2013 USA Indoor Track and Field Meet – Day 2 Mid-d and Distance Recap – Teen Phenoms Mary Cain & Ajee Wilson Win As Does Eric Sowinski and Will Leer

By LetsRun.com
March 3, 2013

Below we recap the mid-d and distance action of day 2 of the 2013 USA Indoor track and field meet. Our day 1 coverage is here.

Day 2 was full of excitement as teen phenoms Ajee Wilson and Mary Cain won the women’s 800 and mile, Erik Sowinski completed his breakthrough 2013 indoor campaign with a much deserved victory in the men’s 800 and Will Leer completed the 3k/mile double with a hard-fought victory in the men’s mile as his cancer-stricken dad watched in the stands.

In non-distance action, Ryan Whiting threw a world leader in the shot put (21.80), Mississippi State’s D’Angelo Cherry ran the world’s 3rd fastest 60m of the year (6.49 – world leader is 6.48) and 2004 Olympic gold medallist Jeremy Wariner won his first ever US indoor crown with a 45.82 clocking (#4 in the world).

“I want to get in racing shape before the outdoor season. I ran a couple of 200s early on. Yesterday was my first quarter and to come back and run 45.8, I’m happy. I saw lift coming home,” said Wariner afterwards to Lewis Johnson.

For USATF’s recap of day 2 which includes the other events, click here.

*Full results here.

We recap the action in the following order – men’s 800, men’s mile, women’s 800, women’s mile as we figure many of you have already read our women’s mile recap.

Men’s 800:  Erik Sowinski Ends His Season in Style – With USA Title #1

Erik Sowinski’s incredible 2013 indoor season ended in ideal fashion for him as the newly minted American 600 record holder was jut able to hold off a fast closing Robby Andrews to earn his first national title in 1:47.09 to Andrews’ 1:47.13.

Early on, Andrews put himself at the back of the six-man pack as he was 1.54 seconds behind early leader Joe Abbott at 200 (1.25 seconds behind Sowinski at 200). There actually was a visible 4-5 meter gap between the top 4 and 5th placer Mark Husted and Andrews at this point.

At the bell, Andrews was only in fifth and his last lap of 26.22 was by far the best of anyone in the field – it was more than 3/4th of a second better than Sowinski’s (26.99) – but not enough to give him the victory.

2012 Olympic Trials fifth placer Tyler Mulder ended up third in 1:47.43 as Olympic 1,500 4th placer Matt Centrowitz was fourth in 1:47.82.

ASICS SUPERBLAST

Best Overall Training Shoe

ASICS SUPERBLAST

• Rated Best Overall Rated Best Overall by LetsRun.com Readers
• Rated Best Training Shoe Rated Best Training Shoe by LetsRun.com Readers
• Rated Best Neutral Pronation Shoe Rated Best Neutral Pronation Shoe by LetsRun.com Readers

Buy Now For $199 Full Review

LetsRun.com’s Quick Take #1: The come from behind style works well in college and is a great way to make a team, but it’s hard to win a pro 800 when you are next to last at 600.

Quick Take #2: Centro is just a little over-matched at 800. He was in a perfect spot at the bell – in second – but just didn’t have it over the last lap.

Men’s Mile: Will Leer Completes A Heart-Warming Double

With his cancer stricken dad watching in the stands, Will Leer got his second victory of the weekend as he just found enough to win the mile after blowing away the field in yesterday’s 3000.

Leer closed in 27.74 to win in 3:58.79 as he just past Craig Miller (2:58.9) meters before the finish moving from 4th at the bell to first. Cory Leslie ended up third in 3:59.88.

It certainly was an emotional win for the Leer family as television cameras showed his mother bursting into tears after the win.

Leer had to work for this one as former Williams runner Macklin Chaffee (a 3:58 miler) made this race an honest one as arguably the two biggest names in the field – Leer and Matt Centrowitz (who had run the 800 less than an hour before) – were doubling back from previous races. After an opening 409 meters of 62.86, Chafee slammed the gas pedal down really hard and ran his second 400 in 57.79.

The big acceleration took Chaffee through 809 in 2:00.60 and at this point Leer was more than two seconds back in sixth (2:02.66). Centrowitz, who often in US races runs up front, had started the race in the back and once the pace accelerated he never responded. He was seemingly content to just complete it as a workout as he went through 809 in 2:03.51 en route to a 4:08.62 finish.

The big acceleration actually ended up proving too much for Chaffee himself to handle as he’d end up a DNF after fading to ninth at the bell – but not too much for Leer. Throughout the race, Leer stayed just close enough to give himself a chance to win. It really was a spectacle to watch as each lap we kept wondering, “Is he too far back to win this?” but he got closer and closer each lap and just stayed close enough to give himself to a shot at victory.

With 4 laps to go he was in sixth (2.06 seconds back), with 3 laps to go he was still in sixth but only 1.40 seconds back, with two laps to go he was fifth (1.16 seconds back) and with a lap to go he was fourth (0.59 seconds back).

Heading into the final turn, Leslie still led with Miller second and Leer third, but Miller took the turn at the top of the homestretch.

