For the second consecutive week, the atmosphere will be electrifying for a high-profile mile race. While it may not match the one created by Drew Hunter in his successful pursuit of a sub-4 and national record at the Armory Invitational this past weekend, Sunday's Junior Boys' Mile at the New Balance Grand Prix could certainly create its own magic.
Hunter won't be toeing the line for the Valentine Day's event, but expect a possible winning effort in the low four-minute range with several in the field capable of breaking 4:10 on the banked oval of the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.
The 12-runner field features three competitors from last year's race that have a very good chance of making things happen on Sunday - Jack Salisbury (La Salle Academy RI), Thomas Ratcliffe (Concord Carlisle MA) and Aiden Tooker (Saratoga Springs NY).
Salisbury, who captured his second straight mile race at the Dartmouth Relays last month to earn his ticket back to the Grand Prix, was a lean away from defeating Michigan's Logan Wetzel in 2015 when he ran an indoor best of 4 minutes, 8.76 seconds to place second to Wetzel's winning 4:08.75. The Ram senior improved on his effort by two seconds three months later at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon where he placed third overall. Salisbury is one of those runners that's not afraid to stick with the best and do whatever it takes to make sure he's the one up front at the finish.
The La Salle standout, who will joined on the line by two of his teammates from last year's national indoor 4xMile champion relay squad, DJ Principe and Matt Bouthillette, has manufactured a strong campaign on the indoor surface and appears primed for a top performance on Sunday. Besides his win at Dartmouth, he clocked a season best of 4:12.43 in early January at a Boston University Mini Meet. Last week, Salisbury achieved a rare triple at his division meet where he anchored the winning 4x800m squad with a sub two-minute time and also won the 1,500 meter run (4:00.49) and the 1,000m (2:31.48) with national-caliber times.
After his performance at the divisionals he made one thing clear about his intentions at the Grand Prix -I am going for the win this year."
While Salisbury is the No. 1 returnee, Ratcliffe has potential to steal the show and should be labeled as the favorite. Last year it was the Massachusetts' runner that dictated a fast race with his customary gutsy, front-running style that brought the pack through an opening 400m of 61 seconds and 2:04 at the midway point. Ratcliffe eventually finished fourth in the race with a big-time PR of 4:10.45. He would later run a 4:07.63 at the Pre Classic.
This year the Concord-Carlisle senior has simply been on fire, a flame that doesn't look like it's ever going to be extinguished. Running virtually by himself from the opening gun during a dual meet on Jan. 13, he recorded the fastest two mile in the country with a best of 8:57.47. He also owns the nation's No. 1 time in the 1,000m with a 2:27.30 clocking in another league race where he was never challenged. With a field that can push him, it's anybody's guess how fast Ratcliffe can run on a track that he is certainly familiar with.
Tooker, who was sixth last year, should also not be ignored. The Saratoga Springs' senior got his season off to a hot start when he captured the mile at the Armory Hall of Fame Invitational on Dec. 19 with a then-nation best of 4:09.38. A runner-up for 3K at the Penn Relays Carnival in April,Tooker has also done 8:54.22 for 3,200m and recently won the 1,000m at the Armory Track Invite where he held off a gallant effort by another Grand Prix competitor, Glastonbury's Randy Neish, with his time of 2:27.80 (US #2). He's ready to improve on his 4:09 best.
Viraj Deoker (Middlesex MA) is the fourth and final returner from last year's race where he was eighth overall in 4:15.40. He's the state's prep 3K indoor record-holder after his 8:24.12 at BU last month.
If the race turns tactical and Neish is still among the leaders, he might be one you want to keep an eye on. He has a best of 4:16 (outdoor) for the mile, but his specialty in the middle-distance events. He copped the 800 title at the Yale Track Classic last month with a time of 1:53.84, currently the sixth fastest in the country. He's also done 1:24 for 600m.
Bouthillette and Principe are two runners capable of a fast time this weekend. Like Salisbury, both are enjoying solid season this winter. It's not too far-fetched to say that a sub 4:10 is within their reach. Less than two weeks ago, Bouthillette defeated his teammates and a host of other talented distance runners in the two mile at the Ocean Breeze Invitational in New York with a PB of 9:05.48 (US #3). He also had a mile best of 4:12.65 at the BU Mini Meet last month and has done 2:32.63 for 1K. Principe ran his PB for the mile at BU with a 4:15.41, he also has done 2:32.19 for 1K and finished second in the 3,000m at Yale last month with an all-time best of 8:26.51. Considering their teammates and training partners, Bouthillette and Principe, along with Salisbury, have the benefit of familiarity on their side and more than likely will work together with hopes of prosperity at the end.
Another runner who could come up big this weekend is Connecticut's Eric van der Els. Based on the quality of the field, the Brien McMahon senior comes in with a modest 4:16.91 indoor best, a time he ran to win the FCIAC Championships back on Feb. 4. What van der Els has proven the last year, when the competition is at its stiffest, he usually comes to race. In other words, he has the potential to improve on his PB substantially. He was third in the 3K at Yale with a PB of 8:28.80 and was third in the 5,000m at the New Balance Nationals in June with a time of 14:41.05.
Also scheduled to lace up their racing shoes for the 3:55 p.m., start are Andrew Ernst (Marblehead MA), who owns the fastest 1,500m time in the field at 3:47.88 (outdoor), Liam Kimball (Timberlane Regional NH), the East Coast Invitational (RI) mile champion, Mike Kolor (Seneca Valley PA), a 1:54 800m runner with a 4:12.37 mile to his credit, and Matt D'Anieri (Wellesley MA), who was first in the 1,000m at the MSTCA Elite Meet a few weeks ago where he ran a fast 2:32.71 clocking.