By Douglas Bruce Clement
Matthew Centrowitz is coming to the Harry Jerome Track Classic on his way to London. In 2011 he was the NCAA and USA champion in the 1500m and the bronze medal winner at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu. He has run 3:34.46 over this distance but he needs to achieve the Olympic standard before the US Olympic Trials. He is not alone in this quest. Several athletes from the US and Canada are in the same situation and all are looking for that magic moment when the tempo of the metric mile is fast, very fast indeed.
Centrowitz takes bronze medal at World Championships in Daegu
Centrowitz along with Taylor Milne of Guelph, ON, Geoff Martinson of Prince George, BC, Garrett Heath and Jordan McNamara of the US will be looking for times of 400m in 56 sec, 800m in 1min 53sec and 1200m in 2min 50sec and then to grind out the last 300m in 45sec for the Olympic standard of 3:35.50. All these athletes have run within a second of this target.
Taylor Milne wants Olympic standard
Not many runners can take the lead and run from the front the entire distance. Fast times in any middle distance event are usually aided by special pacemakers who attempt to pull the pack through the target times. This avoids the extra energy to break the air resistance, which is clearly evident in cycle racing. Silas Kisorio of Kenya is the designated pacemaker for this 1500m, as he possesses the strength and speed to get the proper tempo, not too fast and not to slow. He will get this chance to race in Victoria’s NTL event June 13 where another designated runner will be the pacemaker.
Canada’s Olympic track and field team will have a strong presence at the Harry Jerome Classic as they face international athletes from almost a dozen nations. Tickets are $25 for the finish line and $10 for general admission. The tickets are available online at www.harryjerome.com Events start at Swangard Stadium at 1pm.