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Randall’s Island, NY (June 9) - -
With just a shade over 500 meters remaining and the penultimate trip down the homestretch now in sight, the Mansfield High senior, Josh Lampron, had just one thought, “It is time to make the move.” So during a crowded and tightly-bunched field, comprised of 14 of the nation’s top-ranked US high school milers from Washington to Massachusetts and competing at New York’s Icahn Stadium, the site of the 2012 Adidas Grand Prix and Samsung Diamond League Track & Field Tour, Lampron proceeded to execute the race strategy he and long-time Coach, Julie Collins, had called for.
Despite being just four days removed from a record-breaking 1:51.92/4:07.88 double at the twice-postponed MA All-State Meeting, the 18-year-old Lampron dug deep to execute in the final stages of the Adidas Boys Dream Mile. But many others in the highly-touted field, including Bernie Montoya, the seven-time Arizona State Champion and Jacob Burcham of West Virginia, all had the same idea. Positioning himself in third entering the bell lap, with eventual fourth-place finisher Brannon Kidder leading the Charge - - splitting three-quarters 3:02.99 [Lampron 3:03.5], and with as many as eight runners still in contention for the coveted top spot and the push for a sub-four minute clocking, the multiple-time Hockomock League champion held his ground.
The final 400 circuit was a mass sprint to the finish. With many of the top contenders running a negative-split race for the final half. Lampron, himself, toured the final 400 in approximately 59 seconds. His third-place finish in 4:02.98, resulting in the #3 all-time New England performance and #2 MA. He trails just Andrew Springer [Westerly, RI] 4:02.70 and Andy Powell {Oliver Ames, MA] 4:02.7 on the regional lists. “This is where I wanted to be today, and what I wanted to do,” said Lampron, the reigning outdoor national mile champion, who passed on today’s New England High School Championships to join the highlyengaged field of milers. “The plan was to just stay in the middle of the pack for the first half and then go from there”, said Lampron, shortly after emerging from the media tent and being congratulated by Coach Collins and others..“It got very crowded on the third lap, noted Lampron,” whom had paraded between fifth and eighth place during the early stages of the race. He split half-way in 2:03.39, maintaining the fifth spot, and then as thepace quickened during the ensuing 400 meters he found himself anywhere between fourth and seventh in the lead pack. “I knew at that point it would be an all out sprint to the finish,” said Lampron, who carried this years top-ranked 1500-meter mark [3:45.74] into the competition. That time ranks him #3 all-time New England.
Meanwhile, the home stretch run found Montoya, the Yuma, AZ resident, using a devastating kick over the final 150 meters to win in 4:01.32, the US #1 performance this year. The race turned out to be about the deepest ever for a high school boy’s mile, with the best ever times for places 4-13. The top10 finishers all dipped under 4:06 and the top 12 under 4:08. Eight runners in the field scored personal bests, including Lampron, who improved by a whopping 3.1 seconds over his previous best of 4:05.99, set last year in winning the US Outdoor title at Greensboro, NC.
Lampron emphasized that he loved being in this type of environment and, despite the disruption intraining and races this week past, he has no regrets about today’s performance. “I came here hoping to get a PR and I did that. I was in good position with 500 to go and on the last turn. With about 250 to go my legs started to tie up a bit. I just had no kick left.”“He {Lampron] was as nervous as I have ever seen him, this week,” said Collins. He really wanted to be here in the worst way, no matter how tired he was from the MA All-States.”
Lampron missed a considerable amount of time during the cross country and indoor season, resulting from a hard-to-diagnose foot injury. Once the recovery process began the training intensified over a lengthy time period. No racing to interrupt a sustained training period as Coach Collins alluded to post race. “He [Lampron] is certainly not over-raced and I know hefeels that way, which is a good thing for this time of year. Between the MA All-States and here all we could dowas focus on maintaining and recovery,” said the coach This was a tough week on the Villanova-bound miler. But one that was ultimately gratifying, and certainly a week Lampron will cherish for a long time.
Larry Newman/Netrack
For MA.MileSplit.US
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