A New 1,600 State Record
The word around the track is that there is indeed a collaborative effort to chase and erase Rich Martinez's 4:10.98 1,600 state record.
His 39 year-old record is the third-oldest in the books. Will it be rewritten before it reaches its 40-year anniversary? A few of Colorado's best are rumored to be teaming up to give chase - a true testament to their passion for the sport, and its rich history.
With the amount of talent that currently exists in the state, it seems almost inevitable that this record will fall this year.
Obviously the first name that comes to mind when taking down this dinosaur of a record is Cole Sprout.
The Valor Christian senior is hands down the most decorated Colorado distance runner, as he owns state records in the 3,200 and 5k, in addition to his seven state titles. (An additional prediction is that he officially breaks 9 on Colorado soil this year.)
A year ago Sprout came within a stride of rewriting the record with a 4:11.13 at St. Vrain - and he ran that one solo.
But this year he'll likely have company over the final quarter of a mile in the form of Dakota Ridge's Connor Ohlson (pictured above), who is part of the collaborative effort to break the record.
Ohlson became the only Colorado runner to beat Sprout over 1,600 since May 2017 when he finished fifth at Nike Cross Nationals this past December.
While he hasn't run as close to the record as Sprout (he ran 4:17 in Colorado last year), his sheer half-miler speed, and massive leap at NXN shows evidence that he's got the wheels.
He owns a 1:53.84 half-mile PR, which is three-hundredths of a second ahead of Sprout's 1:53.87.
We'll make sure to report the When and Where for The Chase so history buffs can capture a glimpse of this most-likely of historic moments.
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