Boston!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I think I’m good with the amount of coverage the race has gotten from everyone else on earth. (But if you’re disappointed, check out the Legend entry below.)

Putting Performance In Perspective

When I was a skinny high school punk running cross country (go Allen Park!), we had three categories for PRs: 1)the short course we ran every year (we made fun of people who called that their PR); 2)Cass Benton, with its soul-crushing roller coaster hills. No one PRed there, but we would say, “Dang, that’s a good time for Cass!” 3)every other course would be good for PRs.

Nowadays XC kids have it a lot easier in our state because of Matt Armelagos and his MI XC Speed Ratings site. They can easily compare their efforts on various courses and come to a valid conclusion what their “real” PR or best effort was.

If only sprinters could do a similar thing in track, a way to compare all their efforts by quantifying the help/hindrance of their biggest variable, the wind! Well, they do… or rather, they could. The challenge is that unlike XC, where Matt takes care of it all for everyone, in track a team would need someone to handle a $15 wind gauge.

Here’s an article on how to use wind gauge numbers to provide accurate feedback for sprinters and compare those performances.

As pointed out to me by multiple coaches, measuring wind is simply not a priority for many who already have their hands full. I get that. However, another side to it is that I think that we have very few coaches who have had wind readings as part of their own experience as athletes. We are, after all, the sum total of our experiences.

Many coaches have distance backgrounds and may not think a little wind is a big deal, while others may have sprinted in only in high school and have never been exposed to wind readings. I really can’t think of many coaches in Michigan who actually competed collegiately in the sprints/hurdles where they might have gotten used to checking wind readings after every effort.

And yes, collegiate athletes do this. I interviewed Masai Russell last week about her recent collegiate record 12.36 in the hurdles. One quote stands out: “I was so happy when [the wind gauge] said 2.0, because the day before it was 5.9 when I ran my 12.61 heat. I was like, ‘Man, that wind!’ So, I was so happy that it was right at the legal limit to have counted towards the Collegiate Record. That was super great.”

Hot Results

Oak Park hosted a 5-way meet on Wednesday that produced some historic performances. Nonah Waldron ran 13.71 (-1.4), the fastest any hurdler in state history has ever run this early in the season. And teammate Morgan Roundtree crushed a 42.64 in the 300 hurdles, again, the fastest (by far) anyone has ever run this early.

Swan Valley’s Lyberty Brandt took the list lead in the high jump with a 5-7 at a Birch Run tri meet.

Ann Arbor Huron’s Braxton Brann produced a stunning double at Monroe, hitting 10.47 in the 100 and 14.15 in the hurdles. They are going in the wind-aided column for now. That’s not a knock on Brann, who’s proven himself a national-caliber performer. It’s a knock on the weather, as winds were coming from the west at 16mph that day.

A great battle played out at the Napoleon Invitational. First Lumen Christi junior Madison Osterberg won the 1600 in 5:05.79. Emmry Ross of Onsted took the 400 in a state-leading 57.75. Then they met in the middle, Ross nipping Osterberg, 2:12.81-2:13.12 in the fastest outdoor race in the state so far this year. Ross, the D3 400 champ as a frosh last year, started the indoor season with a 2:24.2 best. She got that down to 2:16.13 for 7th at the MITS Finals, a race that Osterberg won in 2:11.51.

Oak Park traveled to St John’s in Toledo for the Titan Varsity. Hurdle headliners Waldron and Roundtree won their events in 14.00 (0.2) and 42.81 respectively. On the girls relays, they won 3 with times of 48.53 and state leaders of 1:40.14 and 3:57.23. The boys won relays of 43.31 and 1:30.43.

At Fruitport’s Trojan Invitational, Maeli Hope of Whitehall hit 40-8 in the shot and a state-leading 153-0 in the disc. That nearly 10-foot PR took her from =47 to =13 in state history.

400 recordholder Shamar Heard made his outdoor debut in a dual meet against Grosse Pointe North, winning the 100 in 10.93 and helping the Chippewa Valley 4×2 to a state-leading 1:28.04.

Allen Park junior Abigail Russell popped a huge 46-7 in the shot at the Jaguar’s home invitational Saturday. That 2-foot PR moves her to No. 16 all-time! At the same meet, Maya Justice of Woodhaven long-jumped a list-leading 17-9.5.

