Fastest Prep 16/32 Double

malmo...great stuff...I lived in California for awhile and got to run and race Serna, Hulst, Wicksell, and Clifford...but I have always wondered what ever happend to Kimball...all the others had good careers (although Huslts was cut short) but no mention or sight of Kimball...

Last word about Kimball was that he was a police officer in San Diego. Man, that guy was a horse.

More stuff from that website:

To add a couple side notes to the Ohio stats:

Zishka did not win the 1600 in 1980 as he was edged out in the last 100 by Mike Hallabrin from Mansfield Malabar in 4:07.something.

Also, Zishka went on to run 4:03 at the Golden West mile

if memory serves correctly

1988 Cal HS State Meet 1600m/3200m

Reggie Williams (4:08/8:59)

The Fixer wrote:

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?

I was at those meets when Greg Anderson ran those times. The 3:47 and 8:00.2 double was when he was 18. He came back the next year as an overage and won the double again in 3:45/7:50. I timed these myself. He ran the last km of the 3000 in 2:29. He was supposed to be challenged by Jason Bunston in that race and he made him look like a clown by beating him by 30 seconds over the last mile. Interestingly it started pouring rain just before the race so I took shelter under an umbrella a guy was holding at the side of the track. I go to talk to the guy and it was Ben Johnson just a few months prior to being busted at the Olympics. He was a God in Canada back then. I watched and time the race with him.

I remember the regional meet prior to the first double. He ran 1:52 for the 800, followed by 3:45 for the 1500, and something like 8:25 for the 3000 and then he anchored the 4x400m team to victory as well (all races were in the same day). The guy was the most unbelievable runner to watch. A pretty big guy with a hell of a stride.

The first time I saw him race was in xc. I had just finished the freshman race and he was racing junior. There was a buzz about how good this guy was. He comes charging out of the woods and across a field to victory with nobody else in sight. He won that race by at least 5 minutes.

Nobody is touching those records. He disappeared after going to the states on a scholarship. I think I had heard he won some races in his freshman year but then tore a hamstring and never ran again. He would have made Ritz look like a turtle in highschool track and cross country.

Flashmile wrote:

To add a couple side notes to the Ohio stats:

Zishka did not win the 1600 in 1980 as he was edged out in the last 100 by Mike Hallabrin from Mansfield Malabar in 4:07.something.

Also, Zishka went on to run 4:03 at the Golden West mile

if memory serves correctly

Right you are, and dman good recall too. I was figuring the time was important, not whether or not the kid won, but I'll admit the thought never even crossed my mind. Hallabrin 4:07.7, Zishka 4:07.8. Zishka's GWI time was 4:03.85.

As noted, Roman Gomez had a great double to win the California State Meet in 1984. He doubled again in 1985 with slower times. However, the double-double is very impressive:

1984 4:09/8:58

1985 4:15/9:03

SoCalPrepFan wrote:

As noted, Roman Gomez had a great double to win the California State Meet in 1984. He doubled again in 1985 with slower times. However, the double-double is very impressive:

1984 4:09/8:58

1985 4:15/9:03

In 1985 the Cal State meet went back to having prelims the night before, Gomez would have had to run a 1600 that night. In 1984 and 1983 they experimented with having NorCal and Southern Cal regional meets which fed to a finals only state meet. They may help explain the slower time, although I believe the 1600 that year was a rather tactical race.

This doesn't include a 3200 but I thought it was worth mention. I watched this my Sophmore year in Highschool and it was what made a believer out of me:

Alan Webb in his senior year Distict meet:

1600: 4:05ish (2:12/1:52)

400: 48

800: 1:49

All in less than an hour. During the 1600 he was around 15 yards back or so on the lead pack when he hit the half and then he just clicked a button on his watch and took off.

jesse, You are right and just as important, I was wrong. 300h & girls 100h were the only metric events in '79. The sad part is that I was a competitor in the meet. Apparently I didn't finish high enough to even remember how far I ran. Did both Craven & Bryant run for a high school in '79 as both went the AAU route at some point? Although I've scanned your site before, I looked over it again and can add/correct and question a few things if you are interested. If so, reply and I will e-mail next time I see your e-mail link. Keep up the good work. Stop by the Watkins track any evening to get your six pack, but be warned, I only drink the cheap stuff.

Mickey Man? I'd love to come drink brews at the watkins track. Who's coaching that berguist girl anyways. She's on a tear?

I would agree with all that you say, except the part about Ritz.

Ritz was only beaten in HS competition ONCE in two years. Steve Scherer caught up to him on a relay and edged him, so it wasn't even in an open race.

He ran 1:54.9, 4:05.9m, 8:41.10m, and 14:13 as a junior. That would be 3:49/8:06 for the 1500/3k.

He would have run around 4:00y/8:40y indoors and faster outdoors if he had not concentrated on the WJCCC and then breaking 13:44. He was certainly capable of the 3k, 3200, 2-mile, and 5k HS records. The 10k record was within reach also. He could have run sub-4:00 as well, he just would have had to run in a top meet like Sage did when he ran 4:00.29.

Greg Anderson may have been the best North American 18-year-old ever, but if his best was 3:47/8:00 over two days then he was just on the same level as Ritz, as well as many other Americans.

Ritz ran 8:08 and then kept going for 200m when he was just 17, all by himself in the early season. That is why he is running back-to-back 13:49s now.

I remember a kid in IL who won the 100, 200, and 400. i think this is amazing because of all the heats....yeah yeah...its sprints...

twittering debutante wrote:

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

Was he being chased by a one-armed man?

just the facts wrote:

jesse, You are right and just as important, I was wrong. 300h & girls 100h were the only metric events in '79. The sad part is that I was a competitor in the meet. Apparently I didn't finish high enough to even remember how far I ran. Did both Craven & Bryant run for a high school in '79 as both went the AAU route at some point? Although I've scanned your site before, I looked over it again and can add/correct and question a few things if you are interested. If so, reply and I will e-mail next time I see your e-mail link. Keep up the good work. Stop by the Watkins track any evening to get your six pack, but be warned, I only drink the cheap stuff.

To get ahold of me, try

under "Contact the Superfan". Let Jarvis hold on to my beer. I can trust him -- he never touches the stuff!

As fara as Craven & Bryant, I don't know. The nat'l lists from T&FN listed their year and school, and that's all I know.