Blast from the Past - Penn Relays 3k

After posting about our local Salem runner’s success at Penn Relays I became nostalgic and decided to relive my H.S. 3k from 20 years ago.

This was my senior year in high school. I’m the guy in the middle with his arm up, getting boxed in. It was a fast race, the fastest 3k in the United States for 18 years before Galen Rupp broke John Troutmann’s record of 8:05 set this very day (see red arrow). Rupp ran an 8:03.67 in an open and elite race with older runners. The race depicted here was comprised of only high school runners. Trout went out fast (4:19 at the mile) and kept going. I was in the back of the pack with a 4:32 first mile – and I mean the back. Fortunately, most of the guys who got swept up in the record setting pace fell apart and came back in the second half, leaving me with a 6^th place finish (8:34). It was a race of attrition for me. O’Conner is still in the top 4 times at Penn with a 2^nd place finish of 8:21. I will never forget hearing the “The Voice,” Bob Hersh (of Millrose, World Championships, and Olympic fame) and his excitement booming across the stadium, “One lap to go and John Troutmann of Monroe Woodberry NY is on record pace!” And 300 meters later, "It looks like a national record!"

For what it’s worth, Troutmann almost missed this race. Our warm-up went long and when we entered the stadium, still in the stands and wearing our sweats, as we watched the guys in the 3k jog across the infield to the starting line. We jumped the wall and explained ourselves to the officials (when they caught up) while everyone waited. The rest is history.