Trey McGinnis of St Joseph took over the 200 list with his 21.63 at Gull Lake.

The fastest outdoor 400 of the year went to Damarcus Rouse of Rochester Adams with a 49.14 in a dual.

Finally, a couple of big distance times dropped: Benne Anderson of Ottawa Hills hitting 4:12.69 in a dual meet, while sophomore TJ Hansen of Freeland won the 3200 at his school’s Falcon Invitational in 9:13.47.

Rose Nails Big Discus Marks

The biggest headline came from what was probably the most sparsely attended meet. At a tiny throws competition in Ramona, Oklahoma, Alex Rose threw the world-leading mark in the discus at 227-8 (69.41) and came back the next day and went even farther, 230-11 (70.39). By far, they are the farthest throws ever by a Michigander.

You may recall Rose as a 2009 grad of Ogemaw Heights High School, where he was D2 shot champ and discus runner-up. At Central, he was MAC discus champ and 5th in the NCAA. Since then, he has represented American Samoa internationally and competed in 2 Olympic Games and 5 World Championships (placing 8th last year).

So he’s the best in the world now, right? Not so fast. In the game of hitting WC and OG qualifying standards, understandably athletes will do what they need to do to hit their best marks. Everyone from sprinters to marathoners are racing in carbon fiber-plated shoes, the sprinters are looking for hot weather, distance runners for cool, calm weather, and all are looking for the best competition. (In case you wondered why the MSU & UM track teams each flew to three different competitions over the weekend.)

In discus throwing, fancy shoes aren’t going to help. So what they’re looking for is the wind. A big wind coming from the right direction can carry that platter a lot farther. And in Oklahoma yesterday, the wind came sweeping down the plains at 35mph.

Wait a second! Why aren’t discus marks classified as wind-aided? Short answer, because it’s impossible. The aid depends on the direction of the wind, the velocity of it 40 feet or so off the ground, the angle of the discus release as well as whether the thrower is right or left-handed. That’s not to say the authorities are OK with it in all cases. In the 1970s Swedish thrower Ricky Bruch had some top marks thrown out because he had a discus cage that he would swivel around, adjusting his sectors throughout the competition so that he had perfect winds for each throw!

More Alumni Action

Maybe you remember Josh Jones of Harrison High? He placed 4th in the D3 800 in 2021. He had a high school PR of 1:58.44. Needless to say, the NCAA D1 recruiters weren’t blowing up his phone. Going to Northwood turned out to be a great call. Last weekend in California, he ran a PR of 1:48.45 that ranks him No. 5 in the nation in D2.

Michigan’s Aasia Laurencin, an Oak Park alum, zipped a 13.07 (1.2) in the 100 hurdles at Mt SAC, missing her PR by just 0.01.

Heath Baldwin, who won 110H/300H/HJ/LJ titles in D4 for Kalamazoo Hackett, has come into his own as a decathlete. He placed 2nd at Mt SAC with a PR of 8084, an MSU record that makes him No. 5 on the alumni all-time list.

Olympic medalist Taylor Manson, East Lansing and Motor City alum, opened up her 400 season with a great show of health at the Tom Jones meet, winning her section in 52.14.

Pioneer alum Nick Foster hit a 1500 PR of 3:38.78 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. At the same meet, Grant Fisher opened his outdoor season with a 3:36.85.

Malin Smith was the D1 discus champ in 2018 for Lansing Waverly. Now she’s doing the best throwing of her life as a Texas Tech senior. She’s had big collegiate wins the last two weekends, with a PR 189-9 (57.84) in Arizona. She’s now No. 5 alumnus ever.

Morgan Beadlescomb & Hobbs Kessler hit the roads in Boston, both emerging victorious. Beadlescomb won the BAA 5K in 13:25 and Kessler the mile in 4:07.

Kaila Jackson continues having the finest of freshman years at Georgia. She tied the World U20 record indoors in the 60 at 7.07. Now she’s blazing outdoors, winning the invitational 100 at Mt SAC with a barely wind-aided 11.04 (2.2). She also took 3rd in the 200 at 22.78 (1.5).

Udodi Onwuzurike won the 200 at Mt SAC in 20.14 (1.8).

East Kentwood alum Trevor Stephenson placed 7th in the Mt SAC vault at 18-2.5 (5.55), an outdoor PR. He went 18-6.75 (5.66) for 4th at the NCAA Indoor.

