Georgia distance runner Ryan Olree got stopped and was offered congratulations while on a recent run through campus.
Even away from the track and distance running world, the average person typically knows the significance of a sub-four-minute mile. It’s a barrier Olree and teammate Matias Reynaga broke May 1, opening the Torrin Lawrence Memorial track meet at Georgia by making school history.
“I had the dream for probably as long as I’ve been in the sport,” Olree said. “I think it’s something that every young kid who starts distance running, it’s like that kind of distance that everybody knows. And it’s kind of like this, a sub-four mile is that, it’s that time and distance that everybody’s kind of put on a gold plate.”
Reynaga finished first in 3:59.28 and Olree was second in 3:59.74, making them the first Bulldogs runners to complete a mile in under four minutes. Three other Georgia runners got close, and all set personal bests: Will Aitken (4:01.70, sixth place), Oliver Smart (4:01.79, seventh place) and Conner Rutherford (4:03.84, ninth place).
Reynaga and Olree had nearly accomplished the feat at the USC Invite at South Carolina in February, with Reynaga setting a school record with 4:00.24 and Olree finishing in 4:01.59.
“When you grow up, even when you first start running, that’s still the number, and that’s going to be the bar that’s going to be in your own mind too, you know what I mean?” Georgia distance coach Adam Tribble said. “... You could basically run up 1500 (meters), which is about the same thing, you could set the world record, and that’s not going to mean nearly as much to Tom, Dick or Harry… And so, I think it’s just one of those benchmarks that, even if it’s been booked by a lot of people now, it still means a lot to do it.”
Reynaga and Olree don’t typically run the mile, instead competing in longer distance races.
So why go for a mile?
There was a training aspect involved, according to Olree, to get in some speed work and get a boost from running a shorter distance. But if they were going to do that, especially in front of a home crowd at the UGA Track and Field Complex, why not aim to do something special?
“I think from there it was, OK, I mean, we’re gonna run this quick, so why don’t we set it up for the ability to go sub-four, hit a kind of historical mark, and do something super cool, especially with it being on the on the home track,” Olree said.
Said Tribble: “That’s one of the things that makes it even better, is that they’re kind of dropping way down outside of their comfort zone. ... But then they had already gotten their marks in other events. ... I mean, more than any other event, in all of track and field, people know four minutes for the mile, and so that’s why, seemed like it’d be a nice thing to be able to, hopefully they can do it, to share it with a lot of people.”
The home crowd and his teammates cheering made it even an even better experience for Reynaga.
“I think it was kind of like meant to be, not to break it before (during the indoor season), at that time, because now it was (on) our track and our home meet, and I think it was much more special to do it here,” Reynaga said. “And to be honest, like, it felt great.
“… They were like, from the very beginning to the end, screaming and cheering, especially the last 100 meters, when I was like, fighting for the position, for the first place, they were all cheering... And that was like a boost for me.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
