All My Friends Are Runners: The Birth of Etrain

Chapter 19: The Birth of Etrain

Fresh off a breakthrough cross country season, Upper Dublin’s Junior Mike Palmisano hit the track with a whole new level of confidence. He had been a solid a year earlier, running 1:57 for 800 meters in the spring, but he wasn’t a state caliber guy. His first meet back, Upper Dublin won the DMR in 11 flat. His second meet back he clocked a strong split on the team’s 8:19 4x8. But in Meet #3 he wowed everyone with a 4:25 runaway victory in the open mile. That time was good enough to break the school record, the first record setting performance I got to witness firsthand[1].

That was Mike’s last race before the prestigious Burdette Invitational. Burdette was always the first real invitational of the season and a lot of teams started to, if not quite play their hand, at least look at their cards when we started getting to the end of December. Fresh off his school record in the mile, we were all excited to watch him race again in his best event, the 800. And we were particularly excited to see who his main competition was.

Remember North Penn’s Zack Montijo from a couple chapters back? Well Montijo had anchored the North Penn 4x8 to a state title the previous spring and then finished 6^th in the state to lead the Knights to the XC state title in the fall. He was, quite frankly, a beast. However, we had just lost to the powerhouse that was North Penn at districts and states and we were hungry for any sort of shot at revenge. And Montijo? He was the guy who got our squad most fired up.

When the gun sounded, Montijo went to the front and Mike found his way into second. From there, Palm just sat in and held position, waiting for the right moment to pounce. On the last lap, Mike turned on the jets and sprinted by with his lightening kick to grab the upset victory. The official time was 1:58.20 which, although not incredibly fast, was a meet record at the time.

After that, it would be hard for Mike to win any sort of race and it be considered an upset.

***

My sophomore indoor track season was a ton of fun. With Mitch and Pete joining the team, I had two new training partners and friends. I was also getting increasingly friendly with the older guys on the team who I’d previously been scared and intimidated by. And through that friendship, I learned about the penntrack forums. A lot of the guys had penntrack accounts that they used to post in the site’s discussion forum[2]. As a prospective track super fan, I was immediately drawn to the sharing of knowledge. And so, I decided to get an account for myself.

I logged on one day, punched in our email and tried to make an account. But I was blocked as apparently an account under our home email address had already been created. It turned out that my dad, once he started to realize that this sport was something I was really invested in, had made an account so that he could try and learn more about track and field. His account name consisted of a couple pieces: his personal nickname (“Earl” which was often shortened to “E”), the fact that he weight trained and the month of his birth[3] (“11”). I lobbied to share the account and thus officially tied myself to the name “etrain11”.

Everything just sort of grew from there. I started to post more and more frequently. I studied more and more results. I learned more and more faces. Every meet I attended I’d pick up something new and tuck it away in my memory. At one meet, I can remember a bunch of different guys on the team asking me to recite their PRs, including our stand-out 400-meter runner Brian Rosenthal. I knew his 400 PR down to the hundredths (it was 49.99 so it was easy to remember) which I think made him a combination of flattered and frightened.

A few meets later we were at the TFCAofGP Last Chance meet just before states. Our best runner, Mike Palmisano, was running the 800 meters and I was hanging out with him before the race near the check in area. At the association meets, it was traditional to look around at the other guys checking in to size up your competition. I remember seeing a taller kid in a black sweatshirt in the corner and I told Mike to watch out for him. Not long after, that same kid ended up winning the race[4]. I don’t think I would have actually picked him to win the race, but it still made me look good.

And with moments like those, etrain became more than just a name on the penntrack forums, it became something of an identity for me.

On the track, I was finding my identity a bit more as well. Coach Ames began throwing me in workouts with some of our top guys on the shorter/faster days and my goal was basically to hang on as long as I could. Looking back, it seems like a pretty crazy training plan, but it paid off big time. I was consistently improving each week.

After some solid races in the 8 and 4, the coaches decided to try and get me a TFCAofGP medal. At the time, these were a huge deal. The top five individuals/teams in each event would get a medal for their efforts. Pretty sizable medals too that a lot of kids would wear around their neck. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want one. But running on a loaded 4x8 was really scary. I went from running with my classmates who I was comparable to if not a little faster, to running with a group of juniors and seniors who were consistent medal winners (and, thus, way faster).

At Haverford College, the same site as my first ever indoor race, I ran the 4x800 relay’s second leg for our team. I ran a personal best of 2:12.2, but was our slowest leg on the 8:35.8 relay. When our anchor crossed the line, we were in 5^th place overall and it seemed like my first medal was clinched. However, when they announced the results, it was revealed that CB East had edged us out with a faster time from the previous heat and knocked us down one spot to 6^th. Ironically, two weeks later at a small meet at Glenn Mills, my relay squad finished 6^th again as my 4x4 ran 3:50.2.

Although I was beginning to climb the ranks, I still hadn’t grabbed a medal which meant I was eligible for the Novice Meet at Lehigh. This meet was designed for runners on teams who weren’t consistently competing for medals to have a chance to race at the front of the field rather than buried in the back. I had good memories of this meet from the previous year where our 4x8 had competed and held our own for the first time in a race[5]. After our cool down, I made it a goal of mine to come back to this meet and win the next season. The desire for victory only intensified after the early season loss at the hands of Abington in the frosh/soph relay.

But the coaching staff decided it made more sense to put me on the 4x4 relay rather than the 4x8. I had run solid times in the shorter event and we really needed one extra piece to help get our relay over the top. It wasn’t the event I expected to contest, but it didn’t change my goal of gold. Again, I ran second on the relay and got the baton in about 2^nd place. As I was working my way up toward the lead, a runner fell, tripping on the rail, and opened up a clear path of track. From there, it was smooth sailing and our team ran away with the victory as Eric Lau opened up the gap on the third leg and our fellow sophomore Joey Logano brought home the gold. It was a great way to finish off the indoor season.

