The Running Diaries: It's Got It's Own Blog Now

Hey everybody, just a small little public service announcement. It's a Saturday so I'm sure you guys got all sorts of fun stuff going on and you won't be checking in on the blog much so this seemed like a good time to post this up.

I've received some really nice, positive feedback and strong constructive criticism about the fiction book I've been writing called "The Running Diaries" and I really appreciate your guys sentiments and your support for my little side project.

Based on the stats I've seen, the views for the recently posted chapters of the book have been great and a decent amount higher than the first couple. Maybe that means there's some new fans out there who want to read from the beginning in an easy format? Maybe not.

But I did get a couple comments asking to organize the posts a little better. I ended up creating a new site, called etrainrunningdiaries.blogspot.com, that will house all the chapters. It's organized with a table of contents and also the posts are in order from first to last chapter. At the bottom of each chapter is a link to the next one. It actually comes out pretty well if you are accessing it via cell phone. I'll still post new chapters up on therealtrain, but this gives you a way to keep up on everything as well.

Plus, I've added a tab at the top of this site's home page that takes you to the diaries in case you are into that sort of thing. 

So anyway, if you like the running diaries or you like fictional stories about running check out the site and let me know your thoughts. It's a great way to catch up on the series. Personal opinion from the author is the first chapters are OK, but it picks up to somewhere around solid. The first crossover is coming and that's exciting. So yeah stay tuned/get started.

One person once said they were surprised to read one and like it so maybe that could be you. Someone else said they read some of it and got bored. That's fine if that's you as well. I will still like you. Just not as much. 

Stay classy and enjoy your Saturday.

All My Friends Are Runners: First Impressions

Chapter 14: First Impressions

My sophomore year, our cross country team was on the cusp of history as we tried to qualify for the state championships (and, perhaps more important, finally usurp our girl’s squad as tops in the school). We returned five of our top seven from the previous year, each of whom had run 16:30 or faster the previous season. However, we had heavily relied on that fantastic pack, without a breakout star to help carry us into the top six teams. If we wanted to make states this season, that would definitely have to change.

Further down the roster, we added some new faces to the team. My best friend Todd joined the squad after a brief soccer career and brought with him his friend Ian McGrath. We also added my pal Eric Lau, who had done well during the past track season and had solid sprint speed. The last newcomer was Ryan Desch who, as far as I knew, had never run at any level before. The addition of these four sophomores was important as no freshmen joined our team that season[1].

I knew basically nothing about Ian or Ryan. I knew they hadn’t been in the top spots in our middle school Turkey Trots[2] and neither of them had run school track the past three years. Admittedly, Ian and I were on the same basketball team a few years prior through the intermural league, but we had essentially zero interaction. The only major thing I knew about him was that he was Irish and celebrated big on St. Patrick’s Day[3].

Ryan was one of the cooler kids in school. I was briefly friends with him in 2^nd or 3^rd grade before he switched elementary schools. When we met back up in middle school, we were friendly in 7^th grade sharing the same homeroom and social studies class, but we didn’t really travel in the same circles. Some of the kids I associated with him were drinkers or smokers and slackers or bullies. Basically, it felt like a seriously damaging move to his reputation if he was hanging out with us dorky runners.

Who would have thought that the Irishmen and the popular kid, neither of which had shown me any signs that they would be runners in their previous fifteen years of life would play such major roles in my cross country career. And become two great friends that I will always remember.

First impressions count for a lot in this world. When I was applying to college and looking for jobs I was constantly reminded of it by my parents and teachers. But as I learned during my sophomore season, first impressions are not reliable indicators of who a person is. Running with Ryan over the summer and through the fall, I realized that he was a kind, approachable and down to earth individual. He didn’t fit the mold I had set aside for him based on the experience I had with some of his friends. I also quickly learned that Desch[4] was going to be a good runner. He was motivated, hardworking and competitive. He accepted coaching, he asked questions and he learned a lot in a brief span.

When Ian McGrath first joined the team, he was slow. Undeniably slow. The slowest one on the team in practice and so dreadfully slow that our Coach was thinking about straight up telling him to quit. But Ian was also an incredibly driven runner with perhaps the most heart of any teammate I’ve ever had. At the first race of his career he outkicked Tanzer[5] and then vomited all over the course. He broke six minutes for the first time in the mile during a 5k at William Tennent. And before long he was mid pack on the team, carving out a space to show he clearly belonged.

***

After I spent my entire freshman year as the top cross country runner on the team, I was in for a rude awakening. Desch smacked me around in our first race. At the hilly Belmont Plateau course, I went out over my head and Ryan rolled past me on the down hills. Todd also defeated me for the second straight race, finishing as the second best sophomore on the team. I had hoped that with a year’s experience under my belt, I would start to climb up through the ranks as a sophomore. My fitness was well ahead of where it had been a year earlier and I was setting a ton of personal bests. But after one meet, I someone found myself going backwards on the depth chart.

But, as was all too often the case in my running career, just when I thought things were spiraling downward, things picked back up. The addition of Ryan and Todd pushed me to be better and race smarter. Gradually over the course of the next few races, I started to get some swagger back, taking a brief turn back in the #1 sophomore spot. Ryan, Todd and I were even selected to go with the Varsity guys on an overnight trip to our team’s most coveted invitational at Carlisle High School[6].

Of course the Carlisle Invite was not just a big deal for us JV guys. The varsity guys went there with hopes of testing themselves against some of the best teams in the state. We had realized very quickly that we had a special talent as a front runner. Mike Palmisano had emerged as a state medal contender from the first race where he excelled at the Briarwood Invitational with a top 10 finish[7]. He then followed that up with a very tight battle alongside 4:13 miler Nick Crits in our dual meet[8].

At Carlisle, Mike officially cemented his elite status. He dipped under 16 minutes for 5,000 meters for the first time in his career. Behind him, Pat McLaughlin and Matt Lorenzo had terrific races, finishing 12^th and 13^th, and then the Reilly twins brought things home. When the points were tallied, it was revealed that we had defeated Pre-Season state title favorites North Allegheny[9] and finished second overall.

The winners? A familiar team by the name of North Penn.

---

[1] Since there were no new freshmen, that meant Brian Lee, Matt Tanzer and I ended up with two years’ worth of freshmen duties. We still had to carry the tent, get the water, be the smallest guys on the team, all that good stuff. Tanzer used to hate carrying the tent. It probably didn’t help that he was about 85 pounds.

[2] You may remember the middle school mile race known as the Turkey Trot from Chapter 1. Back then, I was all about Turkey Trot placing and how it would correlate to future results. I could remember everyone who beat me as an 8^th grader. Looking back, it meant close to nothing about who our top guys would be on the track. The top guys my senior year were James Stein (never ran in high school), Matt Gordon (never ran in high school), Sam Ellison (we’ll get to him), Evan Saltzman (dabbled as a 400 guy but never panned out) and Alex Stine (never ran in high school).

[3] Turns out he was only like 25% Irish. He got a lot of crap for that.

