Exceptionally Fast Distance Races Highlight Brooks PR Invite

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Record-shattering distances races Wednesday at the Brooks PR Invitational included a fifth sub-four high school boys mile and the two fastest outdoor girls 2-mile performances in prep history in Seattle. 

Simeon Birnbaum, a junior from Rapid City, S.D., joined the sub-4 club with a big kick to get away from Zane Bergen and Devan Kipyego on the homestretch and hit the tape in 3:59.51.

In a race that was paced through 800 meters by two-time sub-four miler Gary Martin, Birnbaum became the 17th sub-4 high school male athlete and the third junior. 

Birnbaum lowered his personal record by a staggering eight seconds to win the race.

"It was wild," Birnbaum said. "At the beginning of the season I thought I had maybe a five percent chance to even make it to this meet. I wrote Brooks PR on my board and as a goal and I was really hype just to make it here. Obviously to win and go sub-four doesn't even feel like a dream, it doesn't feel real right now."

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Meanwhile, Bergen (4:00.48) broke the Colorado all-time best and Kipyego (4:00.64) did the same for Rhode Island in third. Aaron Sahlman, also a junior, was fourth in 4:01.34 and James Donahue was fifth in 4:01.39, a Massachusetts all-time best. 

At the start of the Brooks PR meet, Dalia Frias and Irene Riggs ran away from the pack and both crashed through the 2-mile national record, pushing one another to the finish tape with times of 9:50.70 and 9:50.72. 

Frias, of Mira Costa CA, and Riggs, of Morgantown WV, both passed Brie Oakley's all-time mark of 9:51.35 from the 2017 Brooks meet. 

"These last couple of weeks of training have been rough because I'm alone now and none of my team is with me," Frias said. "Just had to stay mentally in it and new this was my last race and wanted to go out strong and finish on empty and be happy with it." 

In the girls mile, Juliette Whittaker of Mount de Sales MD defended her title and outkicked freshman Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura CA to win in a meet-record 4:36.23 to move to No. 7 on the all-time list. Engelhardt, who ran 4:36.50, had already run 4:35.16 on April 9 at the Arcadia Invitational.

The deepest girls mile in history included seven runners under 4:40 and an another clocking 4:41.83 for the fastest all-time performances for the athletes finishing from second to eighth place.

It was also the first boys mile with five finishers under 4:02. 

Colin Sahlman burnished his high school record in what is believed to be his final race. The Newbury Park senior and Northern Arizona signee won the boys 800 meters in 1:48.07, the fifth-fastest ever by a Californian, and he led a record five finishers under 1:50. 

Sophomore Ali Ince from Illinois repeated as the girls 800-meter champion, running 2:04.14.  

Connor Burns, who was the third prep this spring to break four minutes in the mile and the first junior to do it since Jim Ryun, dominated the second half of the boys 2-mile and won in a personal-best 8:45.52, breaking the Missouri all-time best for the event. 

Will Sumner from Woodstock GA broke the meet record in the boys 400 meters, clocking 45.90. 

Christine Mallard of Mansfield Legacy TX also broke a meet record in the girls 400 meters with a personal-best 52.12 seconds. 

In the girls 100 meters, Shawnti Jackson (Wakefield NC) ran a season-best 11.35 seconds that is the fourth-best wind-legal effort in the country this spring. 

Alabama state champion Charlie Sexton of Auburn High won the boys 100 meters in 10.41 seconds. 

In the hurdles events, Jaiya Covington of Aldine Eisenhower TX won the girls 100-meter hurdles in 13.65 seconds.

Malik Mixon from Westlake GA ran the third-fastest wind-legal boys 110-meter hurdles with 13.55 seconds. 

Among the winners in the Junior (middle school) races, eighth-grader Paige Sheppard from New Jersey ran 4:52.65 in the 1,600 meters. Noah Strohman from Texas won the boys 1,600 in 4:23.69.