photo by Bill Leung

May 22, 2004, Carson CA, Home Depot Invitational -- High school mile record holder Alan Webb returns to form after 2 "rough" years trying to live up to the celebrity of breaking Jim Ryun's record at 3:53.43 as a senior at South Lakes Reston VA high school.
" I didn’t choose to have that burden [of being a high school star and the “future of the mile”]," Webb told USATF after today's race. "As much as I said I didn’t care what people thought, it’s still there in the back of your mind. It’s made me a strong person, runner and family member.” On getting the “monkey off his back” with the win, Webb said “I always thought it was a gorilla, a gorilla with claws scratching at my face. A monkey is a lot smaller.”
Today's time was a PR for Webb (3 seconds faster than his en route time in the HS record mile), #2 in the world this year, and it met the Olympic A Standard, meaning he can run in the Olympics in August if he is in the top four at the US Olympic Trials at Sacramento next month.
“I knew beforehand that I could run a time like that," Webb said. "I ust didn’t know it would come this early in the season. It’s huge. I felt really good out there. The rabbit did a great job. … It’s been a rough couple of years. It’s been hard to be patient. I was not used to not winning. It was really tough. Today was the day it came together. I can move on now."