[4] In High School it feels like everybody goes by their last name. It’s just the way it is and it feels wrong to type out “Ryan” or “Ian”. That season we had Felix, Desch, McGrath, Tanzer, Stortz and Jensen just to name a few. Most people who went by their first names had legit excuses. Like Todd’s last name was Warszawski. So that’s going to get you called by your first name nine times out of ten.

[5] The McGrath-Tanzer animosity is legendary. If there was anyone that Ian was going to vomit to defeat it was Tanzer.

[6] I always sucked at Carlisle. I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t run that course for the life of me. On race day, I got an early lead on Desch but he came charging back on me during the signature final downhill. There was a video on Penntrack of the finishing straight that shows me hobbling toward the line, then looking blatantly to my left, seeing Desch come up on me and suddenly kicking furiously to stay ahead. Also ironically, I raced two future Muhlenberg teammates in that race without even knowing it. But we’ll get to that. In like 20 chapters probably. But we’ll get there.

[7] I made another bet with Tanzer during indoor track about who our top guy would be the next cross country season. I bet on Mike and he bet on Pat McLaughlin who had been our top non-senior during the fall and qualified for states individually. Tanzer and I made a lot of bets. I lost most of them, but I’m gonna try and mention all the ones I won.

[8] I think every league has that guy who is just dominant and each league thinks “Wow, how could anybody be better than this guy?”. Well our guy was Crits so when Mike battled him all the way to the finish line, he had kinda “arrived” as a star.

[9] So here’s what I heard happened to NA. The starting gun went up before they were ready and they were still doing their team cheer (I think it was the “Is there pain in the dojo?” cheer which is an awesome one) so they missed the start and slipped down the standings. They also raced at Hershey the week before. We learned how much effect that could have a year later.

1/28 Ocean Breeze Invitational

Thanks to one of our readers, we got some links to the Ocean Breeze Invitational Heat Sheets (both boys and girls). We posted them up at the link below and of course encourage everybody to share their predictions, speculations, etc.

http://lxvplus.blogspot.com/2017/01/127-ocean-breeze-invitational.html

State Breakdown: 800

By Jarrett Felix

Let the games continue! We broke down the mile a couple days back and now I’ll jump along the 800 meters. We had some solid discussion on the first post, so hopefully this generates some more. A reminder that you can go to LXV+ to check out all the rankings. I’m missing a meet out west (Noah Beveridge, Mark Brown highlighted those results), but otherwise I think it is pretty up to date.

The Event

The 800 will be a three heat event, which is important to keep in mind. There are usually medal contenders from every heat and, every so often, a runner wins the state title from one of the slower heats. This happened back in 2010 when Luke Lefebure grabbed the title away from big favorite Tom Mallon (doubling). This year, I think another slow heat winner is in play, depending on who is bold enough to take out the pace.

For the record, the state guideline is 2 minutes and 0.13 seconds for a bank track. Unlike the mile, this standard has actually been pretty on par with the cut offs. In 2016 the cut off was about 2:00.15 while in 2015 the cut off was 2:02.54, but I think the second to last entry was closer to 2 flat. In 2015, I’m almost positive a bunch of coaches didn’t even both to enter athletes above the guideline and, as a result, their guys missed states. Upper Darby ended up getting their guy in even though he was over 2 seconds above the qualifying. Shout to them.

Last winter, we finished with 33 guys under the 2 flat either by conversion or actual time. We’ve got 20 so far. The fast heat cut off was a 1:57.22 when scratches came down. Currently, I’m projecting the fast heat cut off at 1:56.92, but we could certainly see a couple scratches in there. The top 5 finishers in 2016 came from the fast heat and 6 of the 8 medalists.

What Has Actually Happened So Far

So far, we’ve seen the milers dominate this event. Noah Affolder made his PA individual track debut with a blazing fast 1:54.72. He ran that in the middle of a triple and won by a wide margin on a flat track. His time converts to 1:54.12. Last year, only Mike Kolor of Seneca Valley ended the regular season with a faster time. Of course, Noah is primarily a miler but that doesn’t rule out either 1) a mile-800 double or 2) a 4x8-8-DMR triple. I know people are skeptical of this move, but I think it could potentially work. Personally, I’m not seeing a team title for Carlisle, but I do agree if that’s what they want, the better strategy is to ditch the “A” 4x8. We’ll see what his team qualifies in over the next month.

#2 on the performance list and #1 in the state by raw time is Josh Hoey of Bishop Shanahan. Hoey is also #1 in the state for the mile and has run on Shanahan’s state leading 4x4. In addition, there’s talk that Hoey have Shanahan’s title contending 4x200 relay. That could make for a busy meet. Personally, I’d be stunned if we don’t see Josh doubling up mile-800 like his brother Jaxson did a year ago. And I think he’s got a great chance to win both events, making him the first guy to pull it off since Wade Endress did it in 2011. I’ve been really impressed with the speed Hoey has shown and he just seems like he’s in sharp racing shape. I don’t know his doubling ability incredibly well, but he seems like a strength runner who could pull it off as he enters his junior season.

Out West, Nick Wagner has been running from coast to coast and dropping fast times. Early in the season he raced at the Armory, Penn State, Dickinson, and Ursinus. He’s taken a little down time it appears which is probably a good sign. I’d imagine we will see him at the TSTCA meets soon with potential match ups coming against Ryan Thrush (state #5), Isaiah Bailey (#15), Zach Ehling (#18) and Donovan Myers (#20).

Joe Cullen of Wyomissing should be no joke either. He ran 1:56 this weekend in a fast meet, but not the fastest heat. He crushed his section and is way ahead of where he was this time last year. Remember, he split 1:54 last outdoors on a clutch anchor leg for his 4x8. That was as only a sophomore.

A bit farther down the roster, I’ve got to give some shout outs to guys who have been racing well that have stayed out of the headlines. Collin Ebling of Pottsville and Derek Jones of Cathedral Prep have both been excellent this year. They are probably the two best guys in the state that people have never heard of. Ebling has run a 1:56 this season at PSU and also hung tough in a loaded Burdette 800. Meanwhile, Derek Jones has been racing essentially exclusively in Ohio, but he turned in a 1:59.67 on the 19^th. That puts him in the top 20 in the state.

Aqeel Bacchus of Bensalem also seems like a good sleeper pick. He just ran 2 flat at Kutztown which is not the fastest of tracks. He did it in a big time winning effort as well. Don’t forget Bensalem had the indoor 800 champ in 2013 and 2014.

What Might Happen Next

Personally, I think the two best pure 800 guys in the state aren’t even in the top 10 of PA. Nick Feffer of State College (12^th) and Kamil Jihad of Neumann Goretti (19^th) are both outside the fast heat as things currently stand. Feffer has run 1:58.9 hand time while Jihad has run just 2:00.52, but last season they were the best two underclassmen in their respective divisions at states. Feffer ran 1:53.5 and Jihad ran 1:52.2. Jihad’s time is in the top 50 or so marks in state history and he did as just a sophomore.

