Ellerton Blazes Sub-4:00 Mile at Harry Jerome Classic
7/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
BURNABY, British Columbia -- Sophomore Andrew Ellerton (Sudbury, Ontario/Confederation HS) of the University of Michigan men's track and field team recorded the first sub-4:00 mile of his career as the Wolverine blazed a personal-best 3:58.68 en route to a fifth-place finish in the "Miracle Mile" on Thursday (July 1) at the Harry Jerome International Track Classic.
Ellerton was originally scheduled to compete in the 800-meter run, but confusion at the start line caused him to miss the event and bumped him into the meet's premier race -- the "Miracle Mile" -- celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1954 British Empire Games in which Roger Bannister and John Landy each broke the 4:00 barrier in the same race.
With a pair of rabbits taking the 13-man field through the 800-meter mark at a quick 1:55 pace, Ellerton stayed near the front of the pack within striking distance of the leaders, never moving more than two positions in either direction. Coming out of the final bend in the sixth position, the Wolverine was passed by fellow Canadian Ryan McKenzie down the final stretch and claimed fifth, just 0.51 seconds out of third place.
Ellerton will return to the track next weekend (Friday through Sunday, July 9-11) when he will attempt to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team at the Canadian Track and Field Championships and Olympic Trials in Victoria, British Columbia. The 800-meter first round is slated for Saturday (July 11) at 7:15 p.m. PDT.
Michigan Results
Mile Run 1. Daniel Kipchirchir, Kenya 3:54.02 2. Said Ahmed, USA 3:57.33 3. Chris Estwanik, USA 3:58.17 4. Ryan McKenzie, Canada 3:58.52 5. Andrew Ellerton, Canada 3:58.68 6. Jason Cantin, Canada 3:58.84 7. Reid Coolsaet, Canada 4:00.08 8. Adam Davis, USA 4:01.33 9. Kurt Benninger, Canada 4:04.70 10. Jason Woolhouse, New Zealand 4:05.15 Eric Morrison, Canada 4:05.15 12. Jerry Ziak, Canada 4:05.55 13. Trevor O'Brien, Canada 4:07.95 -- Elkanah Angwenyl, Unattached DNF -- Jospeph Mwai, Unattached DNF
Q U O T E S
Sophomore Andrew Ellerton
On the Miracle Mile ... "The weather was just about perfect -- it was a little warm, and there was a bit of a breeze. I just tried to stay as relaxed as possible. I wasn't sure how the race was going to feel, because I haven't really trained or raced anything at this pace in a while; it's been all 800-meter stuff for the most part. I felt really good through 800, but that's to be expected. The last 600 hurt; I didn't have as much pop in my legs as I would have liked in the last 100. I'm pretty happy with 3:58.68, especially considering that it's not really my event. I'll take it."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
