2001 April Issue

Stacy Dragila's Records Keep Coming

Rich Sands reports from Millrose
For a long time, the 94th Millrose Games was looking a lot like Old Timers' Day, with command performances from three tenacious veterans…

But then along came Stacy Dragila and a trademark dramatic performance in the women's pole vault. Well after the running events were completed the 29-year-old Olympic champion stole the spotlight with a World Record 15-21/4...

Walt Murphy reports from Pocatello
Just like Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz, Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila believes, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Jumping on her favorite runway, the Pocatello resident (and Idaho State assistant coach) raised her week-old World Record (set here, of course) not once, but twice, just as she had done here at last year's Golden Spike meet.

The elite-athlete meet was held as part of the huge high school meet, the Simplot Games.

Dragila passed at 12-10 and 13-33/4, then was clean at 13-93/4, 14-31/2, and 14-71/2 before needing her second jump to clear 14-111/2.

With the bar then set at a record 15-31/2 (4.66), the crowd of about 7000, responding to their heroine's prompting, began its rhythmic clapping and cheered wildly as the hometown favorite cleared on her first attempt, brushing the bar with her ribs on the way down.

The crosspiece bounced slightly and wobbled for a few seconds, but stayed on, giving Dragila her 8th indoor record and 12th overall...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Terrence Trammell Does Double Duty

by Jon Hendershott

Sometimes, covering a short distance demands a long trip. Terrence Trammell had to travel more than 17 frustrating hours to get the chance to sprint and hurdle for less than 14 seconds at the Pocatello stop on the Golden Spike tour.

The 22-year-old Olympian remained undefeated in 7 straightaway races this indoor season by winning the hurdles in 7.66, then 30 minutes later using the friendly altitude of 1361m to improve his yearly lead in the dash with a PR 6.45.

Rarely has the sport produced a performer who can dominate both the flat dash and the hurdles, but Trammell is threatening to have his name linked with doublers like Harrison Dillard, Willie Gault and Colin Jackson.

Trammell's impressive performances during his first season in the professional ranks mark him as a performer to watch throughout this World Championships year. "I see it all as a process in development," the Decatur, Georgia, native says. "I wanted to experience indoors at the pro level and hopefully make the World Indoor team."...

More in the April issue of T&FN

XC Champ Drossin Back In Stride

by Sean Hartnett

Recovering from an Achilles tendon injury that dashed her hopes of being competitive in the Sydney 10K, Deena Drossin spent the winter months on the Olympic rebound, attending to the mending of body and soul.

Drossin's penchant for high mileage, hard workouts and aggressive racing had set the stage for a string of PRs in Sacramento (31:51:05), Stockholm (14:51.62) and Zürich (8:42.59), but also opened the door for the Achilles problem that was all too evident as she limped to a non-qualifying 34:40.86 in the Olympic prelims.

"This has been a very trying couple of months for me," Drossin offered after running to an emotional victory in the U.S. 8K harrier race. "I took a lot of time off after the Olympic Games to let my Achilles heal, and I desperately needed the break.

"Yet, overshadowing these woes was the determined battle that Deena's mother Heleana has been waging against breast cancer.

After two months of Achilles rehab and time spent offering support for her mother's treatment regime, Drossin began running in December. "It felt like I was starting from scratch," she says. "Running wasn't easy anymore, it was an effort, and every step of the way I was thinking of my mother. She was really an example of strength and courage for me these past couple of months."

The trials of the past months have put Drossin at a crossroads as she plots her ascent to world class and considers adding the marathon to a racing palette already crowded with cross, track and road exploits...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Seneca Lassiter Bruised, Not Broken

by Sieg Lindstrom

"At the Trials it don't matter what happens, you've just gotta be top 3 that day," Seneca Lassiter says. "I had my back up against the wall, it seemed like, all last season. I just could not get it going."

Those old devils, injury and illness, struck at the wrong times in the Olympic season, but as evidenced by his 3:54.21 mile at the Tyson Golden Spike meet this winter the former Arkansas star was merely bruised, not broken...

Sticking close to coach John McDonnell as a volunteer assistant coach for the Hogs, Lassiter is working back toward the form that took him to PRs of 3:33.72 and 1:45.51 in the summer of '99 . He looks forward to fast times in Europe:

"You ain't gotta worry about going out slow and then end up kicking all out at the end," Lassiter says. "Over there, that's when you really know how fast you can run, really know how talented a guy is. Anybody can sit and then run the last 400m fast, but can you come through three-quarters in 2:50 and then kick from there? Or even faster than 2:50. A lot of people can't do that."...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Lawrence Johnson Renews His Vows

After Millrose, the former outdoor pole vault AR holder told correspondent Rich Sands, "This year's going to be a very different year for me. In the past we've pretty much focused on the nationals and whatever the big meet was following that. Now we're in a position where we are focusing more on each competition. We have a lot to prove.

