New Balance Grand Prix 2014

Tony Russell, West Chester Henderson

Milesplitmass caught up with Tony Russell of Westchester, Pa. Coach Greg Zopatti is back with his very popular  "Take 3 with Z"  segment.

Bishop Guertin ( New Hampshire ) interview after winning the girls Sprint Medley at the New Balance Grand Prix.

Coach Z talks to Grand Prix Junior Mile winner Maddie Berkson from Classical High School in Rhode Island.

Coach Z talks with La Salle Academy of Rhode Island after winning the Grand Prix High School Distance Medley relay.

In this episode, Coach Zopatti fires three questions at superstar Nick Symmonds at the New Balance Grand Prix games in Boston.

BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 10, 2013) — Jenny Simpson and Brenda Martinez, two of the brightest middle-distance stars in America, kick off a roster of top athletes set to compete in the 2014 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced this week.

  BOSTON, Mass. (Jan. 8, 2014)—A trio of 2013 world leaders and the most-exciting young American star in a generation are among the latest top athletes set to compete in the 2014 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced today.The Olympic-style all-star event will take place on Feb. 8 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Tickets are now on sale at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-849-8722.

Nick Symmonds, the 2013 IAAF World Championships silver medalist and third-fastest American 800-meter runner in history, will headline an attempt to break the 4x800-meter relay World Record at the 2014 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced today.

Two stellar fields have been assembed for the junior mile races at the 2014 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix to be held on Saturday, February 8th at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. See below! MileSplit will be on-site with coverage. 

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.

Galen Rupp, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist at 10,000 meters and seven-time U.S Champion who holds four American Records, is a late addition to the mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, organizers have announced.   The 19th -annual New Balance Indoor Grand Prix will take place on Saturday at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, beginning at 3 p.m. The all-star event will feature 39 Olympic or World Championships medalists, including six Olympic Champions and 12 World Champions.  

A strong opening act for those highly-anticipated races will occur about an hour after the doors have opened for the world-class meet. Some of the best high school stars from the region (and beyond) have been invited to compete in the Junior Mile. With the quality of the fields that have been assembled, no doubt the two races should excite the fans. The host state will have its share of standout athletes capable of earning the top prize in the boys’ race, scheduled for 3:58 p.m. Five of the 12 runners in the field hail from the Bay State. Three of those runners, Middlesex School senior Garrett O’Toole, Newburyport junior Nick Carleo and Newton North senior Gabe Montague are among the top six on MileSplit’s national rankings for the mile

Weekend coverage of PA athletes and teams-Photo by Chuck Martin  

The big day is here and Milesplitmass will have all the action as  fast as we can !

  Each year, the first weekend in February results in the fixing of all eyes on Boston's Reggie Lewis Center for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, an opportunity for some of the world's best track and field athletes to showcase the midseason form their indoor seasons might have brought. The main event for the future of American distance running came in the women's 1000 meters, with Bronxville's (NY) Mary Cain, just 17 but already under the tutelage of Alberto Salazar's Nike Oregon Project, battling another teenage sensation in Ajee Wilson, as well as a star-studded field that included. Cain appeared surprisingly comfortable through a 29.3 opening lap, and a 60.3 opening quarter, trailing only the race rabbit and Treniere Moser, the 2013 U.S. 1500 meter champion. With only a slight dip in the pace during a sharp third lap, Cain never hesitated to surge by Moser during lap number four. The contest became tighter as Cain surged, with race favorite Chanelle Price challenging her at the 500 meter mark, and Sarah Brown and Molly Beckwith making overtures of their own. Cain, after a 2:04 half mile, never budged, never seemed to notice the oncoming traffic behind her. The crowd noise was numbing, the energy was palpable, and the teenager didn't seem to notice or care. She has the composure of a concert cellist and the steady hand of a surgeon. When the dust had cleared and the crowd stopped cheering, the world junior mark (2:39.25) she set a month earlier was shattered, Cain surging to a 2:35.80 time, ahead of Price by nearly a second.  

Rams  timed in 10:24.10 for gold, while Classical's Berkson wins with season best of 4:56.10 in mile.

Wins don’t always come easy, especially when the competition is at its stiffest. A few weeks ago at the Yale Track Classic, Pennsylvania’s Tony Russell claimed the individual prize. After nearly leading from the opening gun, the West Chester Henderson senior earned the title by fending off a spirited effort by Christian Alvarado of Fairfield Prep (CT) the final few meters of the race. History repeated itself on Saturday night at the Reggie Lewis Track Center in Boston where Russell added another important triumph to his strong winter campaign by taking the Junior Mile of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. 

Tony Russell realized the first part of his vision for the 2014 indoor season on the biggest of stages.

There was no doubt who the star attractions were for Saturday’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. For the second straight year, it was the addition of Nike Oregon Project’s Galen Rupp and Mary Cain that drew the most appeal for the fans that packed the Reggie Lewis Track Center for the world-class meet. A sore left leg forced Rupp to drop out of the mile race with a lap remaining. But the televised event got another treat from Cain. The recently-turned professional from Bronxville High in New York smashed her three-week old world junior indoor record in the 1,000-meter run with a stunning time of 2 minutes, 35.80 seconds.

Kyle Levermore finds a NJ#5 spot and Pope John XXIII moves up the state and national rankings. 

Marissa Sheva is a junior and is a repeat Millrose Mile qualifier, and is coming off a strong 2nd place finish in the New Balance Grand Prix HS mile.