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Tag Archives: state record

Parsons conquers Mile Challenge

10 Sunday Apr 2022

Posted by deshon in Kudos, News, Race Results, Stories

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bray, Delaware, fischer, mile, parsons, state record, Tinman Elite, track and field

The Delaware Mile Challenge was a unique event, to be sure, on the recently renovated track at The Tatnall School. On Saturday evening, April 9, runners of all ages took to the track to challenge the mile distance. Well after dark, the excitement had built to a crescendo, as the elite men and women took to the oval to compete.

photo of a victorious Sam Parsons
A victorious Sam Parsons is all smiles after clocking the first sub-4 mile in Delaware.

“Homefield” advantage theoretically should have meant nothing, as among the field of 13 elite men there were four runners who had already broken the 4-minute-mile barrier at least once. One of those competitors, however, was CRR Sam Parsons (son of CRR George Parsons and CRR Christina Parsons), who grew up in Newark and ran track and cross country for Tatnall during his high school years.

It appeared early on in the men’s elite feature race that Parsons, who trains with Colorado-based Tinman Elite, was ready for the challenge. Through the initial lap, he was in good position in fourth. Moving up, he took over third during the second lap, staying close to a 60-seconds-per-lap pace while battling with three professional runners from Baltimore’s Under Armour club—two in front of him and one right behind him.

By the back stretch of the final lap, Parsons had moved up and positioned himself right behind the race leader, Casey Comber. With just a half lap to go, both were right around 3:30, setting up what would be a frenetic sprint finish.

With the volume increasing to a roar from the hundreds who lined the track to cheer him on, Parsons out-sprinted Comber on the final straightaway and, in doing so, eclipsed the 4-minute mark—the first time this had been done on Delaware soil. Parsons clocked in at 3:58.17; Comber finished just 0.27 seconds behind, also going sub-4. The previous best mile run in Delaware had been run 50 years ago, indoors, at 4:01.1.

photo of Sam Parson addressing the crowd
Sam Parsons addresses the crowd after his historic win.

While not taking a victory lap, Parsons did take the mic to thank the crowd for helping to make The Delaware Mile Challenge such an energy-filled and memorable event. He also thanked his high school coach, Pat Castagno, who is Tatnall’s track-and-field and cross-country coach and whose own coach while at the University of Delaware was Delaware’s legendary CRR Jim Fischer, who presented the master’s mile race during the event.

By winning the elite race, Parsons bagged $2,500 in prize money. By breaking the 4-minute mark, he also walked (or maybe ran?) away with a $500 bonus, making it a very satisfying (and profitable) trip home!

The elite women’s winner, Molly Sughroue, of the Colorado Springs Track Club, ran away with the race, a new in-Delaware women’s record, and the same prize money.

Collectively, Creek Road Runners congratulate one of our own. Way to go, Sam!

Of local note is the fact that CRR Jim Bray, a Newark High School alum, once held the Delaware high school mile record for 28 years before it was broken in 1999.

The world record in the mile is still a mind-boggling 3:43.13, set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

New Delaware outdoor mile record set

25 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by deshon in Race Results, Stories

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bray, Charter School of Wilmington, Harvard, Kieran Tuntivate, mile, parsons, state record, weber

News Journal photo of Kieran Tuntivate4:02:21 is now the official outdoor mile record in Delaware. This mark was set on the track at St. Mark’s High School this past Saturday by recent Harvard grad and Charter School of Wilmington alum Kieran Tuntivate in a special event meant to help eclipse four-minute mile barrier for the first time on Delaware soil. Unfortunately, Tuntivate fell just short of the intended goal.

But Tuntivate wasn’t disappointed. He hopes to catch on with a professional team this fall and step up his training, with an eye toward representing Thailand in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. “It would have meant a lot,” Tuntivate said. “The one thing I’ll say is it’s gonna happen eventually. If it’s me or someone else, it’s fun to be part of the group that’s trying to get it done in Delaware.”

Tuntivate had already two sub-4 miles, including a personal-best 3:57.36 indoors in February and a 3:57.87 outdoors just a week ago, on Aug. 15 in Nashville. He knew he was in shape to do it again, and he knew it had never been done before in Delaware.

Tuntivate has been one of Delaware’s brightest stars on the college running scene lately. photo of Sam ParsonsComing on the heels of a stellar college career and early professional racing success by Newark’s CRR Sam Parsons (read about Sam’s accomplishments), the former Charter School of Wilmington sensation put up some impressive numbers while running for the Harvard Crimson. He was an All-American at Harvard, where he holds school records in the mile, 3,000 and 10,000 meters. He won five Ivy League titles, gaining national attention in 2019 after earning an Ivy 3,000 crown despite running most of the race without his left shoe.

photo of Bruce WeberBased on the aforementioned milestones, former Harvard runner and CRR Bruce Weber calls Tuntivate “the best Harvard distance runner ever.” He added, “I thought Kieran’s results eclipsed [those of] Adam Dixon (’82-83), who won multiple Heps championships in track and made the 1984 Olympic Trials final in the 1,500. [Tuntivate] set the American record in the 1,000 meters, and that time—2:19.8—may be the best record at the school.” Weber should know, as the 1984 grad once held both Harvard’s two-mile and 3,000m records.

photo of Jim BrayThe fastest mile time run in Delaware (4:01.1, by a West Virginia runner) occurred way back in 1971 at an indoor meet at the University of Delaware Fieldhouse. Notably, CRR Jim Bray, who ran for Newark High School, once held the Delaware scholastic mile record for an astonishing 28 years before it was broken in 1999.

The world record in the mile is still a mind-boggling 3:43.13, set by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

> See full story in News Journal (for Delaware Online subscribers)

Five for 5 and Kukich sets new state mark

25 Saturday Mar 2017

Posted by deshon in Kudos, Race Results

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5 miler, deshon, german, kauffman, kukich, state record, weber, weile

Today’s Five & Wine 5 Mile Run in Newark produced five age-group winners among Creek Road Runners and one new state age-group record.

The most notable age-group winner on the day was CRR Diane Kukich (60-69), who took 77 seconds off the old 65-69 state record by posting a time of 39:41. Just last weekend in Virginia Beach, she came in second in the USATF National Masters 8K Championship race in her age group, which earned her a silver medal, and took away an additional silver for her second-place age-grading score of 85.4 in that same race. (Age grades in the 80-89 range are considered “national class.”) There were 69 women in her age group on the course that day.

photo of Andrew Weberphoto of Dan WeileAmong the other age-group winners were CRR Andrew Weber (30-39), who finished second overall to national-class runner Steve Sinko in 30:06; CRR Dan Weile (40-49), who placed 9th overall in 34:25; CRR Mark Deshon (60-69), who finished 11th overall in 34:47 while competing in his first race in this age group; and photo of Mark Deshonphoto of Theresa CannonCRR Theresa Kauffman (50-59), who ran 43:54.

The only other podium finisher among the group was CRR Ryan German, who posted a 35:06 while finishing 3rd in the 30-39 age group.

Note: Unlike most CRR postings, these are all chip times, because gun times were not made available.

Creek Road Runners is an informal association of runners/joggers who frequent the only quiet scenic road out of Newark, Delaware.

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You’re a real runner if…

acronyms like PR and DNF are verbs.

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you use your bib numbers to wallpaper your garage.

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