Beattie, Verzbicas in Dream Miles Saturday

Kayla Beattie of Woodstock and Lukas Verzbicas of Sandburg are in stellar fields announced today for the High School Dream Miles at the adidas Grand Prix meet in New York on Saturday. The meet begins at noon, Central Time. Check out these fields:

Girls' Dream Mile
Kayla Beattie Woodstock IL
#2 in nation at 3200m
Alli Billmeyer San Diego CA
Won adidas Meet of Champions; #4 in nation 1600m
Lindsay Crevoiserat Glastonbury CT
#2 in nation in the mile
Cami Chapus Los Angeles CA
#2 in nation at 1600m
Kat Delaney San Juan Capistrano CA
#3 in nation at 1600m
Wesley Frazier Ravenscroft NC
#9 in nation at 1600
Eleanor Fulton Highlands Ranch CO
2009 World Youth Championships, 6th in steeplechase
Shelby Houlihan Sioux City IA
#5 in nation at 1500m
Molly McNamara Red Bank NJ
# 6 in nation at 1600m
Maddie Meyers Seattle WA
4:41.93 win in 2010 race here fastest of year in U.S.
Amy-Eloise Neale Snohomish WA
#1 in nation in the mile (4:48.01); #4 1500m, 3200m
Angel Piccirillo Homer City PA
#3 in nation in the mile; Penn Relays winner
Haley Pierce Wilmington DE
#1 in nation at 3000m (9:16.35); #3 at 1600m
Ajee Wilson Neptune NJ
#2 in nation at 800m (2:05.25)

Boys' Dream Mile
Jacob Burcham Ona WV
#6 in nation 1500m; #6 in mile
Matt Carpowich Torrey Pines CA
#2 in nation in mile
Edward Cheserek Newark NJ
#1 in 5K (14:02.33); NJISAA prep champ 1600m, 3200m
Daniel Everett St. Louis MO
2011 Kansas Relays Champion 1600m
Elias Gedyon Los Angeles CA
2010 CA champion 1600m; #3 in nation 1600m, 3200m
Omar Kaddurah Grand Blanc MI
#1 in nation 1500m (3:47.61)
Ammar Moussa Arcadia CA
#2 in nation 3200m; #3 in mile
Austin Mudd Greenwood IN
#1 in nation 800m (1:49.25); #2 1600m
Billy Orman Tuba City AZ
#1 in nation 3200m (8:48.63); #4 1600m
Jantzen Oshier Mission Viejo CA
#1 in nation in mile (4:06.81) and 1600m (4:00.83)
Jim Rosa Plainsboro NJ
3rd here last year in #3 time in nation for 2010
Joe Rosa Plainsboro NJ
2010 2-mile National Champion outdoors
Lukas Verzbicas Orland Park IL
Defending champ; Nat'l HS Record-holder 2 mi, 5000m(i)
Blake Williams Durham NC
#3 in nation 1500m; winner Golden South Classic

Ragnar Relay Draws 362 Teams

Formerly the MC 200 from Madison to Chicago, Ragnar has taken over this popular relay that takes teams of 12 or 6 runners from downtown Madison, WI, across Wisconsin to Milwaukee and then south to Montrose Harbor on Chicago's North Side. A record 362 teams are entered, and the weather appears to look good right now with cool temps and rain holding off. I am on Fossil Velocity, the team in orange shorts that is made up of runners 50 or older exclusively. Our lineup is different every year, but we have a similar and simple mission every time: run fast and have fun. We'll try our best. That's for sure! I've got my headlamp, reflective vest and blinkie lights all packed and ready to go. Good luck to all of the other teams. We'll see you on the trail.

13.1 . . . A Tough and Sad Day

I've hesitated to write about the 13.1 Half Marathon on Saturday. I wasn't there and have not had contact with any race officials. What I do know is what I've heard. The race was stopped around the two-hour mark, maybe before, because of the oppressive heat. From what I have been told a 22-year-old runner died and 10 other people were taken to the hospital. It seems to me they made the correct call by halting it. You can find results by clicking on the Chicago Athlete results at the right.