Legend: Lisa Larsen – Battle Creek Central 1979

In high school, Lisa Larsen was a star swimmer, good enough to earn a scholarship to Michigan. She also ran track, placing 5th in the Class A mile in 5:07.2.

At Michigan she concentrated on swimming first, scoring 81 points in the Big 10 Championships as a frosh. She qualified for the Olympic Trials, but when the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Games, she took the summer off. “I started to gain weight, and I used running as a form of fitness to get back in shape to start my sophomore year at Michigan. And I found that I really loved running. My roommate was on the track team, and she goes, ‘Oh my God, you can run.’ Flash forward: I ended up turning in my scholarship as a swimmer and walking on as a runner.”

Twice an All-American in cross country, she finished 6th in the 1983 NCAA 10,000. “My college coach, Ron Warhurst, was amazing. The biggest thing he taught me was how to hurt… and how to like it.” At the 1984 Olympic Trials Marathon, she finished a heart-breaking 4th in 2:33:10, missing the Olympics by 44 seconds.

The next year, running under the last name Weidenbach, she won the Boston Marathon in 2:34:06; not until 2018 did another American woman win the race.

Four years later, she seemed poised for the Olympic team, but her lifetime best 2:31:06 in Pittsburgh gave her yet another 4th place. “I guess I won’t be disappointed until I see the three women running in Seoul. The nightmare will become a reality at that point,” she said. That summer, she tried to make the 10,000 team and finished 5th in 32:15.88.

She came back with a vengeance, winning Chicago that fall in 2:29:17. The next year, she won again in 2:28:15.

Then came another Olympic Trials, 1992. Short on training because of a plantar injury, she ran to—unbelievably—another 4th-place finish. “I had a love-hate relationship with the Olympic Trials,” she has said.

Despite the Olympic frustrations, she enjoyed a career filled with major wins. She transitioned to the triathlon toward the end of her pro career. As Lisa Rainsberger, she currently coaches and is the mother of former Washington star Katie Rainsberger.

The Michtrack Interview: Hunter Jones

If it seems like Hunter Jones has been winning almost everything in this state for years and years it’s because he has. In 8^th grade he ran class records of 4:32.00 and 9:34.52 on the same day. Since then, he’s captured a record 4-straight D3 titles in cross country for Asa Kelly’s Benzie Central squad. On the track he’s won 2-straight 1600 titles as well as the 800 last year. This past indoor season, he ran the mile in 4:05.48 at Grand Valley and for 3200 hit an 8:45.46 at Saginaw Valley. He captured MITS titles in the 1600/3200 and anchored the winning distance medley. At Nike Indoor Nationals he won both the 2 Mile (8:51.40) and 5000 (14:20.54) in state records. We talked to him right after he completed a 4:20.88/9:46.48 double at the Warrior Invitational in Remus.

Michtrack: How did today’s races go?

Hunter: It was just kind of a workout to just see where I'm at. Nothing crazy, just workout tempo stuff. Not going too hard, you know, just trying to save those hard efforts for end of the year.

Michtrack: Looking back on your indoor season, were you happy with it?

Hunter: It was okay. I mean, I definitely can't be complaining because I did PR in the mile and the two mile. But I probably would've liked to run faster. That's just me.

Michtrack: There's no such thing really as a do-over, but if you could, would you have rather been in Boston for that fast two mile up there?

Jones: I probably would've… I probably would've been there for the 5K. I like to focus on that too in the indoor season. The mile too. I tried to go hard in the mile, too many times. Five weeks in a row. I think it was just too much. I started getting slower, you know, so then I just stopped racing the mile. I was like, well, it's not worth it, you know?

Michtrack: Were you hoping to join that sub-4:00 club?

Jones: Yeah, I was. My training, I don't think it was up to where it needed to be. And, you know, I, if I would've trained through and had a good training block instead of racing all that time during indoor, I think I might have been in a better spot. But I raced a lot and I don't think it set me up very well.

Michtrack: Outdoors, you’re in a situation where you're obviously a lot better than most of your competition in Div. 3. Is it a challenge finding races where you will be pushed?

