Valor Christian Senior Uses Pacing Help To Run Sub-8:50 At 5,300 Feet Elevation

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Cole Sprout showed that the elite members of the high school Class of 2020 aren't going to sit idly by and let the clock run out completely on their track seasons. 

The senior standout from Colorado's Valor Christian High ran a hand-timed 8:49 for 3,200 meters Wednesday with the help of pacers Patrick Dever and Jackson Schwartz from the University of Tulsa. 

Sprout's time trial, run at 5,300 feet elevation on the track at Niwot High School, converts to the 8:34-35 range at sea level due to the reduction in oxygen. That's an historic effort for high school distance running. 

The only runners with official performances under 8:40 on the all-time 2-mile list are Lukas Verzbicas (8:29.46), German Fernandez (8:34.40) and Jeff Nelson (8:36.3). Two miles is about 18 meters longer than 3,200 meters.

"The way the pacing was set up, (sub-8:50) was the goal," Sprout said. "I really didn't know if I was capable of doing it but I thought I could be somewhere around 8:50."

Sprout became the first Colorado prep distance runner to break nine minutes within the high-altitude state's borders for the eight-lap race in 2019 when he ran 8:57. 

Sprout previously ran a time trial 1,600 in 4:07 with the same pacers earlier in April. 

The first half of Wednesday night's race went through in 4:29 and then sped up to about 4:19 for the second.

"The (Tulsa) guys made it part of their workout," Sprout said. "One of them took it for 2K and the other one for a K or so. It was pretty seamless. Ideally, I would probably have had it a little more even. I think I could have gone a few seconds faster, even. I felt really comfortable until the last two laps or so, so that's a good sign. I'd rather finish a time trial and feel like I can improve."

Sprout revealed that he has been in discussion with several other top prep runners in the West – Leo Daschbach, Matt Strangio, Cruz Culpepper, E.J. Holland and Nathan Green – about getting together and racing a mile May 23.

All of those runners live in states that have canceled the spring sports season due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders are still in place, but some parts of the country are slowly beginning to open back up.

Details are still being ironed out, Sprout said.

"I'd like to try to get down to sea level and run a time trial there," he said.