by Rich Gonzalez
editor, DyeStatCal

So you think Kenny Cormier's rags-to-riches story of 2004 can't be topped? Well, guess again. Ross Toole's ascent while overseas has been even more mind-boggling.

Think Aislinn Ryan's reign as top distance runner runner in the nation is a done deal? If Nicole Blood or others have their way, she might not even be #1 in the state by weekend's completion.

Welcome to the Boston Indoor Games, where meet organizers have assembled a spectacular crew of teen multi-lappers in an intercontinental showdown for distance supremacy as part of the featured Junior Invitational Miles.

The girls are the first of these two challenges taking to the track, with the scheduled 12-runner female field set to begin at 6:32 p.m. (EST). The 12-person boys' race is slated for a 6:50 p.m. sound of the gun, with both heats situated in the heart of a 15-event card comprised of predominantly elite professionals.

As far as the Junior Invitational Miles go, the only thing better than the talent pools are the storylines. We'll start with a quick scan of the boys' race:

Kenny Cormier lived a dream peak to his senior cross-country season last month, with the home-schooled talent going from a virtual unknown outside of his home state, to a national champion just weeks later. In 2003, Cormier placed 79th at the FootLocker West Regionals. Twelve months later, he confidently returned and scorched the exact same course in winning the region, prompting naysayers to term it a fluke triumph. Seven days later, the 19-year-old Cormier left no doubt in bolting past slight pre-race favorite Andrew Bumbalough of Tennessee to win the national crown on a day when all the top harriers were accounted for.

"He ran indoors for the first time and did it at altitude and still ran a lifetime PR a few seconds better than outdoors," said Cormier's coach, Steve Lurie. "Kenny's in pretty good shape and ready to run fast... we just need a tough challenge."

Enter Ross Toole, an amazing subject of improvement in his own rite in his homeland of Great Britain. Toole ran a reported seasonal-best 4:11.2 in the 2003 Scottish U-17 Championships Final across 1500 meters, roughly the equivalent to a 4:28 mile. Last year, however, Toole came back to rock the European competition while posting a shocking 3:47.3 performance in Stretford, capping a near 24-second progression into global elite youth status in a span of 12 months, identifying him as the fastest 17-year-old (at the time) in the United Kingdom.

Mark Mitchell, another talented foreigner in the field, set the Scottish national 800m record for 16-years-olds last year when he ripped a 1:50.90 at the year-end meeting. Canadian Ryan Finn has been unreachable and his credentials have been hardest to validate, leaving him at the very least as a dangerous wildcard in the field. Laef Barnes of the famed Spokane Mead (WA) program is the fastest American in the field in terms of previous best times, having run a 4:09.14 mile in a winning effort last spring before enduring a stress fracture. New York's Dan McManamon has the nation's fastest indoor time of this season, rolling to a 4:14.28 victory two weeks ago, although a recent report surfaced that a nagging IT band problem might sideline him from the race.

Although the public won't be satisfied with anything less than a stellar time, it's all about who WINS the race when the chips are down and the talent is there. Cormier has been there, done that.

The girls' race should be a thriller in its own right, with the national cross-country champion Aislinn Ryan (Warwick Valley HS) first winning the Great American Cross-Country Festival blockbuster in the early going, then closing out her season strongly with the surprise title at FootLocker Nationals in San Diego.

Fellow New Yorker Nicole Blood had the egde over Ryan for much of the season within state lines, but Ryan won both the travel meets. Will the trend continue here? It should be noted that Ryan showed very impressive strength characteristics in both of her out-of-state decisions against Blood on cross-country, and indoor track (even on the Mondo 200-meter banked surface found at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston this weekend) is more a strength test than on the conventional 400-meter outdoor oval.
That said, Blood's racing style is often to bolt at the gun and try and lure her rivals out of their race plan. Blood also has the advantage of having a few teammates in the race, which lends to only a few tactical options (unlikely) should the race tilt that way. Lindsay Ferguson and Caitlin Lane are fellow Saratoga Springs HS entries in the field, and Bay Shore NY's Mary Liz McCurdy, who just ran the fastest mile of the season (4:52.87) last Saturday at the New Balance Games, makes the New York contingent even stronger. Age-group middle-distance phenom Devon Williams of Maryland (Towson Catholic HS) has recently been added to the field, replacing popular Washington-based star Brie Felngale, who has scratched.

California's Natasha LaBeaud, an all-state cross-country selection for Folsom High in Division I, is making the longest trek of any of the female competitors, logging close to 3,000 miles on the transcontinental flight.