Thought #6: 800m Runners Are People Too

Cross Country and 800m runners has always had an interesting relationship. For my 4 years of college I was making the transition back and forth between running the 4/8 on the track in the spring and running the 8k on the grass in the fall. There are certain connotations that come with being an 800 guy in a 2 milers sport. Most people either expect too much (your skills to directly translate) or too little (you will be a non factor during cross). They expect you have to go out over your head, have a lethal kick and do best on the flat super fast courses, leaving the hills for the strong, true cross runners. Some of this is true but most of it is just generalization and misconception.

If an 800m runner joins the cross country team, he sees the value in training through the fall and improving. If he's a track runner in general he's competitive as anything and wants to beat anyone he can. If he's a strong 800m runner, his strength could be valuable on a hilly course. Really cross country is very mental. If you have the mentality "I'm an 800 guy, this is just a waste of my time Til track" you won't do anything. But if you think, "look it's cross country season, I'm racing, I'm training: I have goals and I'm going to chase them" a talented 800m man will be a talented cross guy.

Elias Graca has thrust himself to the forefront of the "800m runners can run cross" debate with his huge 15:44 at RWB, finishing third and beating state medalists like Jeff VanKooten and Sean Hilverding. As Evan Hatton pointed out in an excellent stat, running sub 16 at this meet instantly propels you into top 25 at states territory. Combine that with the fact that it was a massive PR and his first real performance as the teams #1 runner and the mark looks even more impressive.

But there are other numbers working against Graca. He's one of the favorites this spring at both WPIALs and states to win the 800m. However, the state champ in the 800 has never finished in the top 25 at states the fall before they won their title. In fact, out of the last 7 800m champions to run at the state meet in XC, the average finish was 71st. Compare that stat to the mile champs (average place of 28) and 2 mile champs (average place of 7) and the odds looked stacked against an 800 specialist.

Last spring just two of the 8 state medalists in the 800m were also cross country medalists (Brehm and Cather). In the past 8 seasons there are 11 members of this group, led by Wade Endress, who did it three times. So clearly 800m guys can pull this off. It's just easier if your a 2 miler. The top 10 of the state 3200m this fall were state medalists in cross (with 2 state champs, a footlocker finalist and 4 of the first 5 to cross the like in Hershey).

The other problem Graca faces is that he isn't really a 8/16 guy like Endress, Kunzweiler, Brehm and Cather. Of the 11 members of the 800 and XC state medalist club the slowest 1600 PR of the bunch is 4:24 (Zack Montijo) and 9 of the 11 guys have run under 4:17.

Graca is a 4/8 type at heart, he's never run the 16 or mile at a major invite (at least according to penntrack). That makes him more of a Lefebure, Cho, Wiseman type guy. The highest finish out of those three at states is Cho's 197.

But Graca is still growing. He went from a 2 flat guy to a 1:53 guy last spring, dropping a ton of time every weekend with his big break through coming at states in track. This guy is only now hitting his stride. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't drop a massive 16 PR this spring, it's really the only event he hasn't had a massive PR in at this point thanks to his recent 5k.

Besides he can have a great career without a really fast mile like Andy Flynn or Brandon Krysal who were top 50 in XC and were district champ talents in the 800. Guys like Nick Smart and Andrew Stone had breakthroughs in cross the season after they began to breakthrough in track. Someone like Jim Belfatto was a 4/8 guy for his early years before he stepped up to fill a hole in the XC squad. Then he briefly became the school record holder in the 2 mile. Mallon finished 26th and 29th at states in XC so it's not like he was a chump out there.

Graca is the big name for a group that includes Zach Brehm, Dom Perretta, Alek Sauer, Dylan Eddinger, Andrew Koryak, Andy Stewart and more who are trying to break through that "track guy" stigma with a big XC season. They will model their year after guys like Magaha (district title, 6th place), Willig (9th, 2nd at districts), and Endress (2nd at states, district titles, 3 state medals) who proved the state's best 800m men of all time can also be XC stars.

Brehm has already gotten his medal, now he is chasing state and district gold. Perretta too holds two state titles, but there are still many people that doubt his XC ability. Sauer was sub 16 last year, but needs to prove himself on Hershey's hills if Pennsbury is going to be back in the top 10 at states. Koryak had a strong first race at RWB and will look to build on that towards a top 10 state finish in A. Eddinger and Stewart have never made a state championship in cross, but are coming off thrilling ends to their track seasons. Both guys are in excellent training programs to develop their talents.

All of these guys have something to prove this year. And it was Elias Graca who made the first big statement of the season, emphatically saying, "Hey, it's cross country season and I'm gonna kill it just like I did in track."

As the Artic Monekys album title says, "Whatever You Think I Am, I'm Not".