Chapter
Twenty Eight
Runnersworld Magazine, August 2024
As we approach the start of the 2024 Olympic Games, droves
of fans are reading up on the next wave of potential national heroes. For many athletes,
this small window within a 4-year cycle is the only real exposure they will have
to the public eye. But, ironically, it’s a journalist who is using the window
to steal the spotlight.
Track writer and historian John Trainor is preparing
to release his first book, The Running
Diaries, which covers the journey of four high schoolers during the 2016
cross country season in his native state of Pennsylvania. Although the book has
been finished for months, he held out on publication with the hope that one of
his characters would make it through the Olympic Trials and onto the team for
Los Angeles. And the move paid off. Runnersworld’s Robert Hayes sat down with
Trainor to get the full story.
Robert Hayes: “Hello John and welcome to Los Angeles! How was your
flight?”
John Trainor: “Thanks Robert. It wasn’t too bad. I’m not the best
flyer, but these new high speed planes at least get things over with quicker.”
RH: “So the athletics action begins tomorrow here at the
Coliseum and we understand one of the central athletes in your book will be
competing on Thursday.”
JT: “Yes, that’s correct. It’s pretty cool, honestly. We were in high
school right around the same time back in Pennsylvania and even back then you
could tell how special this kid was.”
RH: “So you knew back then he had Olympic talent?”
JT: “Olympic talent? Oh, no way. PA doesn’t really have Olympians. Historically,
we rarely have All-Americans in the NCAA for the distance events. So, back
then, I was just hoping he could adjust to the next level and give me a cool ‘I
knew him when’ story to tell my college buddies.”
RH: “And now you’re telling that story to more than just a few friends.”
JT: “Yeah, I guess I am. But, unfortunately, since it’s only in a book,
it’s gonna be a lot easier for my buddies to ignore me.”
RH: “I had the chance to read one of the few early previews of the
novel-is it fair to call it a novel?”
JT: “Definitely.”
RH: “OK, good. Because I’d argue it reads much more like a fiction story
than a biography. And it certainly stretches well beyond simply exploits on the
track.”
JT: “Well, you’ve got to remember, there’s a lot of factors that create
success. And I feel the journey is always more compelling than the result. I
could throw numbers and times and workouts at you for days, but those aren’t
interesting in and of themselves. They are only interesting when they are
attached to something. Or maybe I should say someone.”
RH: “Now readers will notice you changed all the names for the sake of
anonymity. So you actually make it to the very end of the story before you find
out which of these guys is the Olympian. And I have to admit, I was a little
surprised by who is who.”
JT: “I’ve heard that from a couple people. It’s definitely fun to hear
everyone’s guesses.”
RH: “Another fun wrinkle was seeing how often the four runners’ paths
intersected. Did you have to fudge any details to make it all work?”
JT: “That’s probably my favorite aspect of the book. Believe it or not,
the puzzle pieces just all came together. Maybe the exact details aren’t the
same, but the big moments: they all happened. It’s cool because it almost seems
like, when they overlap, one runner could have just chosen to pick up the
other’s path and change their destiny. Like it all could have been completely
different. But I prefer to think everything worked out exactly how it should
have.”
TheRealTrain Blog, May 2016
State 3200m Preview
By John Trainor
It’s officially state week here on the
blog and we are celebrating in style. I’ll be breaking down all the important
details and the names to watch for each of the four major distance events. We’ll
start with the 3200 meters which will be the first final of the day on Saturday
morning.
Key Qualifiers
The top seed and heavy favorite for gold
is, unsurprisingly, the defending champion Jimmy Springer. The junior from
Union Valley pulled off the unthinkable a year ago: winning the 32, 16 and 800
in the same state meet. It was the first time anyone had won all three events
in a championship (the closest before him was Mac Beam back in 1968 who had two
1st and a 3rd).
After an injury this winter, Springer has
decided not to chase the triple again, instead opting to focus his attention on
not just a win, but also the state record. The mark to beat is 9:00.11, set
back in 1992 by Doug Coval of Council Rock. Although the record has survived
nearly 14 years, it probably has seen its last full week. Springer has an
excellent shot at putting his name in the record books for the first time in
his special career after running a personal best of 9:01.82 at the District One
Championships and moving to #3 all-time in PA history.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the
record,” Jimmy said in a post-race interview, “I didn’t even realize how close
I was until the last lap. If someone had been willing to help take the pace out
faster, I definitely could have gotten it.”
The usually loaded District One had just
one other sub 9:20 finisher as Pennridge’s Isaac Bryant took the silver medal
in 9:16. However, three runners from the cross country state champions,
Coatesville, ran together as a pack and took 4th through 6th.
