Fastest Prep 16/32 Double

Jason Pyrah - 1987 ran a pretty impressive TRIPLE at the Missouri State Meet.....I'm not 100% on this, but I think he had to run prelims in the 800.....

800 - 1:51.25

1600 - 4:03.54

3200 - 9:07.48

My understanding was Richard Kimball ran 4:02.7 and 8:46 at the 1974 CA State meet. Full mile and 2M.

Virgin ran 8:40.9 at the International Prep Meet on a 90 degree day that was very blustery. Centrowitz was second in 8:56.

For what it's worth, the best doubles at the Ohio HS championships:

Boys:

John Zishka, 1980 4:07.8 / 8:57.5

Scott Fry, 1985 4:08.03 / 8:49.40

Doug Bockenstette, 1994 4:10.14 / 9:07.50

Two guys by the name of Bob Kennedy and Mark Croghan (Never heard of 'em!) pulled off doubles each with a 4:10 1600m, but with unremarkable 3200m times.

Girls:

Kristy Orre, 1985 4:53.85 / 10:27.74

Ann Henderson would likely have run a great double, but there was no 2-mile for girls when she ran. I don't have any doubles for her, but her HS PRs were 4:43.5y / 10:14.0y (roughly 4:42.1 / 10:10.5).

jesse, Good info. To add some of what I know to Ohio:

Bob Kennedy could have only doubled as a junior. He bowed out of the 3200 after a 4:05 1600. It was rumored he wanted to allow friend and footlocker runner-up John Sence a chance to win a title. Sence was then upset in the 3200.

Ann Henderson would not have won a double because she was disqualified in the 1600. At set, she began shaking out her arms, and was removed from the field allowing Upper Arlington's Shannon Cline the title.

He did double as a junior. I was there. My team won the state title on a come-from-behind finish in the 4x400, after being favored to win coming in and then meeting with near-complete disaster on Friday. I remember damn near everything from that weekend, including Nelloms' win in the 400m as a frosh and his defeat at the hands of my teammate in the 200 (the last time he was ever beaten in a flat running event by a high-schooler).

Don't remember this, as I wasn't there. But I'll be a picky jerk and point out 2 things: She didn't run the 1600, it was still the mile in '78 and '79. She also won the mile in '78, so she could have (and doubtlessly would have) if there had been a 2-mile for girls that year. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there was a 3200m for girls at the state meet until the early 80s, well after Henderson was out of high school.

Roman Gomez

4:09.05 / 8:58.91

Notice that the 3200 was run first with the 1600 only 80 minutes later.

Roman Gomez of Belmont, LA also had an outstanding

day on the track. Like Thomas, he was a double winner, taking the tough 1600-3200

double for only the second time in Meet history. The only other time was by Rich

Kimball in 1974. Gomez won the 3200 first in 8:58.91, with Jesus Gutierrez of

Pasadena second in 9:00.30 and Matt Guisto of San Mateo third in 9:05.20.

Approximately 80 minutes later, Gomez won the 1600 in 4:09.05 over a fine field

which included Jim Ortiz (Barstow) second in 4:10.10, Dan Holmes (Santa Barbara)

third in 4:10.14, and Victor Calen (El Modena, Orange) fourth in 4:10.99.

rich Kimble

8:46.5 / 4:06.6

California State Meet 1974, 1 hour 15 minutes between runs.

Check out this link for a more complete write up.

sounds good Moatman

Remember watching Kimball run the mile at the IPI meet the week after his state meet double. He choked badly. Too much over-racing perhaps.

Greg Anderson running at the Ofsaa Track and Field Championships (Ontario HS)

Friday

Am 1500 3:55

PM 1500 3:47 after falling and getting up to run right past the field into the lead withen 200m.

Saturday 3000 8:00.7 North American HS Record

That is the best ever double.

A true double should be meets where the two races are no longer than 60-120 minutes apart. American high school meets generally run the 1600 and 3200 around 75 minutes apart.

Thanks malmo for setting my memory straight.

Ofsaa: That is not the best ever as it was done over two days and I know you will hate to hear (as you Canadians always do) but Greg was 19 years old at the time, no?

The U.S. has had several runners run better than that at age 19 over two days.

Those times are "worth" about 4:05.x and 8:39.x for 16/32, so they are indeed the fastest 2 races when added up, but a 2-day double vs. a single day double isn't even comparable.

twittering debutante wrote:

Virgin ran 8:40.9 at the International Prep Meet on a 90 degree day that was very blustery. Centrowitz was second in 8:56.

15 seconds up on one of the fastest Milers in prep history. Wow!

I was always impressed with Virgin's dedication to breaking Pre's record, but beating Centrowitz by that much. Most runners would have thrown in the towel when they stepped out onto a melting track in that weather, but he went out and did it. Mr. Newton says that was the single most amazing thing he ever saw on a track.