But it seems both these guys are racers more than time trailers. Neither has had a huge margin of victory and run a fast time and, if I recall, they ran similarly last year. That’s definitely a good thing for guys trying to win a state championship, but the jury is still out on whether they will find the meets to run fast enough to get them in the right race. Jihad has a bunch more opportunities like PCLs and Meet of Champs. Feffer may get a chance to go head to head with Joe Cullen, the aforementioned 1:56 man.

Keep an eye on the western guys. Isaiah Bailey ran 1:56.71 last indoors and that got him into the fast heat. That was a pretty big indoor PR at the time, but he backed it up with a 1:54 outdoors. Bailey has run just 1:59 so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he pops a big race toward the end of the year. Donovan Myers is a fantastic runner form Seneca. He split 1:53 last year with a very fast anchor performance at states for the AA champs. He ran 1:58.07 last year, but scratched out of the state finals for some reason (Seneca not historically a big indoor program). This year it appears that he and his brother are gearing up for a full season so hopefully we get the chance to see what Donovan can do at PSU.

Other guys who could make moves include Hudson Delisle, Luke Everidge, Austin Padmore, Jarett Boyd and Robert Dupell. Also potentially Logan Yoquinto for Shanahan and Liam Conway for Owen J Roberts. Oh and Cameron Christopher from Wissahickon. Yeah, I think there’s lots of guys still lurking around.

Way Too Early Predictions

Again, I’m not going too specific with these, but I’ll give you my gut instincts as of 1.26

1.       I think Brookville’s Ryan Thrush could win this title if he wants. He’s run 1:56 already this year, which should put him in the fast heat even if he never runs the event again until states. He ran 1:52 last year and he has 48 second speed. To win the indoor 8, most of the time you just have to take the thing from the front and grind, making it impossible for anyone to come by you. I could see Thrush doing that, or I could see him hanging on to someone else who does that and then finding one last gear. However, I think he’s also got a great shot in the 400 and that comes first. He will almost certainly run both, but the events are so close together I’d be super impressed if he can run both well.

2.       I’m pretty sure Jihad will run a time to get him in the fast heat. Assuming he does, I think he wins. Even if he doesn’t I think he might still win. Feffer would be interesting with his home field advantage, but I could also see him being tired from a herculean anchor leg in the 4x8 to try and keep the state title with SC. Typically, I don’t like to pick guys on the double if I can help it, that’s why I’d be nervous about Hoey, Affolder, etc.

3.       I like Peter Cooke and Derin Klick as medal contenders. Klick has a 1:53 PR and I think he comes on strong at the end of the year. Cooke just seems like a solid racer and he ran a gutsy individual race at this meet last year in Heat 1. He’s run 1:56 already this indoors.

4.       I think the state cut off this year ends up being under 2 minutes for the first time. We were close last year and I think this year will end up being deeper. The crazy thing is, right now, I’ve got no projected scratches in the top 23 overall on this list and 24 of the top 25. That’s wild to me. And I’m not sure how many guys could end up in the scratch pile even in a month or so. That’s the reason why I’ve got a hunch the cut off to get into this year’s meet will be fast.

Let me know where you agree and disagree! Should be a fun event to watch unfold.

The Weekend Review: 800m Stars Debut With Fast Times; Peterson Returns With 7:57 3K

By: Garrett Zatlin

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to catch up on ALL of our PA alumni this week. However, I did scatter a few PA alum through the post! The meets with the asterisk indicate that a PA alum ran in that meet.

Rod McCravy Memorial T&F Meet*
800
Rod McCravy is always a key meet for some of the best 800 talent to debut. Sure enough, we saw Penn State's Isaiah Harris unleash a tremendous 1:46 in his first half-mile of the season. He won the race by over a second and is clearly in a great point of fitness for this early on in the season.

Behind Harris, we saw a huge breakout race from Strymar Livingston of Kansas! The senior Jayhawk has had a lot of big expectations on him ever since he came out of high school. Now, he starts off his season with a PR of 1:47.95. It's tough to say whether or not that time will be good enough to get him into NCAA's, but he certainly has a shot.

5 others went under 1:50 barrier in this race with Harvard's Myle Marshall leading Mpho Makofane (Clemson) and Robert Ford (USC) to spots 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively. All three registered times of 1:48.

The last two under 1:50 included a pair of freshmen. Dominic Perreta (PSU) and Terrell Jackson (Clemson) both earned marks of 1:49 in what must be a big confidence booster for both of them. Perreta now has PR's of 2:23 (1k) and 1:49 (800) in his first two races at the college level. Talk about scary potential...

PA ALUMNI
Harvard freshman Mike Kolor had a great day as he ran a 1:53 which ties his high school indoor PR. Billy McDevitt was also in this race, but ended up as a DNF.

Mile
Mississippi made a statement in their first meet of the season as they took the top four spots of this race. Tobin led the way with a time of 4:01 and was followed closely by Robert Domanic who ran 4:02. I think it's safe to say that another Ole Miss DMR is in the works.

Despite the domination from Mississippi, freshman Spencer Dodds of Texas turned heads when he placed 6th with a time of 4:08. He was trailed by Penn State sophomore Colin Abert who also had a time of 4:08.

3000
Illinois' Jon Davis won this event in an awesome time of 8:04. Unfortunately, he was running unattached and it looks like he'll be redshirted for his indoor season.

Behind Davis, we saw Kentucky's Jacob Thomson return back to the track and place 2nd with a time of 8:05. He was trailed by Purdue's Jaret Carpenter (8:07) and Illinois senior Dylan Lafond (8:10). Both Thompson and Lafond failed to meet expectations this past cross country season. I'm hoping that they can rebound and run something fast this winter.

5000
Charles Melgares (Kansas) gets the win over Mick Iacofano (Kentucky), 14:45 to 14:55.

Auburn Invite
800
LUS's Blair Henderson threw down a 1:49 to get the win by nearly two seconds.

Mile
Robbie Farnham-Rose ran an 8:03 last weekend and was back again this weekend with a winning time of 4:05. He's one of my sleeper picks this season to make NCAA's.

Runner-up was Kevin Blank of Ohio State with a time of 4:07.97.

5000
Connor Thompson (Alabama) held off the Auburn trio of Kevin Wyss, Coleman Churitch, and Mithell Gomez to get the win. Thompson ran very nice time of 14:30 while Wyss, Churitch, and Gomez were 14:35, 14:40, and 14:50 respectively.

Vanderbilt Invite
800
Collins Kibet (Arizona) is back for his final indoor season and he started out strong with a time of 1:49. He defeated Andres Littig of Georgia Tech who ran 1:50.

Mile
It was a cluster of big names that filled this field. A total of 13 individuals went under 4:10 with Jack Bruce (Arkansas) leading the way in a time of 4:00.72! I definitely see him as a sub-4 minute candidate this season.

Middle Tennessee State also entered many of their top guys. Sampson Laari and Kigen Chemadi rounded out the top three with times of 4:01.

5000
Furman just continues to get deeper as freshman Mason Coppi gets the win with a time of 14:41. He was trailed by Vanderbilt senior Nikolaos Gkotsis who ran 14:51. 3rd was rounded out by another Furman freshman (Luke Meade) who ran a time of 14:52.

