By Senior Correspondent Marty Ogden, Editing and Graphics by Ron Knapp
Sunday Photo Galleries by Ron Knapp, MSR
As CT mile record holder Steven Hergenrother described in his Valedictorian speech on Friday, “there are four laps in a mile, and there are four years of high school. Each year possesses remarkable similarities to its corresponding lap within the race.” As he continued his analogy he described his senior year/last lap by stating “Time flies as you quickly approach the finish line. That is, until the very last straightaway. Your supporters form a tunnel around you and urge you to sprint to the line. Suddenly, the race is no longer about yourself. It’s about our teachers, our friends, and most of all, our families. We are greatly indebted to them. Let’s take a moment to thank all of our supporters who stuck with us through the last four years.”
All seniors should take a moment to reflect on these past four years and all the people who have helped you on your paths as each of you make the transition from high school to either college, military or the workforce.
Hergenrother has much to be thankful for as he and his teammates sped under a 23-year-old national record that was anchored by the great Alan Webb who ran for South Lakes Virginia. The Tigers, who were defending champions and New Balance Nationals Indoor Champions, were denied their third national title by the Oregon Distance Project who nipped them right at the line. The entire Ridgefield DMR has a great deal to be proud of as junior Magnus Manley handed off with the leaders on the opening 1200m leg coming through in a 7 second PR of 3:00.49. He handed off to senior William Diana who broke 50 seconds for the first time, running his 400m leg in 49.72. Junior Charles Lovett ran 1:52.06 split in the 800m which was almost a second faster than he ran on the State Open record 4x800m team. Hergenrother received the baton in unfamiliar territory, leading the race. In most of his relay races in the past, he has had to come from behind and his open races have usually been against college/adult runners. He battled Oregon state 1500m champion Josiah Tostenson the entire way and the pair were even until the last 60m when the boy from the Pacific Northwest inched ahead and claimed the national record with their of 9:44.30, five seconds under the old record. Ridgefield crossed the line a step behind in 9:44.44. Take time to watch their race CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at RunnerSpace News…