After the race, Raiders’ team captain Andrew Rosato said the boys were trying
to conserve energy and only running to qualify for next weekend’s championship.
“Coach Solares really wants us to peak
specifically for states. He felt running two hard 3200s back to back would be
too much strain. But next weekend, I’ll be running all out. And running for the
win.”
During indoor, Rosato was defeated over
the final 400 meters in his bid for his first individual state gold. Jayson
Miller of Manheim Township got the upset victory 8:35 to 8:37.
Speaking of Miller, he won his district
meet in the second fastest time in the state this year, trailing only Springer.
He opened up a massive lead over Zack Johnston of Cedar Cliff and Henry
Gonzalez of JP McCaskey during the final two laps to clinch the victory.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Miller said
after the race, “Looking forward to getting the chance to race everybody at
states next week. Definitely going to be a lot of fun.”
Out west, the graduation of Pittsburgh
Central Catholic duo Scott Zarniak and Robert Runco opened the door for a new
star to emerge and lead the district. In a four-way battle, Ben Jacobs of Plum
won by less than a second over Chris Cole of Seneca Valley: 9:18.08-9:18.49. To
make matters even crazier 3rd and 4th place finishers
Noah West and Chase Morgan ran 9:19 and 9:20, making for the tightest finish of
the weekend.
Lastly, Bonner’s duo of Dan McGee and Tom
Seeley cruised to a 1-2 finish in the District 12 Championships and easily
punched their state meet tickets, running about 9:30. They won’t be among the
top seeds, but it’s important to remember this pair was 3rd and 4th
respectively at the indoor state championships over 3,000 meters.
Analysis
You’d have to be crazy to pick against
Jimmy Springer in this race. Even with an injury, he’s still managed to win the
district title and uncork a big PR. In the past, Springer hasn’t really gone
all out in the two mile, saving for his other events on a busy schedule. But
this year, now that he is focused and ready to attack, we are finally seeing
the true potential many thought he had in this event.
Keep in mind that Jimmy Springer has never lost an individual state
championship race during any sesaon. Even as a freshman, Jimmy went 2 for 2.
Many people have speculated he’s trending in the wrong direction (over racing,
over training), but still no one has been able to beat him when it counts. The
kid is just clutch.
However, let’s not sleep on Andrew Rosato
of Coatesville. The Raiders absolutely dominated during Cross Country season
and now seem to be peaking at the right time once again. Rosato looked
completely at ease jogging to a 9:22 state qualifying time at the district
championships. When he unleashes his full arsenal at states, it’s going to be
tough for anyone to handle.
The one knock on Rosato has been his
speed, but he’s taken big steps to improve that so far this spring. He won the
mile at the Coatesville Invitational and had a memorable anchor performance on
the Raiders’ wheel winning Distance Medley at the Penn Relays. You guys know
me. I like to pick the upset. And Rosato may be the perfect candidate.
A lot of the District 3 readers have been
hyping up Jayson Miller from Manheim Township as the guy who should be my upset
pick. I’ll admit Miller did run very fast at districts. Plus, he won the indoor
state championship over Rosato. That being said, I’d like to see him in a race
that’s fast from the start. He seems to be good at winding it up and closing,
but I’m not sure he will be able to hang at sub 9 minute pace. It is worth
noting that Miller has outkicked Rosato by one spot the last two times they met
at states (in XC they finished 4th and 5th this year).
I have no idea who the WPIAL’s top contender
will be. This district always seems to produce a medal contender, but their
crop at the top is relatively inexperienced. Jacobs upset win might be a sign
of things to come (he was 9th at states in XC), but he still hasn’t
proven to me that he’s healed from his stress fracture. I think it’s more
likely we have a title contender from the Catholic league than from the WPIAL.
Lastly, keep an eye out for Teddy
Crittenton of Wissahickon. He scratched the mile this weekend and is now only
running the 3200. He’s still pretty inexperienced at this event, but he was a
beast in cross country the past few seasons. I think he could make the
transition well and use some of that closing speed to make noise at the end of
the race.
Prediction
Springer has made it clear he wants the
record and will be taking things out hard. Maybe he’s healthy enough to do it,
but I also wouldn’t be surprised if this leaves him vulnerable for an upset.
The way the Coatesville guys have been running under Coach Solares it’s really
hard for me to doubt them. I think Rosato goes after Springer with everything
he’s got and pulls off the stunner. I’m predicting not just one, but two
runners under Coval’s state record. Should be one to remember!
1. Rosato 8:58
2. Springer 8:59
3. McGee 9:05
4. Miller 9:07
5. Jacobs 9:11
6. Crittenton 9:12
7. Seeley 9:12
8. Garnett 9:15
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