About five meters before the finish line, after some contact with Miller, who really wanted this victory for himself and had pushed Leer way wide (Leer finished in the outside of lane 3), Leer had the lead and eventual victory.

“I had a feeling those guys were going to do something like that – take it out hard – because Centro and I both have good finishes and we are both coming back from a race,” said Leer to Ato Boldon after the race.

“I definitely wasn’t as fresh as I wanted to be. I’m really happy to come away with the win. It’s icing on the cake. I gave everything I had in the last 75/100 meters,” added Leer who then gave thanks to Nike for their “renewed faith” (aka Re-upping after an Olympic year).

“I can’t say enough about my family. My mom, my dad, my mother. They are there for me every step of the way.  My dad wakes me up every day with a cup of coffee.”

LetsRun.com’s Quick Take #1: Certainly a heart-warming victory. Let’s hope Leer makes a US outdoor team before his career is done.

Quick Take #2: When passed at the end, Miller was desperate for victory and just stuck out his right hand almost as if he was going to just grab Leer and prevent him from passing. Thankfully, the contact didn’t impede Leer much at all.

Women’s 800: Teen Phenom Ajee Wilson Gets Her First Big Pro Victory

If it wasn’t for Mary Cain, the buzz tonight in US track circles would be all about 2012 world junior champ Ajee Wilson. The 18-year old who went pro this year instead of running collegiately, won her first US senior crown in wire to wire fashion.

There wasn’t a whole lot to describe in this race as virtually from the first step to the very end, the race featured one teen phenom, Wilson, just ahead of another former teen phenom, Chanelle Price (2:01.61 in HS – finally broke her high school PR last year during her final year of college – 2:00.15 last year in the summer). Price followed Wilson around the track for three and a half laps before Wilson pulled clear to victory in 2:02.64.

Today’s 2:02.64 was a big indoor pb for Wilson whose previous pb of 2:04.13 was set at Millrose in 2012. Price also set an indoor pb at 2:02.93 (previous pb 2:03.12).

Women’s Mile: Mary Cain Dominates Over Final 200

In an incredibly tactical mile, 16-year old high school phenom Mary Cain blew away the field over the final 200 to win her first US senior championship in 5:05.68 – nearly a full-second better than multi-time US champ Treniere Moser who ran 5:06.55 as 2007 NCAA 1,500 champ Brie Felnagle was third in 5:06.90.

Cain’s final 400 was a world-class 58.61 (29.27, 29.34).

Cain ran the mile at the US championships at altitude in Albuquerque looking to gain some practice in tactical races. In the end, the mission was accomplished although when this race was over it didn’t look like she needed any practice at all as she ran a very smart tactical race in an incredibly slow race.

The race went out in 85.26 for 409 meters – yes that would be 83 seconds for 400 – and 2:56.54 for (809) as no one wanted to lead. Cain was up front in the lead, but she clearly didn’t want it. Showing a racing savvy far more advanced than her years, she smartly ran in lane two so that anyone who wanted the lead could have it by coming up on the inside but so she wouldn’t get boxed in by people coming up from the outside.

The race finally got going a little on the sixth lap as Sara Vaughn pushed the pace down to the 32 mid-range (32.54 for Cain). It really accelerated with 400 to go as Cain started her push for home. On the backstretch she took the lead back from Vaughn and when she cut in from the outside with about 350 meters to go, there was contact as Cain didn’t have quite enough space (technically under USATF rules, you are supposed to have a full stride). Nothing malicious – just hard racing – but Cain wasn’t afraid to throw an elbow to send a signal to Vaughn that the lead now belonged to Cain and nobody would be retaking it on the inside.

In the end, the contact proved to be unnecessary as Cain was dominant over the final lap. Eventual sixth placer Dana Mecke came up alongside Cain right before the bell but Cain destroyed everyone over the final lap as Mecke faded (we’re not convinced Mecke didn’t miscount the laps as she only managed a 33.64 last lap). Often times in crazily slow races, the finishes are amazingly tight but not hear as Cain won by .87 and that included a let up at the end.

“She’s thrashed them. That’s what you call a real bad beating,” said Brit Tim Hutchings, who was fourth in the 1984 Olympic 5000, on the telecast of the meet on NBC Sports Network. “So she’s run like 58 – something like that for her last 400 meters – that is world class closing speed.”

“I know the time was really slow but going into it, I was like ‘Hey I’m a kicker. I can control the race, keep it slow and then kick it out,'” said Cain to Ato Boldon after the race on the NBC Sports broadcast.

Results, quick takes and race video below.

LetsRun.com’s Quick Take: So many positives to take home from this one in our mind with the win being the least important in the long term. Two other things we think are more important.

1) Hutchings is right, Cain displayed world class closing speed. 58.61 for the lat 400 and 1:31.15 for the last 600. We knew she was an aerobic machine but it’s hard to coach speed and Cain has it.

2) Cain displayed great racing tactics. Her move to the front almost certainly didn’t make Vaughn happy but the pro circuit in Europe isn’t a place where the meek survive.

More: Messageboard Discussion: CAIN 5:05.68 FTW!!!!
*Official 2013 USA Indoor Day 2 Discussion Thread – Watching on TV? Give us your thoughts here