Men’s elite race to be named the David Torrence Mile

By Scott Bush

Ten Olympians headline the starts lists for the 2017 HOKA ONE ONE Long Island Mile, which kicks off Wednesday evening at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington, N.Y. Meet director Kyle Merber has once again assembled an all-star cast of talent, this year vying for more than $21,000 in prize money.

The Long Island Mile will be streamed live and for free on RunnerSpace. The broadcast is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET, while the women’s elite race starts at 9 p.m. ET and the men’s race follows shortly thereafter at 9:15 p.m. ET. Fans can watch live, here:

http://hoka-one-one-long-island-mile.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=11220&do=videos&video_id=218939

Last week, heartbreaking news surfaced that two-time defending Long Island Mile champion, meet record holder and Olympian David Torrence had passed away. Citing his close friendship with Torrence and what Torrence meant to the Long Island Mile, Merber moved to name the men’s elite race the David Torrence Mile.

Leading the David Torrence Mile field is two-time Olympic medalist Nick Willis, joined by fellow recent IAAF World Championships 1,500-meter finalists Johnny Gregorek and Chris O’Hare. The trio give an international flair to the race, as Willis hails from New Zealand, Gregorek from the United States and O’Hare from Scotland. All three are fully capable of winning Wednesday’s race, even if they aren’t as sharp as they were in London.

Adding to the top talent and depth at the front of the field is Craig Engels, who placed fourth in the 1,500 at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June, along with Merber and Australian Olympian Ryan Gregson, all of them capable of earning the victory in New York.

Joining the lead group is former NCAA champion Pat Tiernan. The Australian recently finished 11th in the 5,000 final at the World Championships. Tiernan, 22, qualified for the Olympic Games in the 5,000 and while he’s not known as a miler, he does have a 3:57.59 to his name.

Olympian Sam McEntee of Australia, Americans Colby Alexander, Garrett Heath, Eric Avila and Graham Crawford round out the field.

In the women’s field, World Championship medalists and 2016 Olympians Brenda Martinez and Emily Infeld lead the way. Martinez, who’s a proven talent in the mile, earned bronze over 800 meters at the 2013 World Championships, while Infeld is known more as a 10,000 runner, having earned bronze in 2015 in the event and finished sixth at the recent World Championships in London.

Sure to be their top competition, Ciara Mageean of Ireland and Linden Hall of Australia are both entered. The duo have Olympic credentials to their names and own the fastest mile personal bests among the competition. Mageean has run 4:22.40, set back in July in London. In addition, the 25-year old is a former World Junior Championships medalist in the 1,500.

Hall also ran her fastest mile back in July in London, finishing in 4:23.96. She finished ninth in her heat at this year’s World Championships, while making it to the semifinals in Rio last summer. Both she and Mageean have to be considered the pre-race favorites at this point.

Adding to the intrigue, Genevieve LaCaze of Australia enters Wednesday’s contest coming off a 12th-place showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the World Championships. She, along with fellow Australian Heidi See and Canadian Kate Van Buskirk, add a strong international presence to the women’s race.

A quintet of Americans round out the field. Emily Lipari, who recently finished fourth at the Sir Walter Mile, is entered, as are former World Championship 1,500 competitors Lauren Johnson and Cory McGee. Add in steeplechase standout Leah O’Connor and recent West Chester Mile winner Hannah Fields, and the women’s race is loaded with talent capable of earning a top three finish.

The men’s event record is 3:53.91, set by Torrence in 2015, with Amanda Eccleston setting the women’s event mark of 4:26.87 last year. If either record is broken, the winning athlete will claim a $5,000 bonus, while any other athlete under the mark can earn $1,000.