Traylor is entered in the 1500M and has already clocked 5:20 in the 1600M this spring. Traylor is also entered in the 3000M and should be in the lead from the gun.
Entered in the Girls 800 is Laura Steel, another Episcopal protégé. She has a seeded time of 2:20 for the 800M and if she decides to move up in to the longer distance races, look for her in the lead pack.
The stand-out ladies event may well be the 4x800. Episcopal\'s young ladies should run away with this race seeing they average around 2:28 a runner.
The next generation of high school runners are here. They\'ll be showing there stuff come Saturday at the Bolles School.