We have a fresh addition to Team Wednesday! There’s a new kid on the block … and I do mean KID. Mostly Fleet Feet-sponsored Team Wednesday is known around town as John Hinton’s training group, but over the last few months it has seen some curious changes. The regulars are John, Jason, and Dave … with Jim joining in between marathons and ultra races (mostly for warm-ups and cool downs b/c he prefers “cruise miles” on his track days). A superfast physician, former Ivy League track-man, Rob, runs with the gang when his wife lets him [oooh, I can't believe I just typed that sentence - we all know that's not fair to say. I guess I "let" Dave run every Wednesday, because he is the relay-er of work-outs when I can't make it]; and, of course, there’s Alex, whom I wrote about earlier.
The group has a pretty nice mix of different ages and ability levels with the common denominator being a genuine love of running. Of course, I wish there were some women out there on Wednesday – but its hard to find serious post-collegiate female runners these days (why is that?). Most women run for “fitness” and friendship, eschewing the intense training required to run fast or finish high up in races. I once formed an all-women’s elite training group in Chapel Hill … but it only lasted for a year. The group included:
myself
two-time Olympic Trials marathon qualifier, Betsy Kempter
NCAA 3,000m champion and world XC member, Nnenna Lynch
former Villanova standout and relay Olympian (from Antigua), Kim Certain
future superstar and UNC All-American, Blake Phillips (now Russell)
and a few gals who came and went … i.e. one NC State grad. who showed up for one week then never returned because (I heard she said), “It’s too hard.”
Sadly, we all went our separate ways after one year, but I am proud that I even attempted to create a training group of women coached by a woman.
So, back to the present day and the fresh face at the track on Wednesday nights.
His name is Taylor Gilland. 9th grader. Intense. Fearless. Voracious appetite for pain and glory. Genius student of the sport. Wise, old soul … and so much more. Watching him run with wild limbs circling and churning, neck pushed too-forward like a racehorse stretching for the finish, makes me think of Plato’s line, “Of all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable.” One would be a fool to try to change this kid’s form – all the extraneous motion will smooth out on its own as he seeks ever more efficient ways to shave another second off his time. Nothing’s going to hold this kid back. Nothing. Remember his name. Taylor Gilland.
Check out his finish, as a high school FRESHMAN, at the Stanford Invite last week-end:
boys 3000 Meter Run :
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Name Year School Finals
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1 Ben Sitler SR St. Frncis-MV 8:33.42
2 Marcos Corona JR Willow Glen 8:37.20
3 Elliott Heath JR Winona 8:37.74
4 Dan Geib SR Galena 8:38.54
5 Jake Matthews SR Folsom 8:39.22
6 Marlon Patterson SR Franklin 8:41.12
7 Ryan Lewis SR Ygnacio Vly 8:42.91
8 Chris Vizcaino SR Campolindo 8:45.43
9 Brendan Gregg JR Davis Senior 8:45.81
10 Brad Doering JR Yuba City 8:46.21
11 Albert Davila JR Upland 8:46.72
12 Robbie Knorr JR Valley Chstn 8:50.91
13 Dylan Coleman SR Summit 8:51.68
14 Mohamed Abdalla SO Willow Glen 8:53.17
15 Matthew Petrillo JR Los Gatos 8:54.12
16 Taylor Gilland FR East Chapel 9:00.03
17 Ivan Alfaro SR North Monter 9:00.66
18 Nick Alvarado SR St. Ignatius 9:00.77
19 Phil McKennan JR Jesuit 9:01.70
20 Patrick Lynch JR Davis Senior 9:02.03
21 Andy Burich JR Los Gatos 9:05.52
22 Alex Mansoor JR Oak Ridge 9:06.89
23 Jayson Hayes SR Edison-Hunti 9:07.22
24 Kevin Schneider SR Fremont 9:07.44
25 Francis Reynolds SR Palo Alto 9:08.32
26 Brian Chow SO Granada 9:10.35
27 Rigo Vasquez JR San Benito 9:10.40
28 Alec Nickolls JR Los Altos 9:11.24
29 Doug Whichard JR Granada 9:12.18
30 Josh Ruff JR Oak Ridge 9:12.90
31 Scott Donahue JR Jesuit 9:13.41
32 Scott Himmelberger SR Palo Alto 9:16.89
33 Andy Dryden SO Mullen 9:16.98
34 Max Fernandez JR Edison-Hunti 9:17.97
35 Scott Halliday SR Davis Senior 9:18.56
36 Gary Stroup SR Rancho Verde 9:20.06
37 Royce Hyland SR Boise 9:21.06
38 Cooper Meacham JR Edison-Hunti 9:21.97
39 Joe Johnstone SR Burlingame 9:27.55
40 Alex Yonas SR Logan 9:34.02
It should also be pointed out that Taylor was sick the week before – he had to go to the hospital and get an IV it was so bad. What a tough kid. He was the only freshman in the bunch, apparently.
[...] Last night I witnessed several former CC Pacers blow the roof off the stadium with their performances in the mile and two-mile at a 4-school county meet. In the girls’ mile, elder states(wo)man, Becky Johnson, cruised to a 5:11 mile (then went on to nail a solo 11:21 2-mile), while freshman Christina Witcher flew to a 12-second PR of 5:24. In the boys’ two-mile, another freshman – Taylor Gilland – attacked from the gun (65 seconds for his opening 400), and gutted his way to a 9:35, sending notice to all upperclassmen that he’s the heir apparent to Jack Bolis’ distance crown. [...]