Or so I thought.

On Friday night, I rode the bus home from the Novice Meet, thinking that my season was finished. My coach came by to talk to me and asked me to run at the PTFCA Carnvial Meet that was being contested the next day. I knew this meet was reserved for our best guys (because you could wear spikes) so I was surprised but excited. Unfortunately, I had a pretty poor performance running on little sleep and tired legs. So now, surely, my season was done.

However, I kept coming to practice. I loved being there and being around the team and my coach encouraged me to stay and keep training. Things were really winding down now. The next meet was the TFCAofGP Meet of Champions. I hadn’t qualified for this one and I definitely wouldn’t be racing, plus you needed tickets just to get inside the building. But, just as they had before, my coaches had my back. Coach Ames and Dink got me on the bus with a ticket to the meet and I had front row seats to watch the best runners in the area compete. As a budding super fan, this was an unforgettable experience.

LaSalle won the DMR over Archbishop Ryan with a time of 10:31. Penncrest was third and my Upper Dublin teammates were 4^th, just ahead of CB East and anchor Josh Izewski. In the 800, Zack Montijo got his revenge. He ran 1:56.38 to win the gold over Elliot Rhodes and Nick Crits. Our Mike Palmisano finished 5^th in the meet with a time slightly slower than the one he ran back in December. Montijo also ran on the gold medal winning 4x8 which defeated Wissahickon and Cardinal O’Hara.

In perhaps the race of the day, Engineering and Science’s Terrence Lee sat on the back of reigning XC state champ Mark Dennin in the 3k for almost the entire race before he unleashed a blazing fast kick in the closing stages of the race to win in a meet record time of 8:47.93 compared to Dennin’s 8:50.01. It suddenly made Lee a favorite for the title in two weeks at states.

With Meet of Champs in the books, our line-up was basically set for states. All that was left was the Last Chance Meet. Once again, I prepared myself for the end of my season. However, the coaching staff wanted to give me one more race since I had been training so hard for the extra weeks. We gave our top individuals one last chance to improve their seed before states in Pat McLaughlin (mile) and Mike Palmisano (800) and then, in one of the meet’s last events, I got my final race in the 4x800 meters.

It was an odd race. Everyone else had already competed in their individual events and seemed fairly spent. Literally the only reason we were running this relay was so that I could get a chance to compete. No pressure. Naturally, my varsity teammates defaulted me into the anchor role that none of them wanted to have. I taped a couple numbers on my hips and stood at the ready, awkwardly fidgeting among other elite team’s best runners who were way out of my league.

I can still picture the start. Mike led off for us and was chilling near the back of the pack. When he came by at the end of his first lap, he kept turning to me with a goofy smile and almost dancing with his running motion. Then, on the second lap, he did it again. It was ridiculous, but it did make me smile and distracted me from my massive amount of nervous jitters. Then, Mike started racing and he passed basically everyone to hand off alongside first place.

From there, we went steadily backwards. The other guys didn’t have a ton of fight in them. But that was OK, as it put me in a much more comfortable position. I have no clue what place I was in when I got the baton, but I ran as hard as I could, fixating on the North Penn jersey in front of me from super soph Brad Miles and trying as best I could to chase him down[6]. Ultimately, his presence bundled with my teammates’ and coaches’ cheering spurred me to a 2:10 800 split, a new PR and over 15 seconds faster than my best from the previous winter. Couldn’t ask for a much better way to end my season.

But, technically speaking, I still wasn’t done. We drove on the bus home, everyone’s spirits high.. I was excited about my PR, while my teammates were pumped about the state championships that were now just a week away. As I rode happily back to the high school, Coach Dinkins got up at the front of the bus and announced that everyone on the bus would be going to states the next weekend. I looked around in confusion and then I tried to catch my coach’s eye to make sure he knew that I was on the bus.

“Yes, you too, Felix.”[7]

---

[1] Fairly unrelated side note, this meet is also my first real memory of Ben Furcht. He was going up against Brad Miles, at this point a legendary titan of a sophomore considering his XC season, and Miles got out to a huge early lead in the 3k. All of a sudden, Furcht comes storming back from out of nowhere on the last lap and beats out Miles by 0.2 seconds. I originally thought it was just someone that Miles had lapped. Turns out Furcht just paced things out perfectly.

[2] We had soooo many guys with penntrack accounts. We might have been the most active team of posters out there. Some of the user names included: lolbbq, gorgeous, binged, NotQuiteMr49, BloodbathMcGrath and _Lorenzi. There’s probably more I’m forgetting, but those jump out.

[3] I’ve technically never confirmed this one. I assumed it was his birth month but it also could have just been the easiest number to press on the keyboard.

[4] His name was Chris Pregler from Central Bucks West. He was a very good 800 runner with a strong kick. Mike ended up finishing 3^rd. And that freshman Kyle Moran? He took 7^th in a 2:02.05.

[5] Again, kind of unrelated, but the Novice 3k that year was won by none other than Ben Furcht.

[6] Miles was doubling as well and seemed just as unenthused as the teammates I was racing with. He really eased up on the last lap and I felt like I was catching up to him. That was motivation for me and probably what dragged me to that PR.

[7] I’m not sure how many guys have ever raced at the Novice Meet and then been an alternate for states in the same season, but it was quite a ride. So you’re probably wondering how this was possible? Well, a number of factors contributed, but the big one was sickness. One of our top guys got mono and another got a bad cold and had to stop training which opened the door for the last kid who kept hanging around at practice to get a de facto alternate spot.

