Hagerty junior distance runner Brayden Seymour has made two trips up to New York City over the last few weeks racing the mile indoors at the Armory for the Marine Corps Holiday Classic on December 29th and Millrose Games Trials on January 12th.
In his first trip to New York, Seymour led almost wire to wire from the gun at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic with a new 4:20.93 personal best victory. He was challenged coming up with two laps to go and even passed by Joseph Squillacioti of Tottenville (NJ) before kicking hard and reclaiming first for good. The victory would certainly draw him consideration in the legendary Millrose Games high school mile field of 12 invited athletes set for Saturday, January 29th.
Then this past week, Seymour made another trip back to the New York Armory in the middle of the week trip on Wednesday at the Millrose Games Trials, which he had to settle for a runner-up finish this time around but the end result was a faster time lowering his fresh new mile PR down to 4:18.13 in a deep field with six runners breaking 4:20. The race was won by Collin Boler of Delbarton School in 4:14, while the second-place performance by Seymour moves him up to a US #13 ranking in the event. Showing the willingness to make a second trip to New York all the way from Florida, racing consistently well and fast in both while finishing as high as did in a strong field at the Trials hopefully cements his case to be among the 12 invited for the Millrose Games high school mile soon.
Seymour had never raced indoor track prior to this winter and was coming off a strong cross country season winning the Seminole Athletic Conference title and finishing 3rd in the FHSAA 4A state cross country race. He also set a Hagerty High School 5K cross country school record at 15:32. From last outdoor season, Seymour brings back PR's of 4:22 in the 1600 meter run and 9:30 in the 3200 meter run for his coach Jay Getty.
Seymour is hopeful to compete in the prestigious Millrose Games mile as a high schooler, which is a feat that Coach Getty's most prized and decorated former athlete in eventual Olympian medalist and World champion Jenny (Barringer) Simpson never raced in as a high schooler but did later in her still active and stellar professional career including a 2012 Millrose Games victory in the women's 1500 can watch above.
Being only a junior, Seymour will only gain valuable experience in racing at the Millrose Games if invited regardless of the outcome that he can build upon as an ascending national-caliber runner for his senior year in 2023 expected to be one of Florida's top talents returning.