US Nationals Day 3: I need coffee!

Day 1

Day 2

Ok, now it’s REALLY getting spicy!

But first: a 0515 wakeup call, because the 20km racewalk happens early. I must apologize to my neighbor for the prolonged alarm ringing; I kept unsuccessfully fumbling for the phone as it kept ringing, and the dorm room walls here are paper thin. 

The first mile of the race walk took all of 6:31. That’s insane…and demoralizing; i used to do 10 miles (RUNNING) at that pace!

After the race, I head back to the dorm for a 90 minute break. But where is my room key? It’s not in my pocket or at the track, it’s not in the dining hall where i had early breakfast, it’s not in the pocket of the other official who walked with me to the track. Someone must have picked it up. I go to campus services and leave my name; they said they might have to re-key the door and issue a new dining pass. 

Sigh. 

Wait….I ate breakfast with The Beast, didn’t I? I hunt him down at the track and ask…sure enough, he pulls two keys out of his pocket. Crisis averted! 

Lunch: more of their excellent fried chicken with mac and cheese. I need to stop doing this!

Knowing that we don’t have a chance at dinner until 8:30pm, I fill a coffee cup with carnitas, rice, and beans, and suck it down late afternoon between events…..I’m quite the resourceful lad sometimes. 

Men’s 200m heats…..World Champion (100m) Fred Kerley sits down in the final 50m and still runs a tight 20.43. Assuming he makes the final, he is going to unload…i bet he can go a full second faster. He was fun to watch at the world championships last summer. 

I happen to glance at the pole vault competition, and some guy snaps a pole as I’m watching. Yikes! He was okay, but another vaulter gathered up the remnants that are now best suited for kindling (assuming fiberglass burns well). 

Tee Tee Terry in the women’s 200m heats….she’s quite the firecracker, as was also proven in last summer’s amazing 4x100m relay against a lightning quick Jamaican team. 

Next to Tee Tee is high schooler Mia from Portland….Tee Tee explodes thru the turn, and Mia goes with her…all the way to the semifinals. Tomorrow’s final will be something to see. 

Hurdler Devon Allen is introduced as a two-time Olympian, multiple national champion…..I can’t resist leaning over to buddy Lloyd and saying “yes, and we threw his butt out on his home track during the World Championships!” I’m still disgusted from last year. 

Women’s 400m….Intermediate Hurdles Destructor Sydney is running sans barriers for a change. Interesting, since she has set 4 or 5 world records in the hurdles here. Before the race, I duck into the tunnel and send this first text. After the race, i send the second one. 

48.75, I called it well. She absolutely crushed this race. With a little more seasoning, she’ll take this world record, too. And if she doesn’t give me any credit for the call, I’m going to send my Somerville (NJ) Sharks 15 miles down Route 22 and take on her Dunellen Jets in a battle for supremacy. 

(I think her Jets might win, though). 

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Athing Mu runs the 1500 final; her normal distance is the 800m, and she covers that split 20 seconds slower than normal. This has to feel so easy for her, and she starts winding it up with 300m to go. It’s game over…

Except tiny perpetual podium misser outer Nikki Hiltz not only hangs on for dear life, but takes Mu to the cleaners in the stretch with a decisive sprint. Who saw THAT coming? Brilliant finish by a hungry runner. 

BYU kid in the men’s steeple absolutely chunks it over the backstretch barrier…we call that a Mondo Sandwich, as Mondo is the rubberized track material. The kid was clearly hungry, given the impact. He burps after his meal, wipes his face with his napkin, then devours the rest of the race with a solid win! Who does that? Buttery smooth Isaac Updike takes third with a monster last lap and jumps onto his first national team. 

Steepler Krissy Gear feeds 94-time national champion Emma Coburn a decisive loss, and this finish isn’t close, either. Wow, the young kids are really stepping up (and are not showing due respect to their elders). 

I duck into the off-limits part of the stadium for a bathroom break..I guess my charm and good looks help me gain access….i turn the corner and am confronted with a person I affectionately call The Ice Queen…

That moniker doesn’t describe her personality as much as her recent avocation. And she still holds a school record or two, several years later. 

I’ve said for years that Long Jump Champ Marquis Dendy has the best smile in the sport. After his big win today, he brings his adorable toddler to the victory stand, and she goes toe to toe in the smile department. 

I love track!