Yesterday, h.s. senior Brady Gehret, blistered an indoor 48.06 to run the fastest indoor 400 in the country this year. Gehret's mark edged that of Patrick Farmer, who had earlier run a 48.20. These two guys could be dueling for Olympic gold someday.
First Farmer--this kid is ridiculous. He'd never run track in his life. All he'd done was play soccer. But somehow he ended up on the track team as a senior, and the results are unbelievable. He set the U.S. best 48.20 a couple of weeks ago at a major meet called the Hispanic Games (the name seems to have nothing to do with the competition). I watched the race (you have to keep fast forwarding through the three-hour video on the meet website. It's the first of the 400's). The P.A. announcer was apoplectic, saying "What an upset!!" Farmer was naturally given the dreaded lane one, which requires the sharpest turns, but he had passed nearly every runner by the end of the first lap. On the second lap, he simply swung around the guys in front of him, and finished first by a huge margin. It was a jaw-dropping performance. This kid has only started training, but he looked like an Olympian running against elementary kids--only his competition was from all over the country, runners who had proven themselves at the highest level for years. He runs like Wariner, long, easy strides.
They ran numerous 400's at that meet, and Farmer's was a second and a half faster than the next best.
But then comes Gehret. Gehret is a one-man sprint squad from Altoona, PA. He's been scoring piles of points for years now. Yesterday, he not only ran the fastest indoor 400 in the country, but he also won the 200 (21.44 INDOORS!) and finished second in the long jump. In most meets, he runs several relays as well. He's a thoroughbred. I've not seen any video on him.
First Farmer--this kid is ridiculous. He'd never run track in his life. All he'd done was play soccer. But somehow he ended up on the track team as a senior, and the results are unbelievable. He set the U.S. best 48.20 a couple of weeks ago at a major meet called the Hispanic Games (the name seems to have nothing to do with the competition). I watched the race (you have to keep fast forwarding through the three-hour video on the meet website. It's the first of the 400's). The P.A. announcer was apoplectic, saying "What an upset!!" Farmer was naturally given the dreaded lane one, which requires the sharpest turns, but he had passed nearly every runner by the end of the first lap. On the second lap, he simply swung around the guys in front of him, and finished first by a huge margin. It was a jaw-dropping performance. This kid has only started training, but he looked like an Olympian running against elementary kids--only his competition was from all over the country, runners who had proven themselves at the highest level for years. He runs like Wariner, long, easy strides.
They ran numerous 400's at that meet, and Farmer's was a second and a half faster than the next best.
But then comes Gehret. Gehret is a one-man sprint squad from Altoona, PA. He's been scoring piles of points for years now. Yesterday, he not only ran the fastest indoor 400 in the country, but he also won the 200 (21.44 INDOORS!) and finished second in the long jump. In most meets, he runs several relays as well. He's a thoroughbred. I've not seen any video on him.
