By Mr. Dolan, Lookout Advisor
The Bedford High School girls 4 x 400m relay team record of 4 minutes and 17 seconds had stood since 1991, a time when none of the current students (and only some of the current teachers) were even alive. Then came Grace Niu, Farrah Scott, Anna Massaro, and Zadie Buckley. Wednesday January 17, this girls 4 x 400m relay team broke the school record. Then on Wednesday the 24th, they broke it again with a new record time of 4 minutes and 13 seconds. This time they qualified for nationals, where they will likely run against a bevy of Division 1 scholarship athletes, some of whom might even show up at Olympic trials. For those who do not follow track and field, 400m is one lap around an outdoor track surrounding the football field. A relay race involves four runners who usually each run the same distance, handing off a baton to the next runner. The time of all team members is totaled.
The 4 x 400m record isn’t the only one to fall. Three of the four legs of the above relay—Grace Niu, Anna Massaro, and Zadie Buckley—were joined by Addi Poulter to break the 4 x 800m school record on Sunday January 21st. This group ran it in 9:56, passing the previous record of 10:03 set in 2015. It is well known that the 800m is a race run exclusively by crazy people who lack a normal pain tolerance. If you don’t believe me, try it sometime. Get out on the track and sprint two laps.
If you see any of these girls around the school, be sure to congratulate them, but be careful of challenging them to a race.