All My Friends Are Runners: The Freshman/Sophomore Relay

Chapter 18: The Freshman/Sophomore Relay

My freshman season of indoor track was odd because I had such mixed feelings about getting selected for a meet. I had to wake up early, I was trapped in a dingy indoor fieldhouse and I couldn’t shake this odd feeling of outsider-ness. But a year later, my attitude had transformed. I was excited to go to a meet, put on my racing singlet (no more gym uniforms for me!) and chase some PRs.

During the indoor track season, Upper Dublin High School was a part of the Track and Field Coaches Association of Great Philadelphia (or TFCAofGP) Meet Series. Each weekend, this organization would put on indoor meets at Lehigh, Haverford or Ursinus College and give all the schools an opportunity to enter one runner/relay per event. These meets would also include a special relay at the start of the meet for just freshmen and sophomores. Once you earned a ribbon in this race (I believe you needed to be top five to earn a ribbon), you weren’t eligible for it anymore, meaning you only had one real shot to win.

So naturally, that was the goal heading into my first frosh/soph relay of the season: a 4x800 meters. After my 56.9, I had clocked a 2:16 relay split in the first meet which gave me another big PR to feel good about. Based on that split, I got anchor duties on our relay. I would be joined on the team by my friend and classmate Todd Warszawski as well as two freshman newcomers, Pete Schartel and Mitchell Silver.

As you might remember, we didn’t have any freshmen join the cross country team during the fall so we were grateful to have a couple newbies on the track. Plus, Pete and Mitch were pretty talented runners and, as we quickly learned, strong racers. In their first relay appearance, they put us in excellent position at the front of the pack and ran some 10 seconds faster than I did in these meets as a frosh. By the time I got the baton, it was between us and Abington for the title.

Abington’s relay not only featured my childhood friend Tommy Hartsough[1], but it also featured a blazing fast freshman with a spiky haired mohawk. On Abington’s second leg, Kyle Moran[2] took the baton and shot off like a rocket. He moved his relay all the way up from deep in the pack to first place overall with a 2:07 split. However, on the third leg, we took control again and I got the baton with a small lead.

At this point, I could count on one hand the times I was leading a race with no one to chase. On the track, it was probably even fewer. I could feel Abington’s anchor close by, but I was having a hard time pushing myself to sprint away from him. I knew based on my early splits that I wasn’t running as fast as I had been the previous week, so I tried to dig deeper and find an extra gear.

On the final lap, Abington’s anchor surged ahead of me and I latched on to stick with him. I really didn’t want to lose it for my guys. On the home stretch, I prepared to launch into my final kick. I saw a small opening on the inside and I went for it. But when I did, the opposing anchor cut down on me and I was knocked slightly off balance. I then tried to swing back out wide and pass him on the outside but, over the course of just a 50 meter straightaway, I ran out of room.

It was just some stupid freshman/sophomore race, but for me that was one of my toughest losses. I felt like I had let an opportunity slip away that I couldn’t get back and, more importantly, I felt like I let my teammates down. But that’s the thing. I cared. I was officially 110% invested in this sport and this team. And sometimes it takes heartbreak to make you realize that. Perhaps in this moment, I became a runner.

---

[1] You may remember him as the one-year old that I ran around with at my first birthday party.

[2] I’m going off the cuff here, but Kyle may have been the best freshman half miler I’ve ever seen. I feel like his 800 abilities get somewhat overlooked in the history books because of injuries and things of that sort, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that his four years in high school overlapped with four consistently improving results for the Abington 4x8

All My Friends Are Runners: It’s All In The Family But I Am Of No Relation

Chapter 17: It’s All In The Family But I Am Of No Relation

Distance Running is a sport driven by time. And with time comes natural barriers. Just look through the chapters so far. I’ve had run ins with 6 minutes, 5 minutes, 20, 19 and 18. But as I switched my focus to track season, I set my sights on the simplest of barriers: 1 minute.

Before every new track season, Upper Dublin had a team wide 400-meter time trial. The 400 was the ideal distance for both sprinters and distance runners. It was probably too short for a distance runner, but anything longer would be way too much for a typical sprinter. The coaching staff tried to spread out the talent and then lined us up for heats on the track a couple weeks into the winter. This helped set the line ups for the first few meets of the year.

Now let’s back up a second and set the stage for this race because, although it sounds like a silly and meaningless event it was actually a monumental moment in my running career. For starters, my PR at the time was about 61 seconds. I had split it in my last race as a freshman on our Suburban One Frosh/Soph Relay. However, in practice just a few days out from the time trial, I had run 63 seconds for the last rep of our workout. So I was feeling pretty good.

I also had a bet going. I was trying to run faster than my friend Mark Pyfer in the time trial as he had been faster than me the previous year. I felt I had narrowed the gap. I’m not actually positive if the bet was with Mark or with Tanzer but there was definitely a bet. And the value of the bet was definitely a quarter[1].

So at this point, I’d say I had the perfect combination of confidence, swag and thirst to prove myself. Also it was a time trial rather than an actual race which played to my skills[2].

When the race began, I just went out and sprinted for as long as I could. I don’t remember all the specifics, but I know there was probably someone faster in my heat who I used to help pull me along[3]. Ultimately, when I finished, I could tell things went well right away. When the coaches told me my final time, I was ecstatic to hear that I had run 56.9 seconds which was a massive personal best and my first time under a minute in the one lapper. I can’t remember for sure if I actually made him pay up the quarter.

But believe it or not, this race wasn’t important because of the quarter. My time in this race beat a couple of the older guys on the team who had previously been out of my league. I think it was the first time I realized I could maybe be a decent team contributor one day. Also, just as importantly, I think it was the first time my teammates thought I could maybe be a decent contributor one day.

