Werner, a Ste. Genevieve High graduate and Arkansas All-American representing PUMA, is scheduled to compete at event at St. Louis University for first time since 2015, with women’s pro mile returning after more than a decade absence; Willis headlines men's mile, looking to add to 35 sub-4 efforts in meet history

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Few runners competing Thursday at the HOKA Festival of Miles have been as connected to the event throughout their career as Taylor Werner, a graduate of Ste. Genevieve High in Missouri and six-time All-American at the University of Arkansas, now a first-year professional athlete representing PUMA and training in North Carolina.

Werner, 23, will be part of the Drury Women’s Mile, a returning feature for the meet for the first time since 2010 after showcasing a professional 800-meter race from 2011-19 for female athletes at St. Louis University High. It will be her first appearance at the Festival of Miles since competing in the girls high school mile race in 2015.

The meet, which is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Central time with junior high mile races, will be shown Thursday on a free Webcast on RunnerSpace.com. On-demand videos will be also be available free, courtesy of RunnerSpace.com.

WATCH FREE LIVE WEBCAST OF HOKA FESTIVAL OF MILES ON RUNNERSPACE.COM

“It means the world to me. I won’t lie here, but racing as a pro has been challenging for me. The confidence I have in myself took a bit of a hit, and I’ve spent a while trying to figure out how to get that back,” said Werner, who placed fifth Saturday in the 5,000 meters in 15:27.43 at the Platinum PT Qualifier in Massachusetts.

“So the fact that I get to come to FOM again means a lot. It’s where this whole thing started. It was one of the first races where I thought, ‘Whoa, I could be really good at this thing.’”

Werner still remembers her first appearance at the Festival of Miles in 2012, receiving a special invitation to compete in the girls high school mile race as an eighth-grader and running 5:00.52 to place second.

A year later, she was part of one of the strongest prep girls fields in event history, running 4:49.32 to take third behind Stephanie Jenks of Linn-Mar High in Iowa (4:47.43) and Hannah Long of Eureka High in Missouri (4:48.53), as the entire trio ran faster than the previous meet record.

“I’ve gone back and figured out why I’m here in the first place (being a pro),” Werner said. “And that same fire and competitiveness I have now is what I had as a kid. The same kid that would try and race the boys at recess, break the elementary mile, and got a last-minute invite to Festival of Miles her eighth grade year. It’s that simple, really.”

Werner, who boasts a personal-best 4:13.53 in the outdoor 1,500 meters and has run 4:39.52 in the indoor mile in college, will compete against Brooks standout Amanda Eccleston and HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite athlete Lauren Paquette, along with and Garden State Track Club’s Emily Rosario.

Also scheduled to race are Wisconsin’s Victoria Heiligenthal, Illinois’ Mikaela Lucki and Alexandra Lucki of Toronto West Athletics.

“Suddenly, I have this new fire and confidence in myself now, and how special is it that I get to test it out where it seemingly all began? Pretty special to me,” Werner said. “It’s truly a reminder to just be who I’ve always been. I remember being in high school and seeing the elite athletes and thinking, ‘Wow, these are superhumans.’ I remember dreaming about how that could be me one day. It’s funny looking in the mirror and realizing I’m one of those elite athletes now.

“I’m thrilled that this has the potential to be a breakout race for me. Not putting any pressure on it, of course, but I know inside that I have what it takes to be great. And it’ll be a great reminder that I’ve always had it. So excited to be racing there again.”

There will also be plenty of excitement surrounding the St. Louis Track Club Men’s Mile, with a strong lineup looking to add to the total of 35 sub-4 mile efforts in meet history.

Amos Bartelsmeyer, the 2019 winner in 3:58.18, along with runner-up Josef Tessema (3:58.66) added their names to the list two years ago. Jordan McNamara, a four-time Festival of Miles champion, holds the meet record of 3:54.27 from 2014.

Nick Willis, 38, a three-time Olympian from New Zealand who has run a sub-4 mile for a record 19 consecutive years, is scheduled to compete Thursday representing Tracksmith.

Scott Smith, 34, competing for HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite with a personal-best 4:01.93 from the 2013 Festival of Miles, is looking to achieve his first sub-4 performance.

Darius Terry of the HOKA ONE ONE Aggies is also entered, along with Jon Davis of Illinois, Australian competitor Jack Anstey of Illinois State, former Providence standout Julian Oakley of New Zealand, Brett Meyer of Fort Hays State, Cameron Field of Tulsa, Adam Moore of Wichita State, Jonathan Specht of Western Colorado and Kansas graduate Bryce Richards, who won his 1,500-meter section Saturday at the Portland Track Festival in a personal-best 3:40.67.

Miles Ally of Martin Luther King High in Tennessee, a North Carolina State signee, leads all entries in the Big River Running High School Boys Mile Championship with a 1,600 time of 4:09.48.

Damian Hackett, a Cornell commit competing for St. Albans School for Boys in Washington D.C., has run 4:11.89 for the full mile.

Noah Ward of Philip Simmons in South Carolina, a Harvard commit, boasts a 1,600 personal best of 4:11.16, with Aiden Britt of Lebanon High in Tennessee – signed with Ole Miss – having run 4:11.40 in the 1,600 and junior Ethan Lee of Liberty North High in Missouri clocking 4:12.85 in the full mile.

There are five entries in the Big River Running High School Girls Mile Championship that have eclipsed the 5-minute barrier, led by junior Lauren Pansegrau of Middleton High in Wisconsin, who has a 1,600 personal best of 4:55.93.

Junior Mya Trober of Blue Springs South High in Missouri, who has run 4:58.18 for the full mile, is entered, along with Alabama signee Macy Schelp of Lutheran South, who has a personal-best 4:58.74 in the 1,600.

Kansas athletes Anjali Hocker-Singh of Olathe North, a freshman who has run 4:58.94 in the 1,600, and senior Riley Beach of Blue Valley Northwest and her 4:58.53 personal best are also entered.

Aniey Akok, a senior at Ames High in Iowa, leads all qualifiers in the high school boys 800 meters at 1:52.95.

Makayla Clark, a junior at Lees Summit West in Missouri, is the top entry in the girls high school 800 at 2:11.59.