If you love the distance stuff, you can't beat the Payton Jordan Invitational!
Each and every year, they hold 8 to 10 hours of non-stop races, from 800's to 10K's.
And these races always provide massive alterations to each year's Top 10 (or Top 24 in the case of Aaron K's Track and Field Record Book! LOL) lists.
This year, I paid $19.99 to buy Flotrack's livestream.
(The cost is for a whole month of Flotrack programs!)
And it was well worth every penny.
Following is a full recap of the record and list alterations I was thrilled to watch!
There's several marks to report other than what happened at Stanford, but I'll do the Jordan meet first.
Going from shortest distance (800) to the longest (10000), the 800 produced just one mark, and it wasn't in the fastest heat!!
Well, what was supposed to BE the fastest heat.
No, Eliud Rutto ran his 1:45.37 in Heat 2, which was supposed to be slower than Heat 1, which had Mark Wieczorek and Caz Loxsom.
But they ran tactically, so no fast times.
Rutto, however, ran it hard, his time a new Meet Record.
But he misses making my DDD list for Collegians by 0.06.
By the way, I missed reporting another fast Collegiate 800, from the Mt SAC Relays.
Brandon McBride ran 1:45.35 there, a bit faster than Rutto, but still missing my Top 24 list!
While both Elite 1500's were fast, only 1 mark did any Record Book damage.
And it made quite a dent!!
Elise Cranny finished just 6th in a field of 13 Collegians and Professionals, but her time of 4:10.95 makes her the fastest High School girl ever.....except for Mary Cain!
One of those she beat was Moscow 1500 team member Cory McGee!!
She'd run 4:15.07 outdoors in 2013, so this 4.12 improvement wasn't much of a surprise.
But it moves her further ahead of the girl---Alexa Efraimson---whom most "experts" were seeing as the "next Mary Cain".
But I saw Cranny as the real threat.
For one, she's a year or more older than Efraimson.
Two, her kick at the end of that 4:15.07 (at last year's Payton Jordan!!) was fierce!!
So Cranny is # 2 A-T HS outdoors in the 1500.
She's also the outdoor Senior Class record holder.
Also, if she ran 17.0 for her last 109 meters (Not unreasonable!), her Mile time would be 4:27.95.
Only one HS'er has run a faster mile!
I hope she gets the opportunity to CRUSH that 4:35.24 Outdoor HS record!!
(In a head-to-head duel with Efraimson??)
Kate Grace, who PR'ed last summer in the 800 at 1:59.47, won Cranny's heat with a 4:07.35 PR.
The Women's 3000SC was won by Shalaya Kipp in 9:39.12, a Non-PR.
But 2nd, with a HUGE PR, was Aisha Praught.
Her time of 9:42.08 ranks her 21st A-T US.
But it was the 5000's where most of the record action took place.
The women's elite race went first.
Meref Bahta, who had beaten Abbey D'Agostino at Mt SAC, in 15:30 and change, dipped under 15:00 here!!
But she was beaten by Sifan Hassan, who ran 14:59.23 to beat Bahta's 14:59.49!
But it was 2 American Collegians and 2 American Pro's who produced the most shockwaves!
Katie Mackey edged out Laura Thweatt, 15:04.74 to 15:04.98 in the battle for 3rd.
Mackey, whose 4:04.60 at the 2013 Oxy Hi-Performance meet just beat Mary Cain's 4:04.62 HSR, is now # 19 A-T US in the 5000.
Thweatt is 20th A-T US.
One of those who was edged OFF my DDD list was Lynn Jennings, her mark of 15:07.92 dating from 1990!
Speaking of Cain, the two Collegians both ran against Cain in some HS races a few years ago!
Aisling Cuffe, a Stanford junior, ran a startling 15:11.13.
This makes her the 3rd fastest Collegian EVER outdoors!
It's also the Collegiate Junior Class record.
And the record she beat?
Would you believe Abbey D's 15:11.35 from last year??!!
Abbey D may have a RACE on her hands come June's NCAA Championships!!
The other College girl is just a freshman!!
Erin Finn, that iconic front-running stud(-ette?), got a PR of about 15 seconds with her time of 15:26.08.
This misses the Collegiate Frosh Class record (Alicia Craig's 15:25.35) by just 0.73!!
She's now 19th A-T Collegiate!
Two All-Time Collegiate greats from the past were REMOVED from my DDD by Cuffe's and Finn's entrance!
They were in 23rd and 24th place.
Remember Stephanie Herbst and Cathy Branta (Easker)?
GONE!!
Their marks dated from 1986 and 1985, respectively!
And they were both Wisconsin athletes!
The Men's 5000 Elite race brought on 3 Record Book alterations.
In a fantastic race, Ben True just nipped Hassan Mead, with times of 13:02.74 and 13:02.80!
True moves from 12th to 9th A-T US.