We had a team dinner to celebrate Cross Country at the end of the week and I was the most involved in team discussions I’ve ever been thanks to my 400 PR that day. For the first time I could really remember, I began to feel like a part of a family other than my own actual family. And let me tell you, it was one heck of a feeling.

---

[1] For some reason, I remember the quarter very specifically. I made a lot of bets for a quarter in my early high school years including one on a Patriots-Chargers playoff game. I might have a gambling problem.

[2] For some reason, I’m a real solid time trial. That may sound like a brag, but it’s not meant to be. I’d be much happier to brag about being a real solid actual racer. I think I just overthink the big races too much and get way too nervous which is why time trials play to my advantage. I can get the right amount of nervous for those (which is still more than the average person for a time trial as most average people don’t care much at all)

[3] Sam Ellison was also in this heat with me, before he reached true Sam Ellison level (we will get to that) and I managed to beat him. It was the only chance I would ever have to be in the same realm as him, so I’m glad I picked up the W when I had the chance.

All My Friends Are Runners: Don't Doubt Dennin

Chapter 16: Don’t Doubt Dennin

A year after Jason Weller made headlines with his upset victory at the state championships, his Boyertown teammate Mark Dennin set his sights on state gold. However, Dennin, who finished 10^th at the previous year’s state championship, was overshadowed by two bigger names in Chris Aldrich and Vince McNally. Dennin picked up a big earlier season win at the brand new “Pre-State” Meet, but he was defeated by Aldrich at the district championships. Chris dropped a 15:02 to win the title, besting Dennin by about 6 seconds. Meanwhile, the national caliber miler Vince McNally clocked a 15:02 of his own at the Lebanon Lancaster League Championships before winning his district championship comfortably over Carlisle Invitational champ Greg Kareis[1].

McNally was my pick to win, followed by Aldrich and then Dennin. But in my eyes there was a clear divide between the top two and the field. McNally had run 15:02 on a more difficult course and both runners had defeated Dennin head to head during the season. It was obvious that the Boyertown senior had little chance. But obviously Dennin didn’t feel that way. On race day, the top three runners, led by Dennin, charged forward through to the mile mark in 4 minutes and 38 seconds. It was a break neck pace, but Dennin refused to take his foot off the pedal. He, McNally and Aldrich rolled away from the field, moving through two miles in under 10 minutes. They were the only three under that barrier. But still Dennin kept the pressure on. And eventually, he broke them. And man did he break them.

Dennin finished the new course lay out in 15 minutes and 30 seconds. Second place was a dramatic 29 seconds behind in Chris Aldrich. McNally? He faded all the way back to 18^th overall as a result of the blistering early pace. After the race Dennin was ecstatic while his primary competition, Aldrich, was understandably disappointed. Aldrich did mention that his main focus was qualifying for the Footlocker National meet at Regionals in a few weeks. Both Dennin and McNally were planning to attend the meet as well so a rematch was in store.

In the weeks leading up to Footlocker, people still doubted Dennin’s superiority. Some suspected that, similar to Weller a year earlier, Dennin would falter at Regionals and Aldrich and/or McNally would jump him the same way that Paul Springer had. Aldrich had already indicated Regionals was his goal and McNally had clearly been bizarrely off his game. The rematch at Van Cortlandt Park would restore order.

Of course just outside all the Footlocker fuss was perhaps an equally talented runner in Max Kaulbach of Germantown Friends. Kaulbach’s school was not a part of the PIAA and so he did not face off against Dennin, Adlrich and McNally at the state championships. Instead competed at a separate Independent League Championships, which he won handily for the second straight season. Earlier in the year, Kaulbach had defeated Aldrich at the Manhattan Invitational in New York, the same course that houses Footlocker Northeast Regionals. So his odds at a National Qualifier seemed probable.

However, for the first time, Nike Team Nationals was offering regional qualifying meets. GFS had hopes of making it to the national championship as a team. They had clocked a monster workout in practice, led by Kaulbach. Max had done 4x200 with 1 minute rest at 35-36 seconds. A mile at 4:59 with 3-4 minutes rest. An 800 at 2:30 with 3-4 minutes rest and then a mile with splits of 70-70-68 and then a 60 last lap to complete a 4:28. His teammates were close behind with a 4:45 close (Isaac Ortiz) and a 4:50 (Jake McKenzie).

Unfortunately, despite a second place individual finish at the Regional Meet, Kaulbach could not lead his squad to a qualifying spot for the NTN Championships. GFS finished just behind PIAA Champs North Penn, who also missed out on a qualifying honor. At the time, NTN did not offer individual qualifying spots for Nationals, meaning that Kaulbach missed out on the opportunity to go to Nationals despite an impressive performance. When he saw the results at Footlocker, he was probably kicking himself.

At Van Cortlandt Park in New York, a variety of PA’s top athletes lined up in preparation for the Regional Qualifying Meet to the prestigious Footlocker National Championships. In Milesplit’s preview of the race, the website picked McNally and Aldrich to qualify but left Dennin as simply an honorable mention.

Much like the state championships, the race went out very fast. At the mile mark, the leaders clocked a blazing 4:33 opener. Brandon Jarrett of New Jersey had the lead along with Don Cabral of Connecticut. Over the second part of the race, Cabral really turned it on and took advantage of the early help to finish in 15:09. He just missed the course record held by future NCAA Champ Josh McDougal. But the man just behind Cabral was the story for Pennsylvania.

Mark Dennin came through in 2^nd overall at the Footlocker Regional Meet, proving he was no fluke. He stopped the clock in a blazing fast 15:24, one of PA’s fastest times ever on the course. In 5^th place, Chris Aldrich punched his ticket for San Diego, and then Vince McNally crossed in 7^th to give PA three individual qualifiers for the National Championships.

