Coach Roberts wrote:
This year's St. Vrain New Balance Invitational Elite Invite Mile will take place at 7:15 pm on Friday, May 12th at Everly-Montgomery Field next to Longmont HS in Longmont, Colorado. (Altitude - 4984') This event is part of a high school track meet with 50 teams from around the state, and also includes additional elite events and prize money in the pole vault, 100 meter dash, and several other events, depending on interest. We have had 110 hurdles, 400 meter dash, 400 meter hurdles (women), and the 200 meter dash in past years. We have developed a relationship with the Altis training group in Arizona and also work with other professional athletes to provide an opportunity for post-collegiate competitors to pursue quality competition in an environment that allows them to give back to the sport they love and encourage the next generation of track-and-field athletes. We couldn't run these events without the tremendous support from New Balance and Above the Bar.
The ultimate goal for the elite men's mile from the beginning of this event has been a sub-4 effort "on Colorado soil" (even if there's a track between the runners and the soil :). The current record is 4:01.27 set by Tabor Stevens on April 17th, 2015 at the La Junta Tiger Relays. There were some great efforts on CU's new indoor track in early February this year when four young men ran times between the current record and the previous record of 4:03.99 set by Rory Fraser at this meet four years ago. It is our hope that the growing prize money will entice a stronger and stronger field each year. If the record is broken, the prize purse stands at $7,000 this year. We're also working with another revenue source to provide an additional bonus if the 4-minute barrier is broken. We expect it will be somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 of additional prize money for the first sub-4 effort. This is a bit of an all-or-nothing prize pot. We will pay $250 to 1st place if no record is broken, and we will then add another $1,000 to the pot for the following year.
We will also have an elite women's mile with a new goal time this year of 4:39.50. The current record was recently established by Dani Jones of CU on February 3rd at the Colorado Open. The prize purse for this event is still in the works, and will be in the neighborhood of $1000. (We've struggled to find interested female runners to fill the field, even when we had comparable money.)
If you're interested in competing, please send your running resume and contact information to:
stvraininfo@gmail.comOnce we evaluate the entries, our selection committee will send invitations to those who are selected to compete.
Great event, thanks for helping the sport!
Do you know what is actually considered to be full altitude as to to say fastest mile at altitude. ( Maybe IAAF and what it recognizes or USATF)
Understood your effort is for fastest mile in Colorado with altitude.