Grant Fisher ran 3:59.38 to become the seventh prep in history to crack four minutes for the mile.
Grant Fisher made history on Thursday night, becoming the seventh prep in history to break four minutes for the mile with his 3:59.38 third-place finish in the Professional Men's Mile at the Festival of Miles in St. Louis, Mo.
Fisher is now the third-fastest high schooler miler of all-time - sort of. His time exactly matches the 3:59.38 that Matthew Maton ran just a few weeks ago at the Oregon Twilight. 2015 marks the first time in history that two high school boys have broken four minutes in the mile.
The Grand Blanc, Mich. senior ran mid-pack through the opening laps, splitting 1:02.17 for the first 409 meters while defending champion and Nike Oregon Track Club pro Jordan McNamara went out with pacer Daniel Stockberger in 1:00.52. Stockberger of Team Indiana Elite was prescribed to hit 2:55 for 1200m, but was off pace by halfway as he led McNamara and a charging field through the 800m in 2:00.78.
Fisher ran through the 800m mark in sixth place, just outside of two minutes (2:02.15, 59.98 split), but still looked like one of the most poised runners in the field. By 1000m, Fisher ran in fifth as the last man in the front pack as Tyler Pennel and Aaron Braun led McNamara, Fisher and Jack Bolas. Pennel led the tight group at 1200m, as the bell lap rang at 3:00.15.
Could they close fast enough to make history?
The answer was yes, as Fisher ran not only for history, but for the win, passing runners with decades more experience than him. The 12th-grader passed McNamara, a 3:52 mile talent, and Braun, a 13:20 5k runner, on the backstretch with an eye on race leader Pennel.
McNamara was not done, unleashing a furious kick in the final straightaway to zoom past Fisher and Pennel and defend his title in 3:58.81. Pennel and Fisher held on to their positions, running 3:58.99 and 3:59.38, respectively. Fisher would place third in the professional field and was one of just three in the race to break four minutes.
Final Splits: 1:02.508 / 59.98 / 58.79 / 58.42
"From a coach's perspective, I always look at what we try to do at the end of the race," Fisher's coach, Mike Scannell, said. "When he went to his gear, the first gear we saw change was at 150, which was perfect and he went to another gear at 80 to go and that wasn't there yet. So Coach has a little homework to do to make sure that it comes to him. That's really what we're gearing towards as we go to Juniors."
Grant Fisher placed third in the professional men's mile at the Festival of Miles in St. Louis, Mo.
"It was fun to be in a competitive field and you know, that's what pushed me to get under, I think. It was all due to who I was around," Fisher said after the race to Lincoln Shryack of FloTrack. "A lap to go, I felt good, I was a little bit back, I tried to make a move on the corner and catch two guys there. I ended up getting close, I didn't have the right turnover at that time... I was pushing and obviously, Jordan flew by me but I'm really happy with how things went."
Fisher noted that his race singlet belonged to his father, Dan.
McNamara was impressed with young phenom.
"You don't get to see stuff like that often, it's humbling, honestly. I'm sure it's how the pros felt back when [Alan] Webb was in the race way back in '01 running 3:53," the former Oregon Duck standout said. "I mean, it's to be respected. His future is bright. For anyone to run that kind of time at that age is absolutely phenomenal, I mean, I'm 28 and he's doing it at 18. I tip my hat to him, you just have to respect the ability."
"To have the whole entire track lined with people and to have them yelling and screaming, it definitely gives you a boost, you know, at the end of a race, when you feel like your legs are really heavy and you can't get them to move faster. But the crowd was awesome today and they were super helpful, it was really great."
What's next for the star? Will he try to lower his time further so he does not share the U.S. No. 3 All-Time designation with Maton?
The next race on the calendar is the adidas Dream Mile, part of the adidas Grand Prix in New York City's Icahn Stadium on Saturday, June 13. Unfortunately for track fans, Fisher and Maton will likely not race this spring, as the Summit, Ore. senior suffered from Achilles soreness after his sub-four and has not raced since. He announced on May 28 that he would not race the Dream Mile.
Maton had this to say on social media after the race:
Maton was reportedly on a run during the race and saw the news as soon as he got back.
"I'm laughing so hard right now," he told MileSplit. "It would be too crazy if we were in the same race."
Does the sub-four minute mile become any less elite for high schoolers now that two have broken the barrier in the same season?
"I think maybe it'll make it a little more achievable in some people's minds," Fisher said. "To have two guys do it in one year and it's not like we're head and shoulders above the junior class... I think it's awesome if we open the floodgates. [But] I think just because me and Matthew did that, doesn't make it [less special]."
