Rachel Forsyth Takes Another Big Step In Her Comeback With 3,200 Win

By Steve Underwood for DyeStat

SHEPHERD, Michigan – One eight-lapper featured a jaw-dropping breakthrough in the greatest boys race ever at the distance in Michigan history, while the other was an important landmark in the comeback of the state’s top female distance runner.

As such, the performances Friday night by Benne Anderson and Rachel Forsyth in the Shepherd Blue Jay Invite Elite 3,200s won’t soon be forgotten.

Anderson (Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills senior) powered away from Hunter Jones with a surge on the fourth lap and powered to a dazzling US#4 8:41.50 in the boys race, a mark trailing only the first three finishers from the Arcadia Invite on the outdoor national list this year. 

VIDEOS | MEET RESULTS

It’s also No. 4 on the Michigan all-time list behind Hobbs Kessler, Grant Fisher and Dathan Ritzenhein – three of the greatest prep distance runners in American history. Anderson led four others under 9:00, including Seth Norder (Grand Haven junior) at 8:46.33 and Jones (Benzie Central senior) at 8:52.28.

Forsyth also pulled away mid-race in the girls 3,200, gapping Jessica Jazwinski and running home to a 10:17.48 triumph, fastest in Michigan this year. While 15 seconds off the Ann Arbor Pioneer junior’s PR, the time was encouraging in her first attempt at the distance in a major race since February 2022, when she clocked 10:02.12.  

But following that sophomore year indoor season, Forsyth battled health issues that kept her out of training for several months, as she candidly detailed to Jeff Hollobaugh of Michtrack.org and Track & Field News in this recent interview: https://michtrack.beehiiv.com/p/3-detroit-needs.

“I was telling my teammates beforehand that I haven’t really run one (a serious 3,200) in a really long time,” she said, “so I didn’t really know what to expect. My goal was to take it out as best I could and see how well I could keep it.”

Since this past indoor season where she was gradually making progress in training and at all distances, Forsyth had reached 2:10.29 for 800m and 4:51.35 for 1600m in April before tackling the longer race Friday.  She and Jazwinski went out hard, hitting 400 around 71 seconds, before settling in and passing 1600 at 5:03. 

“I think I get a little excited in my races,” Forsyth said with a laugh about the quick start, “so I was kind of used to feeling a little tired.”

She covered the final four laps in 5:14, with Jazwinski following in a PR 10:24.61. Two others broke 10:30, a total of nine were at 10:40 or faster and a total of 16 ducked under 11:00 in the race.

Not holding on to any specific time goals, but intending to simply take another step forward, was a good mindset for Forsyth.

“I was happy that I was able to race really fast girls here and kind of show that I can still come back and do that, so I was satisfied with it," she said.

Thirty minutes later, Anderson, Norder, Jones and the rest of the boys 3,200 fast heat lined up. The atmosphere was electric, with five seeds under 9:05, 10 at 9:20 or better and the expectation of scores of massive PRs in the near-ideal conditions. There was little question that the leaders would go out fast, but the 61.8 that transpired wasn’t what Anderson and Jones had in mind.

“We had been dropping the pace a little bit from where we wanted to run, because I know Hunter also has his goals set really high,” explained Anderson. "The first lap was a little too fast. We were trying to aim for a 63 and we overshot it a little bit, and so we overcorrected and then I decided to take the lead. I wanted to originally take it in lap 5, but I decided to go one early. It just felt right; I trusted my gut and just took it.”

So after laps of 65.7 and 67.3 followed the opening circuit, Anderson’s move to break it open increased the tempo back to 65.7 and brought him through halfway in 4:20.5.  He followed with a 65.6 while Norder passed Jones to move into second. Anderson slowed slightly the next two laps and Norder appeared to gain a little ground before the bell. But the winner blasted the final circuit in 61.5 for the historic triumph.

It was the second time that five Michigan runners have broken 9:00 in a single race, but the place-by-place comparison to a 2022 3,200 won by Riley Hough shows that last night was the deepest in state history.  

After Jones, New Baltimore Anchor Bay junior Thomas Westphal crossed in 8:55.30, followed by Dearborn Divine Child senior Michael Hegarty at 8:56.70. Then it was Cranbrook Kingswood senior Solomon Kwartowitz at 9:00.61 and Norder’s senior teammate Nolan Clark stunning with 9:01.89. A total of 10 went under 9:15 and 20 under 9:30.

Anderson came in with an 8:56.38 PR, but aspirations of running a lot faster. Jones had clocked 8:45 for 3,200 indoors, but had been beaten by his friendly rival in a smoking mile last weekend as Anderson, Norder and Jones ran 4:08.62, 4:10.01 and 4:10.88, respectively. That, along with being the reigning D1 state 3200m champ and Nike Cross Nationals All-American, had the tall senior thinking not just getting under 8:50, but even under 8:40.

“I felt pretty good coming off that mile,” he said. “I got a pretty good confidence boost and I’m in a pretty good headspace right now. And that was honestly a huge contributor to how this race played out.”

Anderson’s mental approach to serious, gut-check races is a little unorthodox, coming from, well, the gut.

“Most of the time I try and come into these races with my only goal to throw up after the race,” the Syracuse recruit said with a laugh, the translation obviously being that losing his lunch would mean an all-out effort had been rendered and nothing left on the table. “It kind of prepares me for the worst case scenario going into it, just gets me ready to feel like crap the whole race, so I kind of just get myself ready to get excited and throw up all over.”

The payoff, however, is making history and helping others to do the same. Anderson’s name will now be mentioned in the same breath as Kessler, Fisher and Ritz. “It feels incredible,” he said. “I’m really proud to be here and excited to see what comes next.”

Anderson gives his West Ottawa coach Dan Ebright, father Donovan Anderson and teammate Liam Walters a lot of credit for his success.

“Without them I would not be here at all; I probably would have quit back in 8th or 9th grade. Because of their determination to keep me in line and make me accountable to myself, that’s the only reason I’m here at all,” he said.

Not only was Anderson’s father an outstanding runner, having competed at University of Kansas, but his younger sister Selma is a fast-rising star, as well. A year younger than Benne, she ran 10:28.24 for fourth place in her race, improving her PR by 14 seconds.

It was a great night for distance runners trying to raise the bar and reach their potential … as well as for those returning to reach that potential again. 

Forsyth is proof that one can make their way back from incredibly challenging times. For those suffering from similar health issues, she offers this: “The biggest thing for me was knowing that, like, it’s hard to believe it yourself, but when there’s someone telling you that you can do it, it really gave me hope,” she said, “and it actually IS happening, so I believe in everyone that’s going through it that they can get back to their full potential.”