And for those still doubting? Dennin went to San Diego and finished in 13^th overall in a race that included a variety of future record holders and Olympians[2]. McNally was 27^th and Aldrich was 31^st.

The Boyertown boys were now officially kings of the post-season.

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[1] Now here’s what you need to know about the District 3 Championships that season. First, it was run at Hershey, the site of the updated and more difficult state championship course. Second, it rained horribly during district weekend, forcing the meet organizers to push the meet back to Sunday. That meant the competitors who qualified for states not only had a muddy run through a hilly course in their legs, but also had just six days to recover.

[2] The 2007 Footlocker Championships included Chris Derrick, German Fernandez, Colby Lowe, Luke Puskedra, Don Cabral, Rob Finnerty, Maverick Darling and Ryan Hill among others. But Mike Fout beat all those guys with a 14:50 in less than ideal conditions.

All My Friends Are Runners: Upper Dublin's Hershey Bars

Chapter 15: Upper Dublin’s Hershey Bars

The success of the 2007 North Penn Cross Country team sort of came out of left field. Although the school was large and the program had been successful on the track, North Penn had been a relative non-factor on the state cross country scene. In 2006, North Penn had been just 14^th at Districts. They returned their entire top five, but that top five included just two guys who had placed in the top 100.

Yet over the summer, the team made a huge leap forward. Zach Hoagland, the #2 runner on the squad in 2006, made a jump from solid to elite. He went toe to toe with State Medalist Chris Bodary in a record setting race at Belmont before coming back a few weeks later to get another silver at the Carlisle Invitational. Plus, the team added sophomore Brad Miles to the equation. He placed in the top 10 at both Briarwood and Carlisle in his first season of cross country and ran ahead of Zack Montijo, the team’s star 4x8 anchor who had run 15:41 the previous season. Hoagland, Miles and Montijo made up a formidable top three that no other team in the state could match.

After our runner-up finish to North Penn at Carlisle, we were determined to take another shot at the Knights. We didn’t have to wait long as both teams would be racing on the same course for the Suburban One Championships. Starting in 2007, the sites of the three Suburban One League championships were merged at Lehigh University and each of three leagues would race one after the other. We won our league with 24 points, led by Mike Palmisano’s latest sub-16 run. Our team was feeling pretty good about the performance until we witnessed North Penn’s 19 point score. Led by a 15:40 from Zack Montijo.

Montjio’s season to date had been average, but he exploded to the top of the standings on the Lehigh course and pulled his #2 and #3 runners under 16 minutes with him. At the award ceremony, Montijo accepted his first place medal by throwing up the Jay-Z Dynasty Diamond and then breaking it dramatically over his knee[1]. That was the motivation for us at practice the next week.

Based on the merged results from Leagues, our times put us about 22 points back of North Penn. If we could make up a bit of ground with our #5 runner, we would be right there with them. The other wild card was Hoagland. He was North Penn’s #3 runner for the first time after a near spotless start. Maybe that could be attacked as well.

As for me, I still didn’t figure in much to the varsity equation, but I had made some big leaps within the pecking order. At the Suburban One Junior Varsity race, I had my best race of the year, clocking an 18:16 PR for 5k, running as our team’s top sophomore and placing 27^th overall. That was good enough for a JV medal. In addition, our team was given 11 gold medals as a prize for our league title. Since our coach had no interest in keeping medals for himself, he handed all 11 out to his runners. I was the #11 guy for our squad so I had the honor of receiving the last one. I’ll always remember that medal. It was a large, gold, legit looking piece of metal on a string and I loved it so much I probably slept with it that night.

A week later, we were back at Lehigh for another race. I had my eyes set on the 18-minute barrier while my varsity teammates had their eyes set on the district championship. Our varsity squad would have the first chance as they stormed out the gate through a blazing fast opening mile. The leaders took things through in 4:43, with Wissahickon’s Nick Crits in front. Our Upper Dublin pack had five runners through the mile under 5 minutes, which seemed absurdly fast. But looking at the results, North Penn was even faster. They had 7 guys under 5 minutes at the first split and a 48-point advantage in the standings.

To our surprise, North Penn only expanded their lead over the second half of the course. The Knights scored 92 points to our 170 in the runner-up position. Although we had three guys break the magical 16-minute barrier, North Penn had one-upped us with four. To make things even crazier, North Penn’s sophomore sensation Brad Miles had finished as the team’s #1 runner with a time of 15 minutes and 24 seconds! That was good enough for fourth overall. I was absolutely floored by the fact that this kid was my age and running three minutes faster.

Not long after, it was my turn. Unlike my varsity teammates, who had earned a ticket to states with their second place performance, the District meet would be my final cross country race as a sophomore. After my strong showing at leagues, I set my sights on one of our seniors, Derek Cruice, who I had been close to the previous week. I had followed Cruice through the mile in a blazing fast 5:29 the previous week and hung on to a PR, so I set my sights on trying to do it again[2].

But this time, the pace was harder. I went out in 5:30, just behind Cruice, but I had some sophomore company. My old rivals, Brian Lee and Ryan Desch had decided to match my hard early pace rather than spot me the roughly 10 second cushion they had given a week earlier. And their presence had rattled me. I fought them off as long as I could, pushing the pace in the early going, but just as Brian had in the mile the previous spring, he pulled away from me over the final third of the race. Ultimately, he finished the race by breaking 18 minutes, the barrier I had been cycling through my mind all week.