Gladstein Invite
800
Indiana mid-distance star Daniel Kuhn unleashed a 1:47.03 this past weekend to defeat the next closest competitor by over 4 seconds! I am a big fan of Kuhn and run a 1:47 solo is insane for this early in the season. Could he be a sleeper contender for the 800 title? I'm not putting him out of the conversation...

Mile
After a breakout cross country season for the Bradley Braves, they are staying relevant thanks to Haran Dunderdale who ran 4:05 to finish as the top collegiate. Jordan Huntoon (Indiana) was the next collegiate in with a time of 4:07.

3000
Welcome back Erik Peterson! With no eligibility left, Peterson waited patiently for the cross country season to end. Of course, the Butler senior wasn't messing around during that down time. Peterson out ran the field to earn a blazing fast time of 7:57 to get the win.

Peterson didn't out run just any chase pack though. He out ran an Indiana trio that included Bryce Millar (8:02), Matthew Schwartzer (8:07), and Kyle Mau (8:07).

Texas A&M Invite
800
Erik Martinson of UT-Arlington should be feeling pretty good after getting a win over established half-miler Vincent Crisp (Texas Tech) this past weekend. Both ran times of 1:49.

Mile
Bryan Kamau (Georgia) went head-to-head with Carlos Villarreal (Texas A&M) which resulted in Kamau getting the win. Both ran times of 4:08.

3000
Texas Tech's Miguel Bautista soloed an 8:07 to get the win. It's tough not to wonder what he could've done with some competition...

Notre Dame Invite*
800
Michigan Ned Willig and Brennan Munley went at it in the 800. Willig came out on top with both athletes recording a times of 1:50.

Mile
Notre Dame's Jacob Dumford led 8 athletes under 4:10 with a 4:06 win. Chase Barnett (Michigan) and Christopher Marco (Notre Dame) rounded out the top three places with times of 4:07.

PA ALUMNI
Alex Milligan (UNC) drops a very big 4:12 mile in the 2nd open race of his college career.

Joe Donahue Games
Mile
Paul Duffey of Northeastern is making a statement so far this season. He ran 4:04 earlier this season along with a 2:24 (1k). Now, he can add a PR of 4:00 to his resume after getting a win this past weekend.

I'm a big believer in Duffey. He's competed with some of the best names in the northeast region and has been very consistent throughout his career. I'm hoping he can dip under the 4-minute barrier and grab a birth to nationals this winter.

MSU, ISU, UM, USU Dual Meet
Mile
Diego Leon got the win with a time of 4:13. That may not seem very fast, but you when you factor in the altitude AND bank track conversions, Leon's time actually comes out to be 4:04(.99)!

It's never easy being able to check the validity of a time when it goes through both conversions. Still, each has conversion has proven relatively accurate in the past.

3000
Dillon Maggard easily dominated this race as he threw down a time of 8:21. After the conversions, his time is actually an 8:03 which is good for 7th in the nation! Maggard is someone who could sneak his way into NCAA's later on in the season.

Hokie Invite*
800
PA alum Kyle Francis (Duke) earned the first victory of his career with a time of 1:52.

1000
I was lucky enough to watch this one live and goodness was it exciting! Virginia Tech's Drew Piazza and Neil Gourley led from start to finish. They each ended up with incredible times of 2:22. Piazza ran unattached which makes me more unsure of what his plans are for this season. That said, I don't believe he would make the transfer to Virginia Tech and redshirt his indoor season.

VT's Vincent Ciattei had one of the best races of his career after placing 3rd with a time of 2:23. He was followed by Duke freshman and PA alum Matt Wisner who ran 2:26 in his first ever 1000m! Not a bad race for the young guy.

VT's Kevin Cianfarini soloed a 2:26 in the 2nd heat.

Mile
PA alum Dan Jaskowak (Virginia Tech) battled back and forth with his teammates to get the win in a time of 4:07. The Hokies had 5 guys at 4:10 or faster.

Other Things That Need To Be "The Processed"

By Jarrett Felix

My best friend is from Vermont, but has lived in or near Philly for basically the entirety of The Process. And I’m gonna be honest, he hates it. Not because he’s particularly morally opposed to the tanking or because he necessarily thinks it’s a stupid strategy. No, he hates it because of the way Philly fans walked around like The Process had a 100% probability of success. The way they walked around like everyone else in the league was so stupid and we were so much smarter than everyone else. So he hoped The Process would end up crashing and burning.

Well, after the running out of town of our GM, the injuries to our star players and the lack of cohesive line ups for years in a row, it looks like The Process haters are finally getting to laugh in those cocky Philly fans faces.

Psyche! WE’RE THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE Y’ALL! Joel Embiid is the Player of the Week for the East (#plusminus)! He’s putting up Wilt Chamberlain numbers (#Per36)! Robert Covington is the clutchest player since Kobe and among the league leaders in the most important statistic (#deflections)! TJ McConnell is … well … he tries really hard! GET AT ME HATERS!

As we all know, a record of 16 wins and 27 losses officially proves that The Process was an overwhelming success. Just as all us Philly fans already knew. We’re so smart. Remember that time we traded Sam Bradford for a first round pick? Classic genius Philadelphia. Remember that time we drafted Larry Hughes over Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce? Wait-I meant remember that time we drafted Michael Carter Williams over Giannis Antetokounmpo? Er-I meant, uh-we have swap rights with the Kings!

But I digress. The point is that obviously The Process is more than just a philosophy, it is a science. And it’s about time that we extend our Hinkie Magic™ onto others that are need. Here are some teams that need to employ The Process in 2017.

Cleveland Browns

Now as you’ve probably noticed, the Browns have already tried to implement The Process. Look at the season they had last year. Look at them trading down in the draft and playing Cody Kessler at Quarterback. I mean please. The problem is, they don’t know how to properly implement The Process in a football setting. They found out Terrelle Pryor can play wide receiver which was good stuff. Maybe he can be their super version of KJ McDaniels and flip him for some second round picks. But giving up assets to get Chandler Jones? Are you crazy Browns?

Just remember to think “What Would Hinkie Do?” (#WWHD) out there. Start acquiring more 6^th and 7^th round picks. Those will come in handy! Trust us, we’ve totally used all the 2^nd round picks we’ve acquired. When you get your hands on injured assets, rest them for two to three years. And then draft more injured assets. People get injured in the NFL all the time, so you’ll be ahead of the curve if your players are all already injured. And then my last piece of advice would be to load up on running backs. Get like 6 of them. Because running back used to be a really important position, but now the game has evolved to a different level where running back is not actually a big deal.

Milesplit

Look, Milesplit you’ve had a good run. Remember that time you made the finals thanks to your Discussion Forum? Good times. Sure the Discussion Forum didn’t always play by the rules, but the Discussion Forum always had an Answer. But that Discussion Forum is long gone and only Ice Cube knows if it can still play.

