Halladay, Parker win Dream Miles; Watson hits A standard

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

SOMERVILLE, Mass. -- With short bursts of laughter and a giant grin, Lexy Halladay’s pure excitement was hard to ignore Friday evening as she posed for pictures and answered questions from a swarm of media.

Watch - Boys Dream Mile | Girls Dream Mile

The wunderkind freshman from Meridian, Idaho became one of the main stars Friday evening at Dilboy Stadium in at the adidas Boost Boston Games. Halladay displayed a strong final kick to win the Girls Dream Mile in a nation-leading time of 4 minutes, 41.80 seconds.

“My goal was to beat my PR (personal record), but that was a little faster than I thought I could go,” Halladay said.

It was a personal best for Halladay by five seconds and she surpassed a freshman class national record held by the great Mary Decker since 1973 (4:42.0). Halladay ran a smart and mature race, looking like a distance runner beyond her years and not the youngest in the field.

“My coach (Tracy Harris) told me not to lead and just to follow the front pack … and just hang on,” Halladay said. “And that last lap just give it your all.”

In a deep and talented field, it came down to a sprint. After fighting her way to fourth place, Halladay found herself neck and neck with Lauren Gregory of Fort Collins and Brie Oakley, the national high school indoor 5,000-meter record holder. Halladay was able to find an extra gear when it counted.

Oakley finished second (4:41.95) and Gregory was third (4:42.00) -- career best times for both seniors.

“My legs were so heavy, especially the straightaway … it came down to a sprint, and it hurt,” Halladay said.

The pain was all worth it for the freshman, who traveled with her dad more than 2,000 miles to compete. This was her first time in Boston.

Halladay will next run in the Brooks PR mile in Seattle in two weeks.

A ‘Dream’ win for Utah’s Parker

For Patrick Parker, Friday’s Boys Dream Mile, was beyond his expectations. Parker, a senior from American Fork, Utah emerged as the winner in the invitational mile in a time of 4:03.99.

“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling pretty tired,” he said. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t quite realize that I won the thing. I wanted to win, I wanted to do my very best, knowing the field, knowing how fast these guys were … it’s a dream. I still don’t know if I’m used to it yet.”

I was an interesting four laps with multiple lead changes, forcing Parker to adjust his plan and become more aggressive to stay with the leaders.

“It’s incredible and awesome knowing you’re up there with these top guys,” Parker said. “(It’s) kind of nerve-wracking a little bit knowing that you've got to bring your best, you got to go out wanting to win.”

The runner-up was Austin Hindman (4:04.53), while Parker’s teammate Casey Clinger was third (4:04.87) and another American Fork teammate, McKay Johns, was fifth (4:06.18).

Parker’s win was a three second PR. He’s scheduled to run in the 800 meters at Brooks PR, but is hoping to get into the mile instead.

“To have one last chance at hopefully breaking four, if not see how close I could get to that,” Parker said. 

Watson gives up NY state meet for 800 at Boston

In the end, Samantha Watson made the right decision.

Forgoing her final New York state championships in favor of a rare chance to mix it up with the pros in the 800-meter section of the Boost Games, Watson made the most of her opportunity.

A week after running in the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, the senior from Rush-Henrietta clocked the third-fastest pre 800 ever with 2:00.78, finishing in an impressive second place in a strong field. Charlene Lipsey won it in 1:59.57.

“I’m in a lot of pain right now, but it’s good pain,” Watson said after. “And I know it's worth it all, the training and hard work and dieting, it’s all been worth it.”

The time surpassed the World Championships A standard, meaning she could theoretically represent the U.S. in London if she finishes in the top three at the upcoming USATF Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Watson’s decision was not taken lightly. She said her mom, who was in Boston with her, played a vital role in making a tough choice.

“It was very nerve-wracking because if I didn’t do well tonight, I would have felt like I wasted my time. Doing well, and PRing again, it showed that this is the competition I needed to do well in. My mom helps a lot. Whatever decision I make she’s 100 percent behind it. She doesn’t let me doubt myself.” 

Watson skipped the New York indoor state meet back in March as well in order to compete at the U.S. Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.