It was in 2003 that then-senior Daniel Nunn led his team to a magical
ride
en route to the CIF-State Division III team title while earning the
individual
race title as well. Dan, who is entering his sophomore year at Georgetown
(and loving every minute of it, he tells us) is always quick to commend
his
high school coach (Steve Boaz, pointing in photo above) as the best
there is.
Day 4 - Thursday
7/28
We happened to run
across the entire Canadian team as they were waiting to be honored at
a parade down by the water. The Eastern boys recognized their friend Mike
Woods and called him over. He was a really entertaining guy. He told us
about an e-mail he recieved from his teammate Andrew Ellerton a few days
before the "Miracle Mile". Evidently Ellerton told Woods that
he would beat Woods in the mile. I was amused at the friendly rivalry,
which was brewing between the two canadian studs.
Later that evening we were
scheduled to take part in the opening ceremony. Everybody seemed to be
excited about this opportunity to walk into the packed stadium without
having that ominous feeling you get when entering the stadium for your
own race. Walking onto the track with the rest of the US team was one
of the most remarkable experiences of my life. Most of the guys were quick
to agree that they felt goosebumps when they entered the stadium. It was
definately an experience I will never forget.
Another reason we were excited
to be out there on the field was because of the "Miracle Mile",
which was scheduled soon after the opening ceremonies. The race took off
and the rabbit immediately took the lead and led them through a 29/58
first quarter. Woods stayed relaxed in the back of the pack until about
800. Goucher had a second gap over the pack at the half, which was led
by Woods and Ellerton. Another lap went by and with about 250 left Woods
made a daring move to gain co ntact with Goucher. I was very impressed
by his bold move, and with 150 he appeared to be capable of overtaking
Goucher for the win. However, Goucher found the extra gear in the final
50 and ran away with it with Woods a second back, finishing in an impressive
time of 3:57. His postrace grin went from ear to ear. When the announcer
proclaimed he had broken the Canadian Junior National Record he let out
a big "WHOOP!" Later that night I saw woods running to the cafeteria.
I gave him a big high five. His mile really pumped me up for my own race.
Dan
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