The Forging of School Records - The 2022 Stanford Invitational Meet Recap
The Stanford invitational is one of the premier high school and college track and field invitationals in the US. Athletes from all over the country come to compete, with a handful of international talent joining the competition as well. Living in the Bay Area blesses me with the ability to drive just down the road from my home to go and watch high caliber track and field, a rare treat in much of the country.
The occasion for this time was to watch 3 athletes from my alma mater of UCCS compete and potentially punch the clock for fast times, as well as catch up with my college coach Mark Misch.
On the women’s side, Layla Almasri and Riley McGrath, two seasoned All American athletes, were on a mission to break the outdoor 5,000 meter school record. On the men’s side, Afewerki Zeru, also a seasoned All-American athlete, was primed to let a fast 10,000 meter race rip to take the school record. Below is the timeline as the events of the evening on 4/01 unfolded.
5:00 PM: We depart the hotel to drive over from the hotel to the track. Up first are the women in the 5k. Along the way, Coach Misch and I catch up on life and running. Much has happened in the last few years since I last saw Coach Misch before the pandemic, but some things don’t change. I tell Coach Misch that this will be the first track meet I’ve been to in almost 3 years. I am looking forward to the evening’s events.
5:30 PM: We arrive at the track, Misch and I watching a few races unfold while the women rest and prepare to warm up. Standing on the sidelines watching runners compete, I am reminded of how much I have missed the atmosphere dearly. Good weather, good atmosphere and good competition have come together in a prime combination. It is a great evening to run fast.
A snapshot of the men’s invitational 1500 m. race, won by Olympic steeplechaser Ryoma Aoki in a time of 3:41.08. Second place was an alumni from my high school and current Cal Berkeley athlete Garrett MacQuiddy in a time of 3:41.62
6:55 PM: The gun goes off for the women’s 5k. Riley and Layla get out in a controlled fashion. The plan is to hit 79-80 seconds per lap and to lock in a steady rhythm. The first lap is 80 seconds, right on the mark. The second lap is 82, but it is not a concern. In the first 3 laps, nobody ever wins the 5k. It is all about finding rhythm, and executing splits with clockwork precision.
The Mountain Lion women underway in the 5k
Just past the first mile, a woman breaks away from the field and begins to hammer from the front. The field starts to spread out into a train, with athletes slowly falling off the back. Layla and Riley are locked in the chase pack train, Layla in the front of the train and Riley in the back.
Lap after lap, the chase pack of ladies click off 80 second splits, and as the race progresses, the two Mountain Lion ladies slowly pass women who paid the price for trying to race too aggressively.
With 1,000 meters to go, both Layla and Riley are fighting to pass runners and make their final moves. The last kilometer is always a suffer fest in the 5k, but the two ladies don’t falter. The final lap unfolds with the two of them powering around the track, their miler legs carrying them as fast as possible to the finish. As they cross the line, the results start to filter onto the scoreboard.
The result?
Left: Layla Almasri fourth from the front of the pack
Right: Riley McGrath third from the front in this shot
16:31 for Layla
16:36 for Riley
Both times are UCCS history made, as both times have crushed the previous school record set by Megan Burrell of a time of 17:05 in 2013. With additional consideration that both women primarily come from miler backgrounds, it is an A+ day for the women’s side.
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM: We leave the track, head back to the hotel to pick up Afe, and then leave to go back to the track at 9:00 PM. As we drive back to the track, Misch tells us about how multiple people are asking the same question: Is Afe ready to go? Misch’s assessment is a firm yes, and if there is anything I’ve learned from 4 years of running for UCCS, it is that Misch tends to be extremely accurate with his assessments of an athlete’s fitness.
9:30 PM: One of the heats of the men’s 10,000 unfolds on the track, a train of men locked into a single file line with the intent of clocking a fast time. A local athlete paces the first 3200 meters, and then the field slowly strings out further. The race is eventually won in 28:13 by an athlete from Germany. Some of the NCAA Division 1’s best runners are also in this race and clock stellar times this evening. It is a prelude to the attempt on history that will unfold later in the evening.
10:41 PM: The gun goes off. Another heat of the men’s 10,000 begins with Afewerki Zeru going to work. He is on a mission to break the 29 minute barrier and with it the oldest school record still standing, a 29:12 from Trent Briney set in 2001. The first 2 miles are at a steady rhythm of 70 second laps as the men circle the track in a single file line.
Afe, third from the front of the pack
As the rabbit drops off, the pace slows slightly, with Afe near the front. Coach Misch yells to Afe and indirectly to the field that the field needs to keep the pace honest. A few laps get split at 70.5 per lap. To the untrained, a half second difference may not seem like much, but in a 25-lap race, those half seconds add up quickly. For Afe, it could be the difference between going under or going over 29 minutes.
Around 13 minutes, Afe moves to the front and begins to take on the pace setting duties, reducing the risk of the race turning into a tactical affair. Other athletes trade places with Afe, alternating every other lap and working together to bring the pace back to the target pace. The lead athletes pass 5k in 14:33, a hair under 70 second lap pace.
Afe taking to the lead of the men’s 10k race
The 10,000 meter race is a relentless, unforgiving grind. 25 laps on the track is a long way to go, and one must maintain the utmost focus and resolve throughout. Any errors in race tactics can be compounded significantly over the course of the race. Afe is locked in like a fine-tuned machine, flowing with steady rhythm and control. Even as athletes begin to fall off the back and get lapped, Afe continues to press from the front, present in the moment as he alternates with the leaders to crank out 70 second laps.
Past the 8k mark, the front of the pack has broken up into a lead pack, a chase pack, and a few stragglers getting lapped. As the last 5 laps progress, athletes begin to position themselves in anticipation for the final kick. Afe is in the lead pack still contributing to a big portion of the pacing duties as athletes sit on his shoulder waiting to strike.
The bell lap comes. An athlete kicks at 350 meters and begins opening a large gap on the lead pack. The lead pack splinters, Afe pouring everything he has left into the final lap to compete to the very end. As athletes start to cross the finish line, the results start to filter in on the scoreboard.
The result?
28:56 for 10,000 meters.
A new UCCS school record has been established, 16 seconds faster than the previous time and the first time a UCCS athlete has run under 29 minutes. It is an A+ day on the men’s side.
12:00 AM: We return to the hotel. It has been a long day for the athletes and Coach Misch. Coach Misch thanks me again for making the time to come out and support the athletes, and tells me to take care. I departed shortly afterwards to drive home. It is always nice to see a friendly face from a different chapter of life.
Conclusion
It is not every day that one gets to witness school history in the making. Having moved back to the Bay Area in California, my opportunities to see athletes and coaches from UCCS are few and far in between. School records being set is an even more rare treat so to have both in the same night is absolutely incredible to say the least. In the first track meet I have been to in 3 years, it was a special occasion that was very much worth the wait and a memory I will take with me of my first time being at the Stanford Invitational.
Congratulations once again to Afewerki, Layla and Riley for their stellar performances, and thanks to Coach Misch!
