Cole Sprout hit the track in Colorado for the first time of 2020, and did what he does best: put on a show/clinic.
The Valor Christian senior - and future Stanford Cardinal - cruised his way through the 3,000, running back-to-back-to-back-to-back (you get the idea) 34-second laps, without varying the pace more than a half a second one way or the other for 15 laps.
When the clock stopped (for him), it read 8:37 - a US No. 5 without an altitude conversion (on a 200 meter, flat track.)
The Mountain Lion Field House sits right around 6,291, which brings up the debate: How much time does the conversion take off?
Roughly 25 or so seconds, which would make Sprout's "workout" an 8:12 outing.
Friday night at the office.
What was additionally exciting about the 3,000 was the coming of Edward Rush.
The Castle View senior has clearly made some gains over the winter - he was the lone runner to give chase, and he was rewarded for the effort.
Rush ran a nicely sized PR of 8:51. By comparison, his outdoor 3,200 PR is 9:37. His effort inside the Mountain Lion Field House Friday night definitely took a bite out of that time (and if we apply an altitude conversion, Rush's 8:51 looks more like an 8:26.
Rush doubled back after the 3,000 to add a runner-up finish to Luke Tichi in the mile. Tichi was a runaway winner in the event, setting a hot pace from the start and never relinquishing. The Durango senior ran 4:28.
Ian Jackson picked up two big wins. The Alamosa senior was the runaway winner in the 200 and the 400, running 23.12, and 51.46.
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