When will the HS sub-4 club lose its luster?

The only other person talented enough to break 4 this year is Tomagno and thats not going to happen, I dont forsee any more sub 4's for a few years. Fisher and Hunter were really special generational talent.

re:"If a kid at my local HS ran sub 4 it would be a novelty thing. It would make the local sports page - but probably not as a headline. It wouldn't make the regional news."

What state do you live in?

New York (Upstate), where we have (and have had) our share of talented HS runners, all of whom are relegated to page 2 in the sports section or at best the bottom half of the front page. A local headline reading 'Local track standout runs 4 minute mile' (Because you know 2 things are for certain, 1: the headline wouldn't have his name in it and 2: He could run 3:49 and the idiot writer would still declare it a '4 minute mile.') wouldn't sell many papers. Running popularity peaked a long time ago, HS and open. Masters running popularity seems to have picked up steam, right along with the average age of runners. While participation numbers may be up, most of those participating couldn't care less how fast some HS kid runs a mile.

The capital region still cares. There have been front page sports section articles in the Times Union on Aidan Tooker. A ton of the smaller school guys also get a lot of press in smaller papers. Section 2 has quite a bit of passion for the sport because many of the regions best come back.

well at least theyre healthy wrote:

New York (Upstate), where we have (and have had) our share of talented HS runners, all of whom are relegated to page 2 in the sports section or at best the bottom half of the front page. A local headline reading 'Local track standout runs 4 minute mile' (Because you know 2 things are for certain, 1: the headline wouldn't have his name in it and 2: He could run 3:49 and the idiot writer would still declare it a '4 minute mile.') wouldn't sell many papers. Running popularity peaked a long time ago, HS and open. Masters running popularity seems to have picked up steam, right along with the average age of runners. While participation numbers may be up, most of those participating couldn't care less how fast some HS kid runs a mile.

I think you're a little too pessimistic. Hunter doesn't even live in DC and was on the front page of the Washington Post Sports page, on Super Bowl Sunday. It's still a very big deal. Perhaps it won't be when another 3 kids in 2 years do it, but up until now, it's gotten a lot of attention.

One thing to remember is that originally there were 4 consecutive years of sub-4 milers: Ryun ('64, '65), Danielson ('66), and Liquori ('67), followed by a more than 30 year drought. It's definitely becoming more "common" but we may just be seeing an outlier in talent in consecutive years, as was the case back in the '60s.

It will never lose its luster. For these reasons. Think back when you first entered your high school gym only to find 4:10's and up as being high schools' mile record. Most of those times were set in the 1960s and 1970s. Those that tried can pat themselves on the back because only they know how elusive it is to run under that magic barrier.

It is a --personal-- accomplishment. One that never loses luster, even if you never break four minutes in the mile it's to try. Just to try or for 'what if'.

To run a mile in under four minutes will permanently place your achievement on the highest shelf never to gather dust but only to remind ---us mortal runners-- of that enigmatic achievement.

Seriously, I think the American record is the 'why not' for the aspiring talented high school runner.

Some guy never mentioned on this thread just did it. I told you guys that it won't be long until even hardcore fans won't be able to tell you every HS sub-4.

Congrats Mr. Slagowski!

^^^ this is so true

The Day After Tomorrow wrote:

Some guy never mentioned on this thread just did it. I told you guys that it won't be long until even hardcore fans won't be able to tell you every HS sub-4.

Congrats Mr. Slagowski!

I guess this thread's prediction officially came true today. Other than high schoolers from the same region, how many people have heard of this Slagowski kid? This guy didn't even contend at Footlocker or NXN, did he? When a guy like that comes out of nowhere to break 4, it has officially become routine enough to not be memorable.

A ok wrote:

The Day After Tomorrow wrote:

Some guy never mentioned on this thread just did it. I told you guys that it won't be long until even hardcore fans won't be able to tell you every HS sub-4.

Congrats Mr. Slagowski!

I guess this thread's prediction officially came true today. Other than high schoolers from the same region, how many people have heard of this Slagowski kid? This guy didn't even contend at Footlocker or NXN, did he? When a guy like that comes out of nowhere to break 4, it has officially become routine enough to not be memorable.

Considering that less than 10 people have done it in over 50 years, I wouldn't call it routine.

The H.S. guys that go sub 4 with professional coaching and running in professional races will lose their luster first.

It already has!

Kudos to Michael Slagowski for starting a new trend! Refreshing!

Ryun, Verzbicas, Slagowski.

Easy to remember.

A ok wrote:

The Day After Tomorrow wrote:

Some guy never mentioned on this thread just did it. I told you guys that it won't be long until even hardcore fans won't be able to tell you every HS sub-4.

Congrats Mr. Slagowski!

I guess this thread's prediction officially came true today. Other than high schoolers from the same region, how many people have heard of this Slagowski kid? This guy didn't even contend at Footlocker or NXN, did he? When a guy like that comes out of nowhere to break 4, it has officially become routine enough to not be memorable.

Not really out of nowhere. He won indoor nationals and ran 1:48 a couple weeks ago, so it's not so shocking in retrospect. But so many HS runners have had the prerequisites to make a good run at sub-4 and then not done it. Sage, Magness, Fernandez, Cheserek, etc., etc.

Won indoor nationals in the 800, that is.

Still, it's damn impressive that someone not mentioned on this thread did it, especially when you remember how many bigger names have fallen short over the years.

Why would it lose its luster? The 60s had 3 run sub 4:00. 53 years later there are only 9, two of t hem being much older than your average hs kid. You'd expect at least 15 to be under 4:00 by now. Given the access to much better tracks, and the number of high level invitational run under the lights I would think that number should be at least 20.

Sub 4 is, an will continue to be an exceptional achievement.

Two sub-4s today and....crickets.

I think the floodgates are opening up.

Not that great a club to be a part of.

First member ended up as a Republican congressman...yuck. The second, a murderer! The third, possibly turned out okay. #s 4 and 5 both went into triathlon.

Too early to tell for the recent stud milers of '15 and '16, but 4 out of 5 of the first did not turn out so good.

Bring Back the 880 wrote:

Not that great a club to be a part of.

First member ended up as a Republican congressman...yuck. The second, a murderer! The third, possibly turned out okay. #s 4 and 5 both went into triathlon.

Too early to tell for the recent stud milers of '15 and '16, but 4 out of 5 of the first did not turn out so good.

in what bizarro world does being the fastest miler in US history qualify as "not turning out so good"