By Tim Dolan, Lookout Advisor
On Sunday January 21st the boys 4 x 800m relay team of William Protasowicki, Oren Brosgol, Jonny Garraway and Carter Rauch set a new school record of 8 minutes and 19 seconds, passing the old record of 8:32 set in 2018. Because this took place at the state relay competition, they also placed 2nd in the state.
For those who do not often follow track and field, distances are often measured in meters so the rest of the world can play too. An 800 meter relay means that each member runs 800 meters, or two laps around an outdoor track surrounding a football field. This race is particularly difficult because it is roughly half a mile, which sounds like it should be a distance race, but is run like a sprint. The 800 meters (and its ugly step sibling the 1000 meters) are the races with which coaches threaten both their sprinters and distance runners. To run this race well, an athlete must be the perfect blend of the two skill sets—the quick twitch ability of a sprinter and exceptional lungs and heart of a distance runner. Congrats to these boys for taking on the challenge and proving themselves equal to it.
Additionally, the boys team had a strong showing in the 4 x 200 meter relay, a straight sprint distance best known for world class athletes like Usain Bolt. The team of Jonathan Dandrige, Vivek Joseph, Matteo Oliveri Kuhnle and Carter Rauch ran a time of 1:38, coming in 6th in the state.