You often hear on a message board that so and so would have broken a record, but that it was too hot or too windy. I guess when a 16 year old CV raced the 19 year old Russians at 5K in Sacramento in 14:14.6 at 100+ degrees on live TV he learned not to worry about the weather or the pressure. That was the day America learned that there was someone amazing coming up the ranks. He didn't disappoint with 3 Olympic teams and American records and two world XC championships.

jesse, On this board I understand your defensiveness, but lighten up a little! I was pointing Kennedy HAD to do that as a junior, as he did not as a senior. Whether you are a picky jerk or not, I don't know, but the state of Ohio went metric in 1979, not 1980. Henderson, may have won both the mile and 2 mile as a junior ('78), but I wouldn't say 'doubtlessly' because there were many solid runners in that era and a state distance double in '78 (94 degrees) would've been tough.

I know you are a bit of a historian. I was only trying to add some details to your data, not calling you out.

Jason Pyra also had a great triple at thae Missouri state meet his Sr. year...I don't remember the exact times but it was in the neighborhood of 4:03 first, 9:12 second and then 1:51...I was there that day and it was hot as well...I was impressed...

WOW my memory is not to bad after all these years...I only missed the 3200...

Vigin doubles 1973 All Yards

Now converted to the bastard 1600/3200

4/07 8:47.2 2 mile & 4:15.4 relay leg

4/24 8:52.4 & 4:15.0 St Clair County meet

5/05 8:43.4 & 4:10.2 relay Orphan Relays

5/18 8:50.2 & 4:09.3 District

5/21 8:45.4 & 4:06.9 Meet of Champions

5/25 4:08.4 State meet heat

5/26 8:39.4 & 4:10.6 State finals

just the facts wrote:

jesse, On this board I understand your defensiveness, but lighten up a little! I was pointing Kennedy HAD to do that as a junior, as he did not as a senior. Whether you are a picky jerk or not, I don't know, but the state of Ohio went metric in 1979, not 1980. Henderson, may have won both the mile and 2 mile as a junior ('78), but I wouldn't say 'doubtlessly' because there were many solid runners in that era and a state distance double in '78 (94 degrees) would've been tough.

I know you are a bit of a historian. I was only trying to add some details to your data, not calling you out.

I didn't mean to come off as defensive. In '79, Laura Craven ran 9:35.3 (about 10:21) and Kathy Bryant ran 9:45.0 (about 10:31) so they could have pushed her, but that's the moot year anyway. In '78, Craven was in junior high, so she's out of the picture. I don't have national lists from '78, but I'd have to say Henderson was WAY ahead of everyone else, as she ran 4:46.3y that year.

The state meet went metric in 1980, sort of. They went to 300m hurdles in '78. Betcha a six-pack.

I've got more crap than you'd ever want to look at, with more on its way:

It was a scorching hot day when Virgin ran his 8:40.9. I was there with my dad in the stands on the backstretch at Prospect HS. It was the same afternoon Secretariat won the Belmont by 31 lengths. We were badly wind burned afterward, not so much from the sun. Virgin led from the first turn and cranked out 65's. It was very even paced. The black asphalt track was indeed melting. I ran districts on it the year after and that track wasn't anything special.

Virgin wrote me once and said it was 106 degrees in Sacramento. The USA-USSR dual was broadcast live on CBS Sports Spectacular. Virgin led the whole way until the last straightaway. He said later that it was the first time he'd ever been boxed in, and it was his inexperience that cost him the race. The 14:14.6, for me, was even guttier than the 8:40.9. Only HS guy who seemed in Virgin's class was Ritzenhein. That would have been a good race. Probably would take Virgin in that one, but I'm a little biased. Having met both, they both seemed very genuine and humble.

MoatMan, that link to Cal HS Meet history is one of the best I've ever seen!

From 1974 (I've converted the times so these knuckleheads will get a clue) What rich history!

HIGHLIGHTS

Rich Kimball of DeLaSalle and Fred Shaw of Muir came up with outstanding performances. Kimball, running with a heavily taped ankle, accomplished the amazing feat of winning both the (1600) and (3200) races. He not only became the first performer in the Meet's history to win both races but the first with the courage to even attempt it. His (3200) victory came first. His time of 8:43.3

broke the Meet record by 5.8 seconds!

Second place in the (3200) was won by Eric Hulst, a sophomore from Laguna Beach, who ran 8:47.3 to also break the old Meet mark.

About an hour and fifteen minutes after finishing the two mile, he won the (1600) in 4:05.0. The (1600) was an exciting race as Kimball just held off Sunny Hill's Andy Clifford who took second in 4:05.1. (malmo note, as I recall the last lap was 55.0) Third went to Ray Wicksell of West Covina in 4:06.6, fourth to Ralph Serna of Loara in 4:07.6, and fifth to Tom Colley of San Gorgonio in 4:07.9!