Jones: It is. Right now I'll have to either race Benne [Anderson] or Seth [Norder] for competition if I want to race fast, and even then, I don't know how fast they're gonna be right now either. So who knows what's gonna happen when we race those elite showcases. One of them is on the 29th, so I'm hoping they're, they're ready to push the pace, so we can push each other because I'm trying to go into the 8:30s like all the other top guys are right now in the nation. I'd like to do that. So hopefully, Benne and Seth are getting in shape because they don’t do indoor.

Michtrack: The MHSAA allows you two unattached meets per season where you can race against college or open runners or out-of-state. Are you looking at any opportunities there?

Jones: I was interested in the Hoka Festival of Miles on June 1st, but I think it's just too close to our state meet on June 3. So that'd be a really short turnaround and I'm probably not gonna do that.

Michtrack: Have you upped the training ante for your senior year?

Jones: Before my senior year I was up to 70M and during cross I was keeping 70M a week. I think I was at 70 for about 14 weeks in a row. And then, I cut it down for indoor because I was racing shorter races, I was down to like 55, doing a lot of speed work stuff though. I was doing 200s and 400s twice a week just to try to get my foot speed faster. I've noticed that I struggle with that against top-tier competition. Today actually, I split 50.7 in our 4x4. I think I could have gone faster, to be honest with you. So I, I'm gonna try to go for our school record on Wednesday in the 400. It's 49.6, so we’ll see.

Michtrack: With your college career at Wake Forest looming ahead, what are your remaining goals in high school?

Jones: A big one is a team state championship. I've never won one before and the team is looking good this year, so we definitely have a chance. It'll be hard to be hard this year but I think we can do it with me and our other distance guy, Pol [Molins] and then our hurdler Tyrone [Brouillet]. I think we'll be able to push for that. That’s one of my big goals. Another goal is sub-4:00 in the full mile. That's definitely what I want to do. And 8:30s two-mile, school record in the 400.

Michtrack: Which post-season nationals are you gonna go to?

Jones: I’m most likely going to be at Nike. I've never been to Eugene, so I'll probably be there.

Michtrack: Going way back to your beginnings, how did you get a start as a runner?

Jones: My brother was a runner in high school, but he just did it to stay in shape for basketball and he wasn't bad. He was like a 16:30 5K guy and in track, I think he went like 1:58 and 4:24 or something, so he wasn't bad. I'm 14 years younger than him. And, I guess my dad just saw how successful he was at it and he said, “Well, you should try to do it and be serious about it.” My brother went to a Div. 2 school in college to play basketball. He was on scholarship at Sienna Heights. My dad wanted me to be more serious about running. And so I was. I started running when I was a second grader doing mostly little mile races for cross country. I guess it got more serious as it went. But it probably didn't really get serious until 8^th -grade year. Me and Braydon Honsinger [of Freeland] were battling my 8^th -grade year, and that was probably really when I thought I was going to be an elite runner. When I went 9:34 and 4:32 in the same meet, I thought I was like the best thing ever, you know? I was pretty excited about that.

Michtrack: Looking ahead to Wake Forest, what drew you to that program?

Jones: I really like the coaches. A lot of the other colleges that I went to, they liked to put up a good front like everything was gonna be the best thing ever. And when I was at Wake Forest, they kind of just told me straight up like how it was gonna be. Like, “This is not gonna be good, but this is, if you're willing to deal with that. It's your choice,” and I respected that a lot about them. The coaches are really good. They got 5th at NCAA cross country. They're coming up. They're really good. My recruiting class is really crazy. I think we have four guys now that are 4:08 or better in the mile. I'm really excited for that.

Michtrack: You seem to be very comfortable with longer distances than most. Do you think we'll see you in the marathon someday?

Jones: Oh yeah. My lifetime goal is to be an Olympian in the marathon. That's what I want to do for sure eventually.  I don't know what I'm gonna be doing when I graduate from college, but I definitely want to try out my talent at the marathon distance. I actually wanted to run one this summer to see how fast I could run it, and I set a personal goal for myself to run 2:25 or something like that. But my coach from college is like, “No, you have to train for cross country. That's not a good idea.” And I was like, “Yeah, probably not.” So I'm gonna have to wait until after college probably.

Big thanks to Pete Draugalis, whose photos regularly grace this newsletter and the Michtrack website. He’s the best in the business and if you’re looking for senior pics, give him a shout through Draugalis Photography.

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