With about 400 meters to go, Ryan came by me as well and kicked away. I had nothing left physically or mentally and he too dropped a sizable PR, dipping to 18:08 and moving ahead of my best time of the season. My official time was 18:14. In an eerily similar result to my previous track season, two classmates had come by me in my last race, just when I had thought I was best in my grade and set my sides on a big time barrier. I couldn’t help but feel a little defeated, even while snagging a personal best[3].

Of course, after districts, I wasn’t the only one feeling defeated. Once North Penn had laid the smack down on us at Lehigh, our team goals changed and our fire depleted. We still talked a big game and we were super excited about the chance to get on the medal stand if we finished second in the state behind North Penn. But we were a varsity team that was led by its juniors and the complacency that accompanies “next year is our year” was in full force.

We made our debut on the Hershey hills a week later, hoping to attack the state meet and get the silvers. Through the first mile, everything was going according to plan. We were second in the standings behind North Penn and were running well. North Penn held just a 13-point lead on us. But over the second stage of the race, while North Penn held their ground, we lost ours. Everyone on our team went backwards in the standings and our lead runner Mike Palmisano just barely held on to a medal. Really only our senior Pat McLaughlin had a strong race, breaking into the top 40 finishers.

When the points were tallied, North Penn was unsurprisingly the champion. Despite an off day from Brian Quintrell, Tim Stauring had stepped up big time as a #4 runner. With Montijo (6^th), Miles (10^th) and Hoagland (24^th) all earning state medals, the state title was clinched with 90 total points. But the Upper Dublin Cardinals? They were a surprising 5^th overall. Seneca Valley was 4^th, North Allegheny was 3^rd and the defending champions from Coatesville were 2^nd.

I think the Coatesville thing was what really got us because we had defeated them every step of the way prior to the state championships. But you have to commend their guys. Andrew Mahoney finished 16^th at states after finishing outside the top 20 at districts while sophomore Billy Hackmeister and junior Brian Wolf ran out of their gourds to finish 57^th and 59^th overall as the team’s #3-4. That still amazes me to this day.

The Coatesville silver medal performance was a big lesson for me on the value of culture and tradition. Coatesville had lost their entire top five from their national championship squad. As far as many were concerned, they had lost everyone who mattered to their success. But their 6-7 runners were back. Many of their JV runners were back. And they understood the legacy that Coatesville had to uphold as a program. At the 2007 State Meet, they certainly did not disappoint[4].

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[1] This immediately became a common celebration among the UDXC runners. Anchor the slow heat of the 4x4 to victory, throw up the diamond. Finish a stride, throw up the diamond. Puke after a race, throw up the diamond.

[2] Yes, that’s 5:29. My PR at the time was 5:12 and I was going through the mile in 5:29 while finishing with an average mile time of 5:53. Why did I think this was logical at the time? Oh, High School.

[3] In case you became really invested in my other classmates I’ve mentioned, my friend Todd had his best race of the year at Leagues as well. He ran 18:44 and finished just one second behind Desch. Ian McGrath had a big day at Leagues, breaking 6 minutes through his opening mile and then clocking a 19:57 final time. He dropped his PR to 19:34 at districts. Matt Tanzer and Jack Mao, the other members of our original four, ran 19:33 and 19:58 at districts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tanzer, who was a certified math genius, was the smartest pacer out of all of us. He ran a 6:17 first mile at districts and finished with a 6:18 average pace. But the winner of best race of the day had to be newcomer Eric Lau who ran a huge PR of 19:27 at districts after running just 20:38 at leagues.

[4] What’s interesting to me is that Coatesville hasn’t made it back to the state meet since 2007. After that huge silver medal performance they brought back three of their top four and, knowing what they accomplished a year earlier, it seemed foolish to underestimate them again. However, they were outside the mix in 2008 and haven’t re-entered the conversation in the near decade since.

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.

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[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.

All My Friends Are Runners: The End of an Era

Chapter 12: The End of An Era

I suppose, technically, the final Springer v. Weller battle is not the end of their legacy. In fact, not long after that epic 3200 meters, Weller was back on the starting line again. This time contesting the 1600. The combination of the heat and the high of winning a long coveted state title were both weighing heavily on his legs and, perhaps more importantly, his mind. But after the gun sounded, the 1600m runners did not seem too intent on stretching Jason to his limits. Nick Hilton of Exeter, who had battled Weller to a near draw (4:13 to 4:12) at a midseason invitational, took control for the first lap and brought the group through in about 63 seconds. Hilton slowed on the second lap, but no one else was willing to take over pacing duties. This was good news for Weller, who could conserve energy and hope his kick was strong enough to grab another state title.

As they approached the 800m mark, it was clear the lack of a willing leader had slowed the race dramatically. Vince McNally, the runner up in 2006, moved around Hilton and went to the front as the group hit halfway in 2:10. McNally, who was never completely comfortable with his kick, made the decision to go hard with 800m still remaining. It was a bold move. A move this strong from only halfway out was surely seen as suicide by most of the other milers. McNally had run about 30 seconds for that next 200m, the equivalent of dropping the pace from 4:30 to 4:00. TJ Hobart, the sophomore from Baldwin, was brave enough to try and cover the move, but he was out of gas after his heroic 4x800m leg. Vince looked smooth the whole way. While everyone else was scrambling, trying to figure out the best response, he was completely in control.

As they made the turn at 1100m, moving onto the home stretch for the penultimate time, the crowd got to its feet and began muttering excitedly. Moving into a clear second place and charging hard was Boyertown’s Jason Weller. The crowd cheered as he tried to erase the gap to McNally’s shoulder, which was still fairly significant. But this was Jason Weller we were talking about, nothing was impossible for this guy[1]. However, almost immediately after the “Weller is going to win” hype reached its peak, he started to fade and in his place, Isaac Bryan from Pennridge took up the chase for McNally.

