Written By: Allurabella Chandler, Staff Writer
FASTEST: Four of our Poly boys run the fastest time in the nation in their 4×800, beating out the competition by seconds.
Beckett Sullivan (12), Micah Chandler (12), Owen Weems (12), and Jace Deledonne (11) used amazing teamwork and worked their hardest when running at the Redondo Nike Track Festival on March 7th. With their amazing time of 7:46.93, they won not only the race but also the meet record, school record, and the nation’s leading time this season.
Starting off with Micah Chandler, running a split of 1:58.4, states, “I felt nervous. When running it last year, I was the slowest out of the 4 of us, so I felt like I had to get out and be able to get a lead.” Chandler had gotten out hard but was put in a bad position around the other runners. He started out the first lap in 10th place, seemingly not even in the running for a top spot. Even after getting boxed in towards the beginning of the race, he had begun to push himself during the second lap, making sure to get around all of the people in front of him, because he knew that he could finish farther up, and in the end, he did. During the last 200 meters, he had passed up 8 teams, passing off the baton in second place.
The second leg, Owen Weems, got out extremely hard and maintained his pace unbelievably well. “I am not typically an 800 runner, so going into it I just wanted to push myself in that last 400 meters and crush that 2-minute barrier,” Weems says, and he accomplished both of those goals. He had pushed out hard in the beginning and really maintained his pace well. He and the runner in front of him had fought for first place many times during his section of the race. It seemed as though one second Poly was in front, and then the next the other team had been up front. It had been an epic battle between the two teams, whilst Weems had picked up the pace and pushed hard during his last 200 meters, ultimately passing off to the third leg in second place.
Jace Deledonne, the Poly boys third runner, took off trying to pass the first-place runner, which he did but still had to battle the other runner for first place. He got out very hard on the first lap and maintained his speed on the second, wanting to make sure his team got the best time they could from him. Running an amazing 1:58.9, running very similar times to his other two teammates, then passing off to their anchor leg, just short of first place. Deledonne, after being asked how he felt about the win and how it affected his season, states, “This win has given me a lot of excitement, experience, and determination going into the season. I feel like getting such a good time this early really sets me and my team up for a really great season going forward, and my team and I will be continuing to work towards getting even faster.”
Now getting down to the most nerve-racking part of the race, Beckett Sullivan charges out from the starting line, his competitor in sight just ahead of him. Sullivan, a well-experienced and talented 800 runner, used not only his hard work and talent going into this race but also used his wits. Once he caught up to the first-place runner, he paced with him for most of the race, staying right on his heel to make sure he never got away from him. Once the two of them got to the last 150, Beckett started to accelerate, trying his hardest to push past the other runner. They fought it out until the very end, but Beckett knew that his team was counting on him to carry them home. He breathed hard and ran as hard as he could and ended with a wonderful split of 1:53.6. “Right as I crossed the line, I knew I was in front. I was so proud of my teammates, and our group effort was wonderful. When we found out we were the fastest in the nation, I didn’t believe it. The feeling was unreal,” Sullivan said, ecstatic about his team’s win. Immediately after his incredible performance, his teammates came up to congratulate him; even though he was tired and felt nauseous, he took in his friends hugs with warmth.
This win had shocked the entire stadium of people watching. No one had ever known that Riverside Poly would win or even get the leading national time for the year. After their race, they had been interviewed by a huge social media platform for runners , “MileSplit,” and had been posted on their profile. During this video, you get the runners’ reactions when their head coach, Phil Orr, breaks the news of their win, saying, “Beckett, you’re not hearing me; fastest time in the state, fastest time in the nation.” Not only that, but they also won “MVP” for the week on the page of “Finished Results.” These four amazing athletes showed their talents to the world and made sure their hard work paid off.