Local Runners in the Spotlight
UVa middle distance standout
Henry Wynne became only the fourth runner in school history to break the coveted four minute mile barrier with his 3:58.74 4th place finish at the Boston University Terrier Invite on January 30th. Breaking this historic mark must have been especially sweet for Wynne, as he is from nearby Connecticut so was lucky enough to have his family and former coach on hand to witness the impressive feat. Plus, the third year ran an agonizingly close time of 4:00.28 at the 2015 edition of the same meet, the same one where teammate Mike Marsella ran 3:59.97. Wynne will officially enter the record books as the 350th American sub-4:00 miler, still a very elite group whose membership is desperately sought after each year. As for the UVA record books, the updated version now looks like this...
1. Vince Draddy (1982) 3:58.2h
2. Henry Wynne (2016) 3:58.74
3. Patrick Todd (2011) 3:59.76
4. Mike Marsella (2015) 3:59.97
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Ragged Mountain employee and former UVA standout
Payton Hazzard (class of 2015) kicked off his 2016 Rio campaign with a 21.41 200m clocking at the Boston University Terrier Invite a couple weeks ago. Hazzard, who holds the UVA school record at 400m (45.88), has dual citizenship with the Carribean island nation of Grenada and has a very legitimate shot of representing that country in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. In order to do so, he must first hit the Olympic standard of 45.40 and finish top 3 in the Grenada Trials in June. We will keep you posted on his progress...
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Longtime Crozet resident
Kevin Lounsbury just might be one of the single most dedicated runners to ever lace up pair of shoes in our neck of the woods. As the year closed out, Lounsbury had not missed a single day since the 26th of June...no not since this past June but, unbelievably, since June of 2005 ... as in 2,332 days ago! Now that's a streak. Oh, and his average mileage during that time? An amazing 100 miles/week, which works out to about 15 miles a day!
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James Walsh and the fine folks at Champion Brewery have, over the past several months, been hosting a running club for locals looking to run and socialize. This "run and fun" group meets on a weekly basis and they run routes that start and finish at this popular Belmont establishment. Word has it that they are also planning a fundraiser footrace (maybe an 8K) sometime this year, to honor the memory and work of our beloved community "Running Man". Stay tuned for details...
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