But the junior from Conestoga Valley had no intention of being caught. After running 61 for his third lap, he bettered it with a 60 to close it out, stopping the clock at 4:11.70. Behind him, Weller and Bryan were paying for their moves, and in their place was Nick Crits from Wissahickon, furiously kicking his way into second. Behind him was Ryan Fink, from Strath Haven who was also closing quickly. Before Crits knew it, he was being edged at the line for the second time in a row: first by Rotz in the 4x8, then by Fink in the 16[2].

Both men ran massive PRs and shattered expectations with a pair of 4:13s. Neither had been on the greater PA landscape before the conclusion of this race. In fact, about a month before the state championship, Ryan Fink had just dropped his personal best to 4:26 in a dual meet against Penncrest. Then he found another gear to run 4:21. Then 4:17. Then 4:13 with a 59 second final lap. An amazing stretch of racing. Both Fink and Rob Speare were the talk of the town after they hung tough in a pair of state title races[3].

Weller’s last race wasn’t an unreal double, but it was another gutsy run for a man who wasn’t afraid to take chances and put his body on the line. He didn’t race for 2^nd or 3^rd, places he would have had a better chance at, but instead took off with 600m to go in hopes of grabbing gold. It cost him in the end as he fell back to 5^th overall, but Weller ended his career doing what he did best: giving everything he had in hopes of defying the odds. It’s a testament to his legacy that even tired, fatigued and overheated he could still bring the crowd to its feet, thinking they were about to see another historic run from Boyertown’s Jason Weller.

Meanwhile, Paul Springer closed out his career at the Nike Outdoor National Championships. After disappointment in Shippensburg, Paul decided to pursue one last fast time in both the two mile and the mile. First came the two mile, a stacked field led by a familiar name: Craig Forys from Colts Neck, New Jersey. Out front, Forys was hammering early, trying to get away from Maryland’s Matthew Centrowitz. In the end, Centrowitz dropped things to another gear and pulled away from Forys on the final kick en route to a blazing 8:41.55 full two mile, a top 10 high school mark all-time and a meet record. Centro opened up roughly 3 seconds on Forys in the final 200 meters.

With a ton of talent toeing the line, Springer stuck his nose in the pack and did his best to hang on. He finished 6^th overall, lowering his PA state record in the two mile down just a bit farther with an 8:52.77. They clocked him through 3,000 meters in a record 8:18.1. The guys just ahead of Springer in the race? Hassan Mead (8:51.23), Evan Jager (8:47.59) and Elliott Heath (8:46.12).

The next day, Springer came back and gave the mile a shot. In his heat were Evan Jager, Luke Puskedra and, his fellow Pennsylvanian Vince McNally. They were in the middle section of the three elite heats at nationals, so they ran all-out with tactics out the window, trying to find a spot among the All Americans. Evan Jager ended up crossing the line first in a 4:05.68 full mile, a terrific two day double. Springer had one heck of a double in his own right, running 4:10.33 for the full mile. That put Springer within the top 15 or so milers in PA history to go alongside his state record two mile.

Oh, and by the way, Vince McNally did alright for himself too. He clocked a 4:08.99 full mile. That put him in the top 5 PA runners ever. When the fast heat was officially completed, it was revealed that McNally’s time was good enough for 6^th in the national championships. And the top mark among all juniors in the race.

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[1] I was not there to witness this race live, so the only record I have is a YouTube video that I watched before writing this paragraph. The same videoer posted the 3200 with the 1600 from this state meet. During the 32, he called Weller “that Coatesville kid” for most of the race. By the time we hit the 16, he not only was able to correctly identify Weller, he was boldly and unabashedly picking him to win the race when he made this move. Admittedly, he also boldly and unabashedly picked about three or four other guys to win over the course of the video, so perhaps it wasn’t quite as bold and unabashed as you would think.

[2] Worth noting here, I’m not trying to beat up on Crits. We have the same birthday after all. I’m doing something we in the business like to call foreshadowing. Little moments like these can shape the future of a career. Keep it in mind.

[3] And honestly, it all started because Strath Haven got tripped up in the 4x8 trials and missed the finals, perhaps one of the biggest surprises of day 1. That opened the door for a fresh Fink and Speare to run their guts out and run angry on day 2 and, boom, a couple of clutch performances emerge. It’s funny how these things work out sometimes.

All My Friends are Runners: Dynizzle Gets their Goldizzle

Chapter 11: Dynizzle Gets Their Goldizzle

North Penn is a legendary 4x800 meter relay school. So, to no one’s surprise, they trotted out another special team in 2007. North Penn had already won the indoor state championship in the 4x8 and finished as the top PA team at the Penn Relays. Their 7:48 from Districts placed them in the pole position going into the outdoor state championships.

Despite North Penn’s year in and year out success, they had suffered tough defeats at the previous few championships. After their state title in 2002, they had lost the next four state championships by a combined 3.25 seconds[1]. During that span District 3 had captured three state titles, including wins by Cumberland Valley and Central Dauphin, two teams that were breathing down North Penn’s neck in this year’s title race. Central Dauphin was particularly scary: their anchor, Andrew Rotz, had already run 1:53 for 800m and was the runner up for the indoor state title.

North Penn felt they had a complete team featuring four very capable runners and they hoped that would be enough to hold off some of the star power on the opposing anchor legs. Zack Montijo and Justin Bookheimer had both split 1:56 for the team at the Penn Relays. Steve Franks had run 1:56 in the open 800m at the District Championships, running step for step with Chris Ferry of Henderson in the battle for second. Rounding out the quartet was sophomore Brian Quintrell.