And he sets a new Payton Jordan Meet Record!
Mead moved from 16th up to 10th A-T US!
Back a bit came Lopez Lomong with his outdoor PR of 13:07.95.
This moves him up to 11th A-T US.
He was in 13th place before.
The Men's 10K gave us two Collegiate list alterations.
Shadrock Kipchirchir ran 27:36.79, making him 9th A-T Collegian.
Kennedy Kithuka's 27:41.73 makes him 14th A-T Collegian.
Dropped OFF the Top 24 list was iconic Mike Musyoki's 28:03.79 from 1979!!
He'd been in 24th place.
The Women's Elite 10000 was like the 5K, giving us 2 Collegiate and 2 Professional list changes.
Sally Kipyego not unexpectedly won the race, in a solid 30:42 and change.
But just 5 seconds behind Sally came Molly Huddle.
Her time of 30:47.69 is a PR by about 41 seconds!
And it makes her 2nd fastest American, behind only Shalane Flanagan!
She moved up from 13th place on the list.
Jordan Hasay improved her PR by a bit less than 7 seconds, her time of 31:39.67 moving her from 24th A-T US up to 22nd.
In the Collegiate ranks, Emma Bates beat Juliet Bottorff.
Bates ran 32:20.83, ranking her 11th A-T Collegian.
Bottorff ran 32:25.69, making her 14th A-T Collegian.
And yes, there are other marks to report, as I stated earlier.
But before I get into that, let's revisit a mark made in the 2011 Chicago Marathon!
Remember Lillya Shobokhova's great 2:18:20??
It was great, alright!
Made that way with the help of illegal drugs!!
She's been banned, and that mark has been annulled!
Replacing her, and becoming 24th A-T World, is Berhane Adere's 2:20:42 from 2006.
Adere also replaces Shobokhova as the Age 33 record holder, with the same result.
The new Russian National record holder is Galina Bogomolova's 2:20:47 from 2006.
Maria Michta is America's best Walker, male or female, of the past few years.
While that's not exactly World Class Brag material, nonetheless, Michta deserves high praise for a (perhaps!) unique accomplishment.
In the World Cup Walk Trials 20K (in March?), Michta broke the AR with a time of 1:31:10.
Well, in the World Cup race itself a few days ago, she AGAIN broke the AR--her own!--with a time of 1:30:49.
She finished just 30th, but I wonder if anyone, male or female, has ever broken a distance record (running or walking) TWICE in one year!!
Hell, twice in the space of a few short WEEKS!!
Her "baby" sister, Katie, still in HS, walked the Junior 10K WC race, but got carded out (for the first time, it was reported!).
She's an up-and-comer!
The Michta's.
Remember their name!!
Some field event marks made news.
Andrew Evans, a Kentucky senior, tossed the Discus 217-9, ranking him 5th A-T Collegiate.
Tavis Bailey hit 211-8 in the DT, making him 23rd A-T Collegiate.
Colton Ross, a senior at Stephen A Austin, PV'ed 18-8.25 for 17th A-T Collegiate, but tying him with 5 others.
Annika Roloff PV'ed 14-5.25, tying her with 4 others at 18th A-T Collegiate.
Fawn Miller threw the Javelin 181-6, just making my DDD in 24th place, Collegiate.
Besides Cranny's from Stanford, there are 3 more HS marks worth noting.
Garrett O'Toole ran a 1500 in 3:45.55, ranking him 17th A-T HS.
John Nizich threw the Javelin 222-9, making him 20th A-T HS.
The 3rd mark is worth noting, but I wish I didn't feel the need!
Why?
Because it came in that alien monstrosity, the 3200!
I don't have a list for 3200.
Nor for 1600.
I DO have lists for the ACTUAL One and Two MILE distances!
Sorry, but Amelia Paladino's spectacular 3200 time of 10:00.43 will NOT be found anywhere in my book!!
Too bad, because if those jerk authorities would have added just 18 meters to her race, she CERTAINLY would be on my 2 Mile list, probably ranking as high as 4th A-T HS!!
I've said this too many times, but I hope she runs that fast over the Two MILE distance.
I would LOVE writing her name in my book!!
(She won the Penn MILE in 4:45 and change!!)
Almost forgot, but the first American Track League meet took place in Indiana a few days ago!
Here's the Meet Records (just the event and mark listed):
Men
100 10.31
400 45.34
1500 3:40.36
3000SC 8:33.79
HJ 7-3.75
PV 18-8.75
Women
400 52.47
800 2:02.21
100H 12.89
400H 56.05
For now, I'll consider the whole series of meets as one meet, thus having just one Meet Record (covering all of the meets).
I have no idea whether the same events will be held in every meet, or whether different athletes will participate next week (in Virginia).
But this blog will continue to report on the results!
As it will on other meets.
The Doha Diamond League is next week also!
See you then!
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