SPORTS
Falcon seeks record
in two-mile at meet
By Ashley Conklin
t me,i d Spoils Edilor ' .
|oe falcon is mi ordinary distainc runner, ami in Friday's
I’retonlaine ( lassie at Hayward I ielil I-alt On will attempt In set a
world rri on I m a very uinisiial distanc e I he two nil le run
l ah on w ill he attempting to break the H t t 45 e 1m kim; set by
Saul Aoutla ot Moron o ill l'llC and the American ..rd nl
8:17.12 set by Martv l iepinri in 19 7 5
Alter finishing third in I lie Athlete s Congress I am metei run
,it last weekend's national championships. I ah on believes lie s
ready lor a re< ord setting run
"It tits into my si lieilule pretty yy ell. I ah on said rvhen he yy as
in f.ugene two weeks ago People are always m the 1 am and
mile going for a world record It's really never been tried at two
miles so I thought I would at least give it a try
I all on agreed to make an attempt at a tyyo mile yvorld re, ord
when meet ilirei tin Tom Iordan guaranteed I all on lie ( otild set up
a rabbit to take out a fast pai e to help push l ah on
Along yy ith a rabbit. yy ho is supposed to take the first mile out m
4 ():">. I ah on will have plenty ol other i hallengers in the rai e \|so
in the rat e are Doug I'add hi. the American indoor record holder at
tyyo miles and Montana State's Shannon Midler, the NCAA , tllltl
meter ( h,imp and tin' TA( ! 10.1100 w inner
I ahull does have some experience running the distance that is
hardly ever run outdoors, having run several two miles in NCAA
indoor meets and one outdoors as a freshman at Arkansas in pint,
falcon also has experience’ running m the Prefontaine Classii
hast year, he set a meet rec ord in the a.000 w 11h a then world dead
ing II 20,40 that earned him a $5,1)00 i ash bonus
I he chance to run m the Prelontaine hlassii and in front ot the
Hayward f ield Ians was a big reason falcon dei ided to return tor
this year's meet
"I like running in Kugene at Hayward Field,' falcon said I
won the N’t A A (1,500 m l‘IHH| here and then being at the
Prefontaine (llassir , I got a i hani e to see the great crowds here
"Phis is ( ertainly the plai e to go lor a re< ord.'' lie said
lew rei ords ol any kind have been set in Ameru an distam e run
mug in the last few years, and many consider falcon the last hope
for saving America in those events
Falcon can certainly deliver, pist like the man the meet was
named lor, the late Steve Prefontaine
In 1990. Falcon was the top ranked American in both tin* 1.500
and 5.000 meters and was ranked third in the yvorld in the 1 500
He also won the prestigious Dream Mile ■ 11 last year's Bislelt
(lames in (Kin
At only 24 he yvill turn 25 two days after the Prefontaine ( las
su Falron yvill likely he carrying the torch for American dis
tain e running lor several years, but it’s a burden he welcomes
"There's not as inui li pressure as one might think when you're
having suer ess he said "plus there's some oilier good younger
runners out there Hut it’s a responsibility we have to be willing to
at ( ept
Falcon's biggest problem might be trying to figure out rebut his
best distance really is He currently is a better I 500 mile runnel
on the international level, but many experts heliere the > 000 is
Ins best race as demonstrated in last year's Prelontaine Classic
['he 5 000 might prove to he Ins best event later in Ins c areei but
tor the time being Fair on sees the 1 400 and mile as his best
events
"I'm ,i firm believer that you shouldn't move up and change
events until you've exhausted all of your potential at the other
event." he said I believe that I can run a i 44 mile sometime in
the next three years
Hec arise he has planned Ins year around running the 1 >00 in the
World (.harnpionships in Tokyo in August, Finlay s Irvo mile
event w ill he one of the lerv r.u es I air on w ill run this summer
He | da ns on running at the New York (.antes in Inly and t w i< e in
fill rope in August before heading to the World (ihampionships
falcon admits that he's sacrific ing large cash bonuses by not
running often in Furope. hut that doesn't bother him
"When my cone h and I sat doyvn and planned the season y%e did
so with the WDrld Championships in mind," falcon said "The
main focus is to get a medal there’
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Photo by |*M Pa«l«t
lor I .ill on u ill hi' shiMitimi tin «* uni Id m onI in the two nnlr run t nd.n .it the l*i etont.une <
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