"Y'know, I've been talking a lot of stuff for a long time and I haven't really been backing it up...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Runyan Runs 15:07.33

by Jack Pfeifer

New York City, February 18- Marla Runyan says she wants to focus on the 5000 this year. She's off to a good start.

In front of several thousand youngsters on hand for the city Catholic high school championships, the converted heptathlete broke Lynn Jennings' 11-year-old American Record for the distance by 15 seconds.

"That race was perfect," Runyan said. "I didn't feel like I was by myself... that much."

In fact, she was by herself. Danielle Thornal, a Briton living in New Jersey, led the first eight laps in 4:54. One lap later, Gladees Prieur stepped off, and on the 11th Alisa Harvey was finished. Runyan was the only competitor left in what had been widely promoted as a record attempt...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Peerless Prep Preview

Super distance running on the men's side and super long sprinting by the women is the forecast as the 2001 high school outdoor season awaits the starting gun.

Our previews include a brief analysis of each event, then a 5-deep list of lifetime bests among eligible performers...

The super distance trio of Alan Webb, Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall (see sidebar) is creating the bulk of the winter-season buzz, particularly after Webb's sub-4:00 exploit in January. High school fans eagerly await any head-to-head clashes which may eventuate.

Junior-class records by Sage Thames (vault) and Niklas Arrhenius (discus) last year make them performers to watch too.

100 METERS
Texas should dominate, led by No. 2 All-Am Johnson. The State 4A runner-up took USAJ 3rd in a soph-class record 10.29. Ervin, No. 5 All-Am, won New Jersey State with a frosh-class best 10.35 but was only 8th at NS. Carroll took Georgia 4A and AJO wins.

Read about all the events in the April issue of T&FN

Prep Distance Running's Big 3

by Sieg Lindstrom

In the East, out West and in the Heartland, fast prep miles and 2-miles are back in fashion, just as they were in the '60s and '70s, as Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb and Ryan Hall lead a senior class that will be remembered even if it never adds another mark to the all-time lists...

In January, as T&FN's last cover announced, Webb, a 5-81/2/140 miler from South Lakes High of Reston, Virginia, reeled off the first-ever prep indoor sub-4:00 with his 3:59.86 at New York City's New Balance Games. "Because we did it so early," Webb says, "it's a better opportunity to organize training for outdoors."...

Says Brad Prins, Ritzenhein's coach at Rockford High in Michigan, "His goal this spring, I'll tell you right now, is to try to break the all-time 2M mark, which Jeff Nelson has at 8:36, and to try to break Gerry Lindgren's 5K, 13:44."...

Hall says his goals are "mile oriented… My main goal is a certain time I'd like to run, which I'd like to keep private, but also I want to qualify for the USA Championships in Eugene. That's a big goal of mine, and I want to do well there."

When it rains prep distance runners, it pours, apparently. But why now, a yawning 34 years since Marty Liquori became the third prep under 4:00 in the mile and 23 years after Nelson set his standard?...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Perkins Conqueror Of AOYs

by Kirby Lee

Lost in the shuffle of Monique Henderson's Athlete Of The Year season last year was California rival Angel Perkins (Gahr, Cerritos). But it was Perkins who handed Henderson the first 400 loss of her high school career to win at Arcadia. She also beat '99 AOY Lashinda Demus in the Section finals.

The duels with Henderson and Demus are nothing new for Perkins, who has raced Henderson since childhood and was a teammate with Demus on a record-setting Junior Olympics bantam division relay.

"I was never intimidated by them, but there was doubt in my mind if I could beat them," Perkins says. "Everybody is beatable, but it gives you confidence once you've done it that you can beat them again."...

More in the April issue of T&FN

Retirement Form Motivated Gray Return

"I just decided that I'm retired," said the old man of the 800, Johnny Gray, after placing last in his 2000 Olympic Trials heat. But later, when USATF sent him an official retirement form to sign, Gray was irked.

USATF routinely sends such letters to top athletes who retire to relieve them of the burden of being constantly available for no-notice drug testing. No athlete is obliged to sign the form, which releases them from the testing pool on the condition they not compete for a period of four years.

Gray did not sign, and his anger inspired him to a Millrose win at age 40. But should he have been angry?

USATF general counsel Jill Pilgrim says no…

More in the April issue of T&FN