Photos by Chuck Martin
The mile run. No matter the level of competition, it’s the glamour event of track & field.
Right now, for the state of Massachusetts, it’s also a glamorous time of year for this signature race.
At the Boston Holiday Challenge on Dec. 28, Newton North senior Gabe Montague easily captured the mile on the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center’s banked oval with a personal-best clocking of 4 minutes, 15.82 seconds. Just seven days later on Jan. 4 at a Boston University Mini Meet, Newburyport junior Nick Carleo and Middlesex School senior Garrett O’Toole also excelled for the “eight-lapper.” In a stacked mile race that included collegiate and post-collegiate runners, Carleo matched the effort of Montague with a fifth-place time of 4:15.82. Finishing a few strides behind was O’Toole in sixth at 4:16.10.
Based on MileSplit’s rankings this past week, the Bay State bunch own three of the top six mile times from coast to coast. A few weeks ago, they were 1-2-3 on the list.
Surprisingly, except for Carleo and O’Toole’s race at the beginning of the month, the talented trio has never had the opportunity to stand on the same starting line together. That will all change in Boston next month when the three runners compete together in the Junior Mile on Feb. 8 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
“It should definitely be a great race,” Montague said. “They are tremendous runners. I don’t know how it will play out but it should be interesting.”
Making it to the top of the national list is certainly not by accident for these runners. Montague, Carleo and O’Toole came into the winter season with backgrounds destined for greatness once the starter’s pistol is fired.
The least surprising among the group is O’Toole. The slender distance ace from Middlesex, a small independent boarding school in Concord, has run 3:49.89 for the 1,500-meter distance. He was the so-called rabbit for the Adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in N.Y., back in May, a race he eventually finished with a PB of 4:12.12.
What may be surprising for most is how quick it took O’Toole to get back to the elite level. He missed the entire cross-country season this past fall due to a stress fracture suffered during the late summer. Just two weeks after he resumed training on Dec. 21, O’Toole ran a nation No. 1 of 8:29.27 for the 3K at a B.U. Mini Meet. Not too long after that effort, he clocked his season-best for the mile, and just recently at the GBTC Invitational on Jan. 19, O’Toole was second overall with a US #3 of 2:29.2 for the 1,000.
“He really just started running when he ran the mile at the B.U. meet,” Middlesex coach Malcolm Russell said. “It was just part of his training. When he ran the 3K, he had two weeks of training. We weren’t expecting that. We hadn’t done much quality at all, but he races well.”
Due to the fact that Middlesex is a private institution, O’Toole has not had the benefit of running against the state’s finest in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). Instead, the Concord school devises its schedule by choosing other meets that allow high school runners to compete, such as the B.U. events.
“We can’t pick our meets because we are not part of the state association,” Russell said. “We basically go to college meets that allow high school runners. If they meet anyone that is any good, that’s how they are going to do it.”
O’Toole follows in the footsteps of another great Middlesex runner, recent grad Joe Randon. Randon, a Yale freshman, was second at last year’s USATF New England Indoor Championship with a state best of 8:25.12 for the 3K. He was also a runner-up in the two mile at the New Balance Nationals in June where he ran a PB of 8:52.61.
In one particular workout last year, Randon and O’Toole ran 10 repeat 400s at 60 seconds with a two-minute rest in between each 400.
“Garrett had James to train with last year which is a big advantage,” Russell said. “James was very good at repeats (and pacing) and I think Garrett learned from him. You see a lot of that when you have two great milers on your team.”
While their credentials don’t quite match up to O’Toole’s, the resume is still impressive for Carleo and Montague. Both runners concluded a successful cross-country season with individual state titles at the MIAA All-State Finals with Montague winning the Div. I race and Carleo earning the Div. 2 crown.
Montague has the speed of a middle-distance runner. He was second (PB, 1:54.85) in the 800 at last year’s outdoor state meet and was also on the sixth-place sprint medley relay team at the indoor nationals where he ran 1:54 for his half-mile anchor leg.
The Newton North standout was all by his lonesome when he blazed to his 4:15 in late December. Finishing second, nearly 12-seconds behind, was Chelmsford junior Quinn Cooney.
“I really didn’t have anyone pushing me,” he said. “The week before I ran 4:21. I had felt pretty good. I made a plan for the next meet to run under 4:20. I was feeling pretty comfortable about that. I didn’t know I could do it but I guess it worked out.”
“I was pretty consistent with the exception of a fast opening 400, which I ran close to 60,” he added. “If I paced it, I think I could have done better. But it’s good to know I can go out that fast and recover pretty well.”
Montague, a runner-up in the 1,000 at last winter’s MIAA Div. 1 Championships with a best of 2:30.06, likes to take charge from the start. But lately, he also doesn’t mind holding back and utilizing his speed in the closing laps.
“Traditionally, my strength is leading. I feel good when I lead,” he said. “Since cross country and the 800 last year, I have learned more to stick with the pack. I have had races that have worked both ways.”
At the B.U. meet, Newburyport’s Carleo was nearly four seconds under his previous best of 4:19 for the mile. He was fairly confident he had a strong race in him.
“Honestly, it was pretty expected,” he said. “I knew for a fact that I was in better shape than last year. At B.U., I had someone rabbit me for the first 800 and ran 2:07. Once the rabbit dropped out, I just sat on Garrett and went from there.”
Carleo has a lot of weapons in his arsenal. He has the ability to run five-minute pace for a 5K and also sub two-minutes for the 800.
“I think I have really good endurance, like cross-country endurance,” he said. “But I can also run 52 seconds for 400. I think I am good all-around.”
The field has been set for next month’s New Balance Grand Prix and for hometown fans the interest will be a little greater with three of their best vying for the title.
“It’s something I don’t really think about,” Carleo admitted. “Obviously (Montague and O’Toole) are very, very fast. I am just going to get in the race and see what I can do. I really don’t know how I will run it. It also depends on how I feel.”
Besides the Massachusetts’ contingent, the race will also include recent Yale and Dartmouth mile winners Tony Parker of West Chester Henderson (PA) and Charles Cooper (Canada).
“It should be fun to see,” Montague said. “In the eyes of the viewer, it should be more exciting than the nationals.”
FINAL KICK: The Bay State actually has four runners that have cracked the 4:20 barrier. On Jan. 23, Newton North’s Mike Schlicting ran 4:17.98 (US #13) in a conference meet. Schlicting and Burlington’s Paul Hogan will be among the field for the Grand Prix race.