Escareno, Beattie Top Tough Fields at Roselle 5K

Christian Escareno ran a 15:41.0 and led a parade of six runners under 16 minutes (photo), and Kayla Beattie fresh off her sensational high school season, blew away the women's field with a 16:29.3 on Sunday at the Sternberg Lighting Run for the Roses 5K in Roselle. The CARA Runners Choice Circuit race was deep in talent as 764 people crossed the finish line, up from 603 a year ago. Escareno, 23, of Mount Prospect, was followed closely by his brother Jesus, 21, who ran 15:44.2. Mac McCulley, 26, of Volo, was third in 15:46; Matthew Thor, 24, of Arlington Heights, was fourth in 15:50; David Wilson, 42 (top master), of Brookfield, was fifth in 15:52.5 and Michael Cauley, 30, of Bloomingdale, was sixth in 15:59. Several more great runners finished just over 16 minutes. It was quite a sight as the lead pack turned the final corner. Meanwhile, Beattie, 18, of Woodstock, who set state records in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state 2A championships last month running for Woodstock HS, was well ahead of respected masters runner and overall runner-up Jessica Langford, 40, of Rockford, who ran a 17:46.5. Third place was taken by Shannon Javaras, 36, of Palos Park, in 18:16.2. A lot of sterling performances were turned in in many of the age groups as the big names came out on a good day to run. I was nursing my calf from a slight injury last week and enjoyed watching the show.

Verzbicas Sets National HS Mark at Pre 2-Mile

Lukas Verzbicas was in a very loaded field at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR, on Saturday, but it was his chance to shine and he didn't waste it. While Bernard Lagat won a splendidly strategic race with a magnificent kick in 8:13.62, Verzbicas, 18, a recent graduate of Sandburg High School in Orland Park, ran his own race, hanging onto the back of the pack for a few laps, but never falling off the radar screen as the leaders pulled away. In the end, Lukas ran an 8:29.46, setting an American high school record by almost five seconds. Lagat made it a point to shake Lukas's hand after he crossed the line. That was a real class act. The previous 2-mile record was Californian German Fernandez’s 8:34.40, set in 2008. Before that, it was a 8:36.3, run in 1979 by Jeff Nelson of Burbank, CA. Gerry Lindgren, one of the greats during my high school days, ran an 8:40 in Spokane, WA, back in 1964. Just to clear it up, the 2-mile is not the same distance as the 3,200 meters. It is slightly longer.

Prefontaine 2-Mile Next for Verzbicas

Used to being at or near the front, Lukas Verzbicas could be at the back hanging on this Saturday when he runs in a world-class 2-mile race at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, OR. The University of Oregon-bound Verzbicas, 18, of Orland Park (Sandburg HS), is slower on paper than anyone else in the race. Still, it will be fun to see what he can do. There is a pretty good chat going on about this on the letsrun.com web site. The meet organizers also have added three new Friday night events to spice up the weekend. They are a women's 5,000, men's 25,000-30,000 combined race and a men's 10,000. There could be some changing of races as some 2-miler opt for one of the new races and visa-versa. The last Illinois star I remember running in the Pre Classic was Don Sage of York. It's been a while. Lukas, if you happen to see this, feel free to give us your mind-set going into this high-profile 2-mile race on Saturday, and why you aren't running the mile. Lukas, are you there??
Here's the incredible field for our local high school phenom!

2 Mile

BEKELE Tariku ETH
BETT David Kiprotich KEN
BIRMINGHAM Collis AUS
BUMBALOUGH Andrew USA
CHERUIYOT Jonas KEN
FARAH Mohammed GBR
HASS Stephen USA
KIPCHOGE Eliud KEN
KIPTOO Mark Kosgei KEN
KOECH Isaiah Kiplangat KEN
LAGAT Bernard USA
MCNAMARA Jordan USA (pacer)
MILLER Kyle USA
NOVAK Rob USA
RUPP Galen USA (switching to 10,000)
SOI EdwinCheruiyot KEN
TEGENKAMP Matt USA
THOMPSON Chris GBR
VERZBICAS Lukas USA

Fully-Loaded Weekend On Tap

The running race schedule is busy again this weekend. I knew we couldn't go more than a week or two without more half-marathons! This Saturday, it's 13.1 Chicago and the Sunburst Half in South Bend, IN. Other great runs include the Cosley Zoo Run in Wheaton on Saturday and the Run for the Zoo (Lincoln Park) on Sunday. The Roselle 5K, a CARA Runners Choice Circuit race, is on Sunday. Those are the highlights. There are a bunch of other runs and training programs as well. What's your favorite June race? Good luck whether you're training, racing or just plain taking it easy! I'm gearing up for the Ragnar Madison-Chicago 200-mile relay late next week.