Central Dauphin, the District 3 Champions, barely slipped by Strath Haven in the trails, but clinched a finals spot all the same. Surprisingly, York Suburban and Chambersburg emerged as the title threats from District 3, running 7:50 and 7:51 respectively to take the top two seeds in the final. Quietly, the WPIAL champions Baldwin, continued to improve on their season best and made it into the finals between a sleeper team from Wissahickon, and the National Champions from Cross Country, Coatesville. Coatesville had been second at districts to North Penn, but they had dropped the baton during the race. They were the experienced powerhouse with real upset potential as the state finals loomed. Like Weller, they had a certain “clutch” gene that you had to respect.

For the final, North Penn decided to lead off Justin Bookheimer, a strong relay runner with great speed (he was a top notch 300m hurdler). Bookheimer got stuck a bit on the first lap as Central Dauphin controlled the race through 400m. However, CD’s lead off had been too ambitious and he faded on the second lap. In his place was the leadoff man from State College, followed closely by Chambersburg, Wissahickon and then Bookheimer. These four had clearly separated themselves from Dave Adley of Baldwin who was among the leaders in the chase pack. Bookheimer had stuck North Penn in contention on the lead off with his 1:56.1 split, putting him right alongside Wissahickon’s Kevin Bray in the top group.

Chambersburg took over the lead on the first lap of the second leg followed closely by Kern of Wissahickon and then State College. Quintrell, like Bookheimer before him, tried not to get out too fast on his first lap. He sat in about 4^th just ahead of Central Dauphin, who was again charging out hard and chasing the leaders. The pack of four was increasing quickly as West Chester East also added itself to the mix behind second leg John LaColla, who had run in the 15:30s for 5k during the fall. On the next lap, Chambersburg paid the price for their move to the front and began to slip back through the field. Wissahickon’s Scott Kern found himself at the front, trying to power away from a line of chasers led by the surging Central Dauphin runner, Tyler Golden. Quintrell swung wide on the final turn for North Penn and dug down deep to try and keep his team at the front. His 1:58.8 split was one of his best times of the season.

The breakthrough close from Quintrell set up third leg Steve Franks quite well for North Penn. He charged to the front and took over the race. Wissahickon’s Kumar tried his best to keep up, but Franks was setting a strong pace against a slew of third legs that were not at his ability level[2]. As Franks continued to control the race out front, a bouncy haired youth from Baldwin was beginning to fly through the field behind him, picking off spot after spot. It was sophomore sensation TJ Hobart. Baldwin’s first two legs had placed them about 3 seconds behind North Penn, but Hobart was quickly beginning to make up ground, even against the talented Franks. As they rounded the turn and headed for home on the next lap, Hobart was furiously kicking to try and draw even with Franks. Both men had put a clear divide between themselves and third place. With the race less than two minutes from its conclusion, North Penn once again found themselves in a tight knit battle for the state championship.

Franks got the stick to anchor leg Zack Montijo about a half second before Hobart could pass the baton to his anchor, Chris Wolfe. Wolfe had been a solid 400/800 runner for Baldwin each of the past two seasons and was hoping to cap his senior season with an upset victory. He stalked Montijo, waiting to unleash his kick, sucking off the Knight’s energy at the front. Meanwhile, Zack could not sit around and wait. He knew that Central Dauphin’s Andrew Rotz was giving chase. Wolfe’s strong and powerful frame cast a shadow over Montijo as he continued to stalk his prey, but Montijo remained calm and focused. He had anchored the boys to a title indoors, and he knew he could do it again.

Meanwhile, the chase pack had been shuffling madly over the past 400m. Coatesville’s Owen Dawson was in third coming off the final turn of the first lap, but Nick Crits was right there for Wissahickon as was Dan Addis from Great Valley. Rotz was back a few more spots in 8^th, but he was charging around Chambersburg and East, his eyes ahead on the next group.

Despite the action behind, the race for first remained a two-man battle. Montijo continued to hold off Wolfe down the back stretch and around the final turn. It was now or never for Wolfe as he began to swing wide to try and put in one more burst to get by Montijo. But Zack was ready. Wolfe’s heroic charge was answered in earnest by Montijo over the final 100 meters. Unleashing his own finishing kick, Montijo sprinted away from Wolfe and got to the line first, giving North Penn their long coveted title 7:43.22 to 7:44.08. Montijo out-split Wolfe 1:53.4 to 1:53.9 in personal best runs for both men.

Behind him, there was a mad dash by the anchors to get to the finish. Nick Crits was leading with just 100m to go, but Andrew Rotz was charging hard, flanked by Owen Dawson on his outside for Coatesville who was trying frantically to keep pace. Chambersburg and Great Valley were also right there, sprinting on the inside line. The hard charge from Rotz was enough to get Central Dauphin third, his 1:51.9 split good enough to best Crits, who ran 1:53. Coatesville and Great Valley battled to the line for 5^th and 6^th respectively while Chambersburg held off a fantastic late charge from State College to round out the medalists.

It was a fantastic win for North Penn. They had taken back the state title in the 4x800m and once again proven themselves as one of the best mid distance programs in the state. But perhaps more intriguing, every member of the relay was returning the next season. And the chain of events that would lead to a new state record in the 4x8 had officially begun.

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[1] 2002- 7:45.47 (1^st)

2003- 7:48.77 (3^rd) Cumberland Valley 1^st 7:48.11

2004- 7:48.42 (3^rd) Central Dauphin 1^st 7:47.28

2005- 7:41.04 (2^nd) Conestoga Valley 1^st 7:40.06

2006- 7:43.90 (2^nd) Simon Gratz 1^st 7:43.43

[2] I’d say typically teams end up putting their weakest runner third. It’s just the way it works out. But 4x8 order strategy is highly underrated and super over analyzed by yours truly on an annual basis.