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DyeStat 2001 Indoor
New Balance Games
Alan Webb's pursuit
of magic 4-minute mile
by John Dye
NEW YORK -- Alan Webb has been stalking the magic 4-minute mile for a while now. The dream changed to a serious goal when he broke the legendary Jim Ryun's record for a high school sophomore on June 12, 1999 at Raleigh in the Foot Locker Outdoor championships. Webb ran 4:06.94 while running second to Brendan Mahoney (a senior).
The last sub-4:00 mile by a high school runner took place in 1967 (Marty Liquouri 3:59.8). Before that there was Tim Danielson 3:59.4 in 1966 and Jim Ryun five times in 1964-65, with Ryun's 3:55.3 in 1965 the high school record. It seemed it would happen every year. But it is now going on 34 years without another sub-4:00 mile by a prep.
Webb got sub-4:00 on the clock at the Penn Relays on April 28, 2000 with his 3:59.9 1600 meter anchor split in the distance medley. But that is a running start, it is 9 yards short of a mile, and he finished second. Webb brought a crowd of 36,000 to its feet screaming as he started 8 seconds behind St. Malachy's (Ireland) anchor Conor Sweeney and closed the gap to 1 second at the end.
Below: Webb 3:59.9 1600 meter anchor split in DMR
at Penn Relays April 28, 2000. Webb closed all but one second of an
8-second gap at the start of the anchor leg behind Conor Sweeney of St.
Malachy's of Ireland. Adjusted for a running start and the 9
yards difference in distance, Webb's effort was probably equivalent
to about a 4:02-4:03 mile.
Webb first openly aimed for a 4-minute mile on May 20, 2000 at Charlotte in the Herbster Classic. A top field was assembled to give Webb the competition he needed for the try: Ricky Brookshire, Brian McGovern, Bobby Lockhart, Sean and John Jefferson, Stephen Haas. Webb won decisively in 4:03.33, but was not pushed all out, with Brookshire second at 4:08.41 and Lockhart third at 4:10.32.
Below: Webb 4:03.33 at Charlotte, Herbster Classic,
5/20/00
Webb was then invited to run against elite men in the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene OR last June, but he ended his season prematurely after sub-par runs in the Virginia state meet showed he has running hurt.
The Prefontaine baton was tossed to Donald Sage of Illinois, who very nearly beat Webb to the punch of ending the sub-4:00 drought. Sage ran 9th and crossed the finish line in 4:00.29. It was the fastest high school mile since Liquouri and the 8th fastest ever (4th fastest individual).
But the prize carried over to another year and Webb got it after all at the New Balance Games January 20, 2001:
3:59.86
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