Middle distance is a relative term here. The 600m and 1000m offer challenges for runners we don’t often see race each other. You get 400m runners moving up in distance, and Milers moving down in distance. The three lap and five lap races turn into a meeting ground for runners of a variety of strengths and weaknesses.
600m
The state’s top returner in the 600m is also one of its most intriguing. After a phenomenal year on the track ranging from 400m up to the Mile, Brookline’s Harry Flint decided to join the Warriors Cross Country team. This past fall he was an integral part of their Championship winning team, finishing 16th at the Meet of Champs, and running a PR of 15:52 at Wrentham. So what now? It’s possible we could see him move up in distance. He does hold a PR of 4:20 in the mile.
However, with his PR of 1:21.58, he may stick to the three lapper. Given his 1:53 from outdoors combined with more strength and endurance from XC, perhaps he could challenge the 1:20 barrier. The rest of the top fiver returners have all run under 1:24. Sean Parham, 1:23.13, Norton, Atley Phinney, 1:23.46, Middleboro, Nicolas Lisle, 1:23:53, Amherst Pelham, and Jack Weintraub, 1:23.87, Medway.
Phinney is one to watch as he could wind up focusing his talent elsewhere. He own’s a PR of 4:17 in the mile. More on that when we get there. Weintraub (who runs for Xaverian now) and Lisle both ran 1:56 Outdoors and are coming off strong XC seasons. Parnham competes in everything from the Triple Jump to the 400 Hurdles. Given his 600m time, he may want to focus on the middle distance.
One runner to keep an eye on is Nico Peukert of Arlington. While he may only hold a 1:24 PR, he had a breakthrough outdoors and ran 1:53 for 800m. Couple that with a strong XC season and he may pose the biggest challenge to Flint.
What will it take to win this year? Given the talent returning, we’re guessing it’ll take a time under 1:21 to win this year. While the state record of 1:18.31 by Somerville’s Rodney Agayre-May could be tough to beat, sub 1:20 wouldn’t be surprising.
1000m
Milers and 800m runners unite. Similar to the six, the 1K is another meeting ground of different runners.
On paper this one looks up for grabs. That doesn’t mean there won’t be fast times. 2:30 is a benchmark for many middle-distance runners. Only one runner cracked that threshold last season. This year we think a few could.
That top returner is Shane Leslie of Billerica. He ran 2:32.43 last season and has only gotten better. If his 4:12 in the Mile outdoors wasn’t enough, he made huge strides this Cross season, finishing 11th at the Meet of Champions after not breaking 17 the year prior.
The previously mentioned Atley Phinney of Middleboro is one to watch, holding PRs of 1:55, 2:32, and 4:17. The 1000m is a good middle ground for him. The rest of the top five returners are Greyson Duane, 2:33.51, Groton-Dunstable, Brian Peters, 2:34.53, Bridgewater-Raynham, and Luke Zahurak, 2:35.40, Walpole.
Duane cracked 4:20 for the mile outdoors, while Peters is more of Middle Distance specialist, running 1:56 outdoors. Zahurak is intriguing. As one of the state’s best in XC, he may decide to focus on longer distances or show of his range on the oval.
There’s a few other athletes that are impossible to ignore for the fiver lapper. Given his credentials, Harry Flint could very well be the top contender here. Nico Peukert’s credentials at 800m come to mind as well.
Then there’s the Milers. John Bianchi of Natick and Silas Gartner of Falmouth could easily figure into the mix of they choose to focus on the 1000m. But we’ll talk about them more when we cover the Mile.
What will it take to win this year? We’re going bold. Five runners will crack 2:30 this season. While Marcus Riley’s 2:24 may be safe, 2:27 is well within this group.