Since then, you took metaphorically took the Celtics to 7 that one time with your hard work and those crazy top 500 lists. But those were gimmicks that can’t last forever and Derrick Rose isn’t going to get injured every year. Time to make some moves and take some chances. I’d trade off Dan Beck for assets. You can probably get good value for him. Open up a ton of cap space. That may mean Phil Grove has to go, but you don’t need mentors for a team of young impressionable track and field writers who have no experience and could potentially punch fans in the face because they don’t under how to be a professional! With that cap space, you can throw a lot of money at young up and coming writers. Garrett Zatlin and Caleb Gatchell’s contracts are up at the end of the year. Maybe make a bid at them. If you swing and miss, Alex Fox, Evan Hatton and Sean Collins are expiring the next year. And trust me TheRealTrain doesn’t have the budget to keep them all. They don’t even have pop up adds when you click on stuff!

Friendly’s

I know it’s hard Friendly’s but it’s time to tank. You’ve had successes, but eventually everyone needs to retool and get better. Especially in this new somewhat health crazed but also filled with fast food chain world. The good news is, you already have your asset: ice cream. Whatever you do, don’t trade that ice cream. Hold on to it for dear life like Sixers fans hold onto their first round draft picks. Like sure, maybe we can use Nerlens and a first to get an established 20+ point scorer in CJ McCollum, but no we don’t was established all-star caliber players, The Process is about blind faith in 19 year olds!

And that’s the thing Friendly’s. You are going to need lots of 19 year olds. They are the back bone of a business. They will cost a lot less money than veterans and they have a ton of upside. I’d also suggest maybe stashing some foreign workers overseas until you build up the right amount of talent in the kitchen to warrant bringing them back.

Modern Family

The once beloved TV Show was on top of the world. But they’ve fallen hard since then to the point where they have become unwatchable. Kinda like the Miami Heat. And also like the Miami Heat, you are going to need to tank right now. You may have to trade the beloved Phil Dunphy, the backbone of the franchise, for some tall, afro having Los Angeles Kid. Don’t worry, eventually he will probably win a Golden Globe Championship with some other California team shortly after that Los Angeles Kid gets injured and traded. He will be happy.

So that’s my advice. It’s going to be hard. There are going to be haters. They are going to be days where Ish Smith looks like Steve Nash. Brandon Davies may get some starts. But just remember, that after all that hardship, you too could be the third worst team in the East that still has a log jam at the center position, relatively little shooting and, at least right now, the potential to one day maybe get a draft pick from the Lakers.

Trust The Process

State Breakdown: Mile

By Jarrett Felix

Since I’ve got to make a post a day to keep this post streak going, I figured it might be a good idea to do some event by event breakdowns for this point in the indoor season. And I’ve decided to start with the mile. Now, if you remember, you can keep an eye on how everyone’s times currently stack up in the state by going to lxvplus.blogspot.com and clicking around the rankings. That is a concrete representation of the numbers. This post, however, will be very speculative, opinionated and subjective. That’s kinda my thing. So let’s roll.

The Event

Let’s get some details out of the way before we get started. The “SQG” for this event is 4:32.43 for a flat track. What that means is that if you run 4:32.43 than it doesn’t matter because the SQG’s don’t mean anything anymore. I suppose the time is technically there to give you a feel for what time might be the state cut off, but the PTFCA doesn’t care if the actual cut off is nowhere near it. For example, last year the state cut off ended up being 4:29.78 for a flat track. That’s over 2 and half seconds faster than the SQG. Now 2.5 seconds may not sound like a lot, but there were actually 12 athletes between 4:29.78 and 4:32.28 last year.

The good news for mile hopefuls is, I would think we would see significant scratches from this event. With the new “4x8 first” schedule, if you are an athlete running on the 4x8, the mile is a really hard double. If you are an athlete running on both the 4x8 and the DMR, then it’s unlikely you will run any individual event (although there may be an exception). And if you want to focus on either the 3k or the 800 exclusively, then you will scratch from the mile (Unless you are going to steal a spot from someone and purposely false start. C’mon coaches). Last year, out of the top 10 individuals, 3 ended up as scratches. Out of the top 20, 9 ended up as scratches.

But remember, even with all those scratches, the cut off still ended up being very quick relative to the SQG. This year, we already have 22 people at or under the SQG and a few more knocking on the door. I see a decent amount of potential scratches from this group, but there are guys who will continue to improve or guys you have not raced the event yet who will probably make a dent in the rankings sooner rather than later.

What Has Actually Happened So Far

PA has already had two runners qualify for Millrose which is pretty fantastic. Josh Hoey of Bishop Shanahan did it first, running 4:17 for a victory back in 2016. Almost a month later, Sam Affolder joined him with a 4:19 run. Both marks were posted in winning efforts on the Armory’s banked track. Josh is last year’s state runner up and also the Penn Relays mile champion. This year, he’s running better than he did a year ago. Much better honestly. He has to be the favorite right now. That said, Sam wasn’t even in this state last year. Plus, he was just a freshman. We’ve seen that sophomores can make big jumps, even from their successful 9^th grade years. Ironically, you just need to look at Josh Hoey’s 2016 to see proof.

Tristan Forsythe, Liam Conway and Brandon Hontz are the next tier by time. Of this group, I’ve been most impressed with Hontz. He ran sub 4:20 last year, has run some very quick 800s and just looks like he is in sharp, consistent racing shape. Forsythe raced in December, but I haven’t seen much from him since. Conway is coming off an injury that stifled the end of his XC season so I’d like to see a little more from him before I place bets. That being said, Conway has a 4:15 1600 PR and 1:54 speed. So he can certainly be dangerous.

The top flat track performer has been Evan Addison of LaSalle. The Junior rolled to a 4:25 victory at the Haverford meet that many know as the meet where LaSalle runs all their dudes. Addison has also dropped an impressive 8:46 for 3k. Keep in mind he ran about 4:17 for a full mile last spring and has good track speed. Then he won the district championship in XC. I’ve said this before and, although I hesitate to compare anyone to a sub 4 miler, I do see some resemblance between Addison and Tom Coyle’s careers to date. I won’t be surprised if Addison cracks the top 3 at states in the mile if he runs it. The last part there is key as LaSalle seems locked in to be one of those teams that does both relays and that’s it, making Addison kind of the perfect case study for why the two-relay rule has not only decreased the quality of the relays, but also decreased the quality of individual events. Sorry Evan, I’m using this paragraph about your awesome running to make a political point about the state championship system. I’ll save that for another day.

Some sleepers from the year season? I like what James Abrahams has done. I’d like to see a bit more results from him, but based on his resume he is definitely a medal contender. I really like what I’ve seen from Pennsbury. I think there is little to no chance that they run this mile (4x8-DMR seems probable for that team), but both Kersten and breakout star Jed Scratchard have run excellent marks to start the year. Lastly, Sam Owori from Seneca Valley looked excellent in his first individual race. I could definitely see him as individual medal contender similar to sophomore Tristan Forsythe a season ago.

