In talks about which young Americans could eventually challenge African dominance in distance running, the Rosas lead the next generation with performances that are redefining teenage levels of success, said their coach, Brian Gould. As 16-year-old juniors, Joe has shattered three marquee course records in succession and Jim has been a close second each time.
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On Sept. 19 in Philadelphia, Joe ran the Belmont Plateau 5,000-meter course at Fairmount Park in 15 minutes 19.2 seconds to break his own record, set last year, by 14 seconds. Jim took second in 15:38. On Oct. 3 at the Shore Coaches Invitational on the state meet course, Holmdel Park, Joe ran 15:04 to break the 5,000-meter record of the former national track champion Craig Forys by 12 seconds. Jim was second in 15:16 to equal Forys’s mark. On Oct. 10, at the Manhattan Invitational, with more than 10,000 runners at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Joe ran the 2.5-mile course in 12:03.77. Jim placed second in 12:08.71.
All three sites are among the hilliest and most rigorous in the region and have been contested by top runners for decades. In 1966, when the world-leading miler and 5,000 runner Marty Liquori was a New Jersey schoolboy, he ran Van Cortlandt in 12:23.2. In 1975, when the three-time New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar was a Massachusetts schoolboy, he ran Van Cortlandt in 12:22.5.
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The boys’ craving to test themselves while promoting team unity was never more apparent than on a recent Sunday, which they called a mental toughness day. With Squeri in tow, the Rosas went to Holmdel Park and ran the 5,000-meter racing paths five times in succession without a break, covering over 16 miles of hills in 1 hour 37 minutes. “It didn’t feel that bad,” Jim said.
Neither did another groundbreaking practice session last week on the school cross-country course in Plainsboro. “This is the hardest workout we do,” Gould told them.
In the late afternoon twilight, Joe and Jim took off their shirts and put on their spikes. The boys proceeded to run a mile in 4:40; jog two minutes; run 400 meters eight times in 66 or 67 seconds each, jogging one minute between each run; jog two minutes; then run another mile in 4:33. They ran side by side, with mirror image form. Their cheeks were crimson, their breathing audible.
“Perfect.” Gould said. “How do you feel?”
“Great,” the boys said in unison.