Josh Lampron was a sprinter and hurdler when he first started running track. Later in his freshman year the tides turned when he says he, "got thrown into the 800." The Mansfield star quickly learned where his strength lied when he split a 2:01 on the team's 4x800 relay. Lampron was now a distance runner. He says the switch has definitely paid off.
"It's pretty safe to say this year has been my best year and pretty much all of the credit goes to my coaches because I wouldn't have gone this far without their training and them pushing me to my limits."
Lampron started off his junior season on the right note running 2:29 in the 1000 and 4:17 in the mile leading up to the Massachusetts State Indoor Championships. There he went unchallenged, leading the entire mile, posting a 4:15, and capturing the crown. He says having a blend of speed and endurance training helped him perform in both the 800 and mile.
"We switch-off between tempo runs and speed workouts. I've always favored the speed workouts because I have more speed then endurance so I do well in those. My teammate Shayne Collins who ran 9:07 in the two mile always does well in the long workouts. So we always push each other. I think it's perfect for us because he helped me get my endurance up so I would able to last four laps instead of two in the 800, and I helped him with his speed so he'd be able to have a kick at the end of a two mile."
At the New Balance Indoor Nationals, Lampron was the anchor leg for Mansfield's winning SMR team. He ran the 800 and ended up splitting 1:52.2 to come from behind to give the Hornets the championship. It was a feat most of the guys didn't think was possible before the meet.
"Going into that meet I don't think anyone on our relay team expected to do that. We thought we'd get All-American honors and place top six, but until I crossed the finish line, I don't think any of us thought it was a possibility. It was a good surprise and it made me look forward to spring with new expectations."
New expectations and breaking new time barriers were now on Lampron's mind. Following New Balance, he took a week off and ran every other day. He says it was a slow start to the season competing in small dual meets against local teams. Lampron had his mind fixated on bigger stages.
"I wanted to skip to the big meets like All-State where we'd have people to run against and then move on to nationals."
Those bigger stages are where he shined the brightest. At the Massachusetts All-State Outdoor Championship he took home another state title winning in a season best time of 1:54.03. He says, as long as he has that 1600 meter endurance he isn't afraid to go out fast in the 800. His performance helped lead the Hornets to their first team championship ever in the outdoor season.
"It definitely feels like a good accomplishment, because now every outdoor track team is going to inspire to be at the level we were this season. I hope that makes everyone step up, get better, and push each other to win more state titles."
Lampron awaited an offer for the prestigious Dream Mile in New York City, but it didn't come. He says he was disappointed that he didn't get one, but believes it worked in his favor so he could take those weeks to train and prepare for nationals.
"I trained hard with Shayne and focused on mile workouts that would help me go sub 4:10 because I haven't done that. I ran a 1500 in 3:50 which converts to a 4:08 or something, but I wanted to run sub 4:10 in the mile so all my workouts were focused around that. I was definitely trying to go in and turn some heads, put myself out there, and not just be a Massachusetts state champion, but put my name on the national level."
Lampron would put his stamp on the national stage once more. Competing against some of the top milers in the country, including several who competed in the Dream Mile, the Mansfield junior remained calm. He knew if he could remain in contact with the front group he would have a chance to kick it home for the win.
"The start of the last lap, with about 400 meters to go, they started to pull away from me. At 200 meters I had almost given up, but I got to the point where I didn't know if I was going to catch up. I ended up catching them, and then I had to go out in lane three in the last 100 meters. I put my head down for a second and gave it my all. With 20 meters to go I was coming up side by side with Jantzen (Oshier) and I ended up passing him. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw him take two big strides and we crossed the finish line. It was too close to see if I had won or he had won."
Lampron crossed the line in 4:05.99, one one-hundredth of a second faster than Oshier's 4:06.00. He had just won his second national title of the year. He says he was pretty much ecstatic after the race and the feeling still hasn't sunk in.
"I couldn't really believe it at the time, and even right now I'm speechless thinking about it. Right after the race, we crossed the line and I turned around to Jantzen and we gave each other a high five. After that I went up to my coach and she was just in awe and really happy. My dad and her were just stunned that I had that kick left in me at the end."
That kick is drawing comparisons to the same kick University of Virginia star Robby Andrews recently used to win the 2011 NCAA Championship in the 800 meters. Lampron says he watched the video of Andrew's race several times before heading to Greensboro and it served as motivation.
"I watched it three or four times before the meet. It showed me comebacks like that are possible and you have to be at the right place at the right time."
Video courtesy of YouTube
Lampron will conclude his junior season this weekend in Eugene, Oregon, for the USATF Nationals. He plans on running the 1500 and looks at the opportunity as a reward for a great season.
"Getting to run at Hayward Field will be a reward in itself. Time isn't as much of a big deal as it was at New Balance. I would be happy just to make it to the finals."
A winner of two state championships, as well as a team championship and two national championships, Lampron is grateful but not satisfied.
"It means a lot for anyone to say they have those championships. It'a a big deal and a big accomplishment, but I still have one more year of track and I'm hoping to see what I can improve on and what I can run next year."
In cross country he hopes to qualify for a national meet because he just missed out this past year. However, it is his goals in the mile that are the most impressive, and if achieved, could make him a part of history.
"Coming into indoors I want to get as close to four minutes as possible. Outdoor, I'd be lying if I said sub four minutes wasn't in the back of my mind. Only five people have ever done it in high school and I know it is a long shot, but it's probably an ultimate goal of every distance runner in the country. I'm only six seconds off, so within a year, I hope I can take six seconds off of my time."
Links:
USATF Schedule/Results
Live Webcast