What Might Happen Next

As previously mentioned, PA already has two Millrose qualifiers. Neither of those are the two PA returners from last year’s Millrose Games. I use the term “PA returners” liberally here as technically Noah Affolder ran in a NY uniform last year. But now at Carlisle, Noah, who was 2^nd at last year’s games, will almost certainly be back in action at the mile distance in time for this event. He may have gotten an automatic bid (I think they still do those) and based on his 1:54 flat track performance, he is good enough shape to challenge for the PA #1.

The other returner is Nick Dahl. He hit his stride in the mile recently and gave the event a fair bit of focus in 2016. He started out this indoor season with a 4:14 split and an 8:30 3k so clearly the kid is fit. I think it’s safe to expect he makes a bid for Millrose and, no pressure of course, he runs a solid time. Despite his elite status over the past two plus seasons, Dahl has yet to compete at an individual event at indoor states. He’s scratched individual efforts for team goals as a sophomore and junior, both years where he would have been a contender at either 3k or mile. He’s a team player and another victim of the two relay rule.

I think if Dahl does go individual this year, it will be the mile rather than the 3k. The 3k-DMR double is just no doable in my opinion. Or at least no doable if you want to compete for a state title in the DMR, which GFS definitely does. It’s either going to be 4x8-DMR or Mile-DMR for Dahl this season. His next result in the 8-lapper could help determine exactly which way the chips fall.

A couple other guys to watch for currently outside the state qualifying window include Connor McMenamin of Souderton (state medalist last indoors), Noah Beveridge of Butler (can run much faster at this event), Matt Scarpill of CB South (made the fast heat last year), Jesse Cruise (4:17, 1:55 PRs) and Eric Kennedy (outdoor medalist at 1600). I’m thinking Beveridge will focus on the 3k and McMenamin might as well (he crushed a sub 9:20 3200 to end XC). Also lurking could be Sean Brown of Roman Catholic.

Way Too Early Predictions

I won’t go incredibly specific because, as you may have guessed, it’s way too early for predictions. However, I do have a couple hunches that I will outline.

1.       The big question mark right now is Carlisle. They could potentially win both distance relays, but those relays would cripple much of their individual goals. So maybe a Mile-DMR double makes more sense. However, keep in mind that Noah has already tripled 4x8-800-DMR and crushed it. I think that’s the triple Noah tries. Sam may or may not get a chance at this mile, but he’s still relatively young. My gut says both relays, no individuals for him. But that could quickly change.

2.       I think Josh Hoey is going to win this race. He seems very focused, determined and ready to get a statement victory. He’s still searching for his first state gold which could add some extra incentive. Depending on who else is in the race, he could be pushed down toward the 4:12ish range, but I’m guessing this race is won closer to 4:15, especially without Dahl and the Affolders

3.       I think guys like Bumgarner, Slavin, Kujdych, Beveridge and potentially McMenamin all go to the 3k, while Cullen, Jihad and others go to the 8 leaving the door open for some sleepers to emerge in the mile. Hudson Delisle is an intriguing name. I think he is more of an 800 specialist, but if he pops off a good mile, he could jump in this event instead and suddenly be contending for a top 6 spot.

4.       If Evan Addison gets his shot in the mile, I’ve got a feeling he could do really well. Might be too much pressure to put on the kid, but I’ve seen some potential that would be cool to see in an individual event. I think there’s a chance he gets an opportunity this season and they leave him off the 4x8. But if I had to guess at this moment, he’s running only the relays.

Let me know what you think about the mile so far and stay tuned for more event by event break downs to come!

Recap Machine Still Operating

by Jarrett Felix

Yale Track Classic

Day One

The relays are heating up here in Pennsylvania as a few more of our top programs tried their hand at the DMR. DT West dropped a 10:40.60 to defeat state medalists West Chester Henderson (10:46) and early state contenders Holy Ghost Prep (10:53). West’s relay wasn’t listed so I can only speculate on the line up, but I think this team has a nice construct of front legs. If things break perfectly for them, they could theoretically pull off an upset similar to O’Hara. They have Ryan Barton, who ran an excellent 1200 leg at last year’s state meet, as well as Chase Seymanyk who is a strong 800 runner.

DT West also dropped a strong 4x8 on Day One. I’m assuming they ran without any members of their DMR and they still dropped an 8:27.59 for 2^nd in their race. That mark would put them in state qualifying position as things currently stand. If they decide to stack a 4x8 in the coming weeks, they could certainly dip under 8:20.

Henderson and HG Prep are both currently in state qualifying position thanks to their best marks of the season this year. However, there should be plenty of jockeying in the top 12 throughout the stretch run. Should be fun to see what each team does to continue to improve over the coming month.

Of course the 4x8 that will grab headlines from this meet is Germantown Friends. Continuing their battle with Carlisle for state #1 status, GFS ran an 8:01.51 to win their section of the 4x8 by about 5 seconds. The battle between GFS and Carlisle is shaping up to be really fun as both teams have been throwing strong punches here in January. Currently, Carlisle is #1 in both distance relays and GFS is #2. That being said, I can still see a situation where GFS skips the 4x8 to either go fresh DMR or give Dahl a chance at an individual race (which would probably be the mile, assuming he qualifies).

Day Two

Speaking of Nick Dahl, the GFS senior dropped a very fast 8:30.62 to finish a hard fought second to Dalton Hengst of Maryland who ran 8:28. That time is no joke for Dahl who moves into a clear PA #1 spot in the event and, as of this moment, a heavy favorite for the state title if he chooses to get after it. This also makes Dahl one of PA’s fastest ever indoor 3k runners. Up until Craig Miller came along in 2006, this would have been a state record. Indoor has really taken off in PA since about that time (just look at our 800 runners), but the list of sub 8:30 3k guys is still only includes Craig Miller, Jason Weller and Max Norris. That’s just three guys assuming I didn’t forget anyone (which it feels like I may have). Note that doesn’t include any 2 mile to 3k conversions.

Behind Dahl, it appears Pa’s fastest runners were Jack Downing (9:08) and Shaun Bullock (9:09). These two both likely competed in the DMR the night before as well, making their legs a little extra tired.

At 800 meters, Wyomissing’s Joe Cullen was the star. The junior dropped a 1:56.76 to win section 3 of the event and take 3^rd place overall. Cullen was the top man in his heat by roughly 2 and half seconds. The time puts him 4^th on the PA performance list, just behind Nick Wagner. Note that the top two runners on this list, Noah Affolder and Josh Hoey, may or may not focus attention on this event. Affolder has been a 2-miler for the most part and seems more likely to pick the mile and a relay than the 800. Josh will almost certainly race the mile where he was state runner up last year. He could still be a factor for 800 individual gold on the double.

Cullen led the way as PA’s only sub 2 runner. Next in the standings for PA was Brett Zatlin of GV (2:00.13) and then Samuel Huslin of HG Prep (2:00.88). Currently, I’ve got Zatlin projected as the 22^nd guy by time this year and, as of this second, no one ahead of him is projected to be a scratch. The 2016 cut off was 2:00.15 in this event and the 2015 cut off was 2:02.54 (fluke circumstances that I won’t get into now).

Last of the individual events we have to cover from this one is the mile. Ryan Barton led all PA runners with a time of 4:30.62. Barton, who finished just outside the medals last indoors, is an underrated miler who has been somewhat in the shadows of faster teammates each of the past two seasons. Now he steps into the #1 role. I expect him to be a factor for his first individual state medal.

Douglas W. Wesner (@ Kutztown)

J.P. McCaskey’s state runner-up from XC, Nate Henderson, returned to the track this weekend and led his team to a strong win in the DMR. JP ran 11:08.41 to win by about 10 seconds over Spring Ford. The time is outside the state qualifying picture as of now, but this squad could be interesting if they load up on a faster track. Caleb Sneller as a 1200 leg is a strong piece and, of course, Nate Henderson’s 4:14 PR for 1600 meters could work wonders. Spring Ford put up a solid fight against their opponents and continues to be a deep program with a lot of strong runners.

One of my favorite teams to watch run early in the season has been Bensalem. The mid-distance powerhouse is looking very formidable after a brief stint away from the top of the state. Aqeel Bacchus rolled to a 2:00.04, a very impressive mark on this track that puts him 14^th in the state (with conversions). His teammate, Isaiah Thomas rallied back from the all-star snub and dropped a 2:04.27 to finish 3^rd. Bensalem has also already run sub 8:20 for 4x8 in a winning effort.

Dan Uhranowsky from Abington Heights ran a sneaky good 4:37 to win the 1600 against a solid field. He defeated Shane Ainscoe of Spring Ford (3^rd), a state qualifier in XC, Michael Geiger of Parkland, a top 50 finisher in XC and AA state medalist Jacob Pasake of Western Wayne. Jake Underwood of Wilson defeated district rival Nate Kaplon as well as Pasake to win the 3k in 9:24.21.

New Balance Games

Avery Lederer added his name to the sub 9 minute club in the invitational 2 mile. The Penncrest junior, who had a terrific breakout XC campaign, dropped a 9:35.08 with a 31 second final lap to finish 2^nd in the strong field. The time, by PTFCA conversions, will convert to 8:57.0. That could be right around the bubble for state qualifying as 8:56.13 was the last time in last year but 8:59.14 was the last time in 2015. Lederer moves into position to compete for a medal with a tight back of runners in the 8:55-9:00 range.

Ethan Bernstein of Saucon Valley was the next best PA runner in the field. The District 11 junior ran 9:54.45 for the full two mile distance.

Penn Wood’s Dennis Manyeah returned to perhaps his best event and came away with the victory. The Penn Wood senior has been relative quiet in the 800, but smoked a 1:23.58 for the victory in this event. In the process, he defeated Robert Dupell from St. Joe’s Prep, the current state leader in the event. Easton Area’s Stephen Kraus also added an impressive 1:25.59 from the 3^rd heat. His victory put him in 6^th overall.

In the mile, Seth Slavin added another strong performance to his long list of early season achievements. He ran 4:28.25 for the full mile, right in line with his performance at Ocean Breeze a few weeks back. Owen Ritz of GA posted his best mile mark of the season, running 4:33 and moving into the state qualifying picture. He ran low 4:20s last year at the Abington Invite in the spring.

Coatesville finished 6^th in the 4x800 with a time of 8:33. They had a 2:02.89 lead off split as well, so keep an eye out for an individual to step up from this squad. If it’s not one of their top two 3k guys, that would be huge for their DMR chances. Bishop Shanahan won the sprint medley relay with a time of 3:35.06. Their anchor leg ran 1:59.1 on the final carry. If that was Yoquinto, I believe it’s his first sub 2 performance of the year. If that was Hoey, this team could potentially drop to an even faster SMR time and maybe make noise at the national meet. Cheltenham holds the state record from 2015. For reference, they ran 3:26.11 at this meet. A few other top teams were Hatboro Horsham (2:04 anchor) and Bonner (2:01 anchor to win the heat).

TFCAofGP #6

Division I

It’s a tough time of year for the TFCAofGP. Some talent is being pulled away for big time invitationals. The TFCAofGP has already had 5+ meetings. And the kids are waking up super early to go race at Glenn Mills. So it can be tough to drop anything super-fast. But we still saw plenty of noteworthy performances.

In the 800, Erik McCallion of Haverford picked up a strong win with a time of 2:05.05. He pairs with James Abrahams to make a nice one to punch for Haverford. CB West’s Brian Baker took gold in the mile. He ran 4:45.93 to earn gold over XC top 50 finisher Evan Hutton of William Tennent (4:49). Baker’s teammate, Ben Bunch, ran 9:16 to finish second in the 3k to, go figure, Hutton’s teammate Sean Rahill who ran 9:15. Those are quite solid marks for both guys.

In the relays, DT East grabbed gold in the 4x800, running 8:33.51. They’ve also run 8:31 on a bit faster surface on January 7^th. Upper Darby ran 8:34.44 to take a tight second. Darby is a team that historically comes on at the end of the season and finds a way to get into states for the 4x8. Both of these schools will be lurking late in the year, especially considering the field was expanded to 16 teams.

CB West took the 4x4 victory over LaSalle with a time of 3:33 to the Explorer’s 3:35. CR South was also in the mix with a 3:36. Worth noting as well, Upper Dublin had their 3^rd different 400 runner under the SQG. This time it was Brandon Vargas-Bines who ran 51.67 for gold. That time was less than a second away from Matt Gilmore’s (400 state champ) meeting record.

Division II

In a battle of District 12 800 champions, Kamil Jihad and Dave Whitfield went head to head at 400 meters this weekend. Jihad got the narrow victory, running 52.76 to Whitfield’s 52.89. I believe this keeps Jihad’s undefeated streak at 800 and down this winter, but I think Whitfield should feel good about giving the 1:52 runner a scare. Meanwhile another fast 800 runner, Cameron Christopher, took 3^rd overall in 53.40.

Speaking of fast 800 runners, Brandon Hontz dropped a big win in the open 8 with a time of 2:00.06. That mark was over 5 seconds better than Billy Hallinan of Interboro who left with the silver. It also marked Hontz’s 3^rd straight open 8 at 2 flat or faster. Very few runners, if any, have been that consistently fast so far.

In the mile, Westley Wedell got the victory while Jeffrey Love of George School took the 3k gold. Wedell has had a very consistent indoor season so far, racing toward the front of some nice fields. I think Wedell could be a candidate for a big drop in the stretch run of the season. Twin Valley made a case for their 4x8 squad with a strong 8:34 gold medal victory. They defeated Episcopal Academy and WC East.

Youngstown #2

With no TSTCA obligations, the top western schools flocked to Youngstown to chase some fast marks on a fast track. One of the big names in attendance was Brookville’s Ryan Thrush. He dipped into the 49s for the first time with a 49.56 gold. He also ran 23.12 in the 200 meters, winning his heat. As far as I can tell, he still hasn’t hopped in the shot put. Thrush now looks assured qualifying spots in both the 400 and the 800 at states. He could be argued as a favorite in either event.

Penn Hills Senior Isaiah Bailey put his energies into a fresh 800 and it paid off. The WPIAL stand out dropped a 1:59.46 to win the race and join the ever increasing list of sub 2 runners. Keep in mind Bailey’s outdoor PR is 1:54 and another Bailey was state champ from PH back in 2012.

Don’t look now, but Greensburg Salem is putting together some nice times on the track. After a breakthrough XC season, the team has already had impressive results from Mark Brown and Cameron Binda at the longer distances. But now senior Frankie King has added a 2:00.80 mark for 4^th. His teammate Dylan Binda won his section of the 800 in 2:03.79. Zach Case of Hampton was also a heat winner in 2:03.

XC state champ Ben Bumgarner, who has already run under the SQG for 3k, now gets under for 1600 meters. Bumgarner picked up the 1600 in victory in 4:26.33. Bumgarner ran in the mile a year ago, but may opt for a fresh 3k at states this year depending on how he feels he stacks up. Factoring in conversions, this mark puts Ben at #11 on the state qualifying list.

I thought Bumgarner had a time like that in him, but Seneca Valley’s Sam Owori really impressed me with his 4:27.21. The sophomore was fantastic during XC, leading SV to a district title, and now looks like he is ready to take it up another notch. He finished 2^nd overall in this meet and is top 15 on the state performance list with conversions. His teammate, also a sophomore, Seth Ketler ran 4:38.69 for 9^th. South Fayette’s Sam Snodgrass was another top PA finisher, taking 4^th in 4:31. His teammate, Aaron Pfeil, was out top finisher in the 3200. Pfeil ran 9:46 and placed 2^nd.

State College Invite

800 University looks ready to get in the 4x8 state title conversation. The SC boys took 1-3-4-5 on home turf, led by Nick Feffer. The times (all hand times) were 1:58.9-2:01.4-2:02.5-2:03.5 which adds up to 8:06.3. So far, just five teams have run under 8:10. The big news was also a return to the line-up for Owen Wing, who led off the state title teams last year.

Seth Phillips of Mifflin County ran a strong 1:59.4 to dip under 2 minutes for the first time this season. His teammate Chase Macknair won the mile in 4:45.

Individually, Feffer sits in 12^th on the state performance list with conversations. That likely won’t get him into the fast heat (they take just 8). Feffer is the top returner from outdoor states where he dropped a 1:53.50 in his second race of the day. Kamil Jihad, the top returner from AA, is also sitting outside the top heat right now (he sits in the 3^rd heat technically). There’s still plenty of time for those guys to drop something fast (especially for Jihad who runs in the TFCAofGP), but it’s something to keep an eye on. Could make the state meet more interesting. A distance event has not been won from the slow heat since Luke Lefebure pulled off the stunner in 2010. 

A Poster Posts A Post About The Post Streak

Note: This story was originally reported by the Washington Post

Babylon, NY – Recent reports in the track and field database have shown that Jarrett Felix (also known as “etrain11”) is planning to attempt an assault on the all-time post streak record set in February of 2012. Felix, then blogging at the uncreatively named etrain11.blogspot.com, recorded a record 54 straight posts starting on January 4th and ending in February.

The rules of the streak are simple: make a post every day. The content of the posts does not have to meet any specific guidelines or length requirements Instead, the honor system is assumed and it is implied that the author of said post will put together something that is at least somewhat constructive to the overall blogging atmosphere surrounding the site. It’s a code of conduct Felix may have exploited a bit in 2012, but the streak was ratified, as expected, by blog executives on March 1^st of the same year and has held its position at the top ever since.

Felix is already boasting an active streak that dates back to January 17^th. It’s a nice start, but he has a long way to go to surpass the magic 54 post run that is etched in the blogging record books.

“I think this is something I need to do,” Felix said yesterday at his press conference, “Things were getting a little stagnant for me and I needed to challenge myself to be better, push my creative buttons a bit more and, hopefully, take my game to another level.”

Felix’s “game” has been deteriorating massively in recent months according the various blogs that write about other blogs. Rumors have swirled that the once energetic collegiate has lost a step. And some business rivals have speculated that Blake Behney was brought in to be his replacement if ratings continue to crumble.

“Etrain used to be one of the brightest young stars in the game,” said one critic who chose to remain anonymous, “But now he might not even be the best poster on his own site. Let alone in the league of someone like Dan Beck or Don Rich. I mean did you see what he said about the Space Jam Spin-Off? That was just weird. Lex Mercado wouldn’t have done that. I can guarantee it.”

It’s unclear whether the post streak will be the fix Felix needs to get back to the top or if it will simply exacerbate his slump. The 2012 post streak had its moments (including the award winning “Valentine’s Day” which won Best Supporting Post at the Bloggy Awards), but it also featured duds such as “I Have A Problem”, “A Little More A Little More In Depth” and “Alrighty”.

“I think that’s why no one has attempted a post streak like that,” said veteran blogger Phoebe Wright, “It can drive you mad trying to come up with new content every day. I’ve seen some of the best in the business chase that record. And none of them have been the same after trying. You’d think etrain of all people would know that.”

But Felix is confident that he has the support system to make the run. And he also won’t deny that this is, at least in part, due to his obsession with reaching the coveted 1,000,000 view mark by the end of 2017.

“Sometimes you have to take chances,” Felix says. “I had that post streak at the beginning of 2012. By the next October, we got over 100 comments on the Henderson vs. O’Hara Debate. If we are going to have any chance at a million, we need to do something to put us on the map with the same kind of growth we saw in 2012.”

Statistics released to the Washington Post have indicated that blog viewership has stagnated and, in certain months, actually decreased in the past year. The best growth has actually come on the NCAA side where Garrett Zatlin has orchestrated one of the top blogs within a blog in recent memory. The creativity earned Zatlin his first bloggy nomination in 2015 for his Bullish-Bearish work and he’s one of the hot names suspected to win a bloggy in 2016.

It’s worth noting that Felix hasn’t won a bloggy since 2014, riding a wave of good will after his dramatic comeback and getting a controversial victory over ForrestCRN.

Further complicating matters is the release of “The Commit” and upcoming college-high school cross over series designed by Zatlin that is receiving rave reviews from experts and non-experts alike. The rumor was that the runners only agreed to the interviews because they were with Zatlin, a rumor that Zatlin’s representatives squashed this week.

“There is certainly no beef between Mr. Zatlin and Mr. Felix at this time. Garrett has received nothing but support and encouragement from the writing team, most notably Jarrett. They have a strong working relationship and are both respected in their field.”

When asked if Zatlin would attempt a post streak his representative replied, “No way. He’s not crazy.”

Regardless of the controversies currently surrounding the site, it’s hard to deny that the post streak record attempt will at least draw some extra attention to the site.

“People love a good record chase,” says the site’s YouTube expert Evan Hatton, “You hear someone is going for a world record, you’re going to do everything you can to try and watch it.”

“Yes, flotrack has considered buying the exclusive rights to post streak viewing,” the site’s financial expert Caleb Gatchell reported, “I mean, when you set your sights on something like this you know that you will either see history or you will see an epic crash and burn. That’s gonna get views.”

Whether is enough to get to 1 million views is a different question.