There he was, sitting in perfect position on the shoulder of the leader with 100 meters to go in the deepest H.S. mile race in history. At that moment Mansfield senior Josh Lampron looked poised to win the Boys dream mile at the Adidas Grand Prix Meet. But on this day, the honor would go to another. As Lampron later described it, he "rigged up" in that final straight and wasn't able to accelerate, hanging on for third in a personal best 4:02.98.
That Lampron, the defending national champion, would be in position to win against such a talented field was no surprise. Earlier this season, he ran 3:45.74 for 1500, the fastest high school 1500 in the nation this year and one of the top 20 times in history. In the three weeks prior to the Adidas meet, Lampron had doubled three times in the 800/mile, first at the Hockomock league meet (1:53.89/4:23.98), then at the EMass Div. II Championships (1:52.03/4:09.59), and finally at the Mass. State Championships (1:51.99/4:07.88).
It was, perhaps, that effort at the State Championships that dulled his kick at the Adidas meet. Originally scheduled for Saturday, June 2nd, the meet was twice postponed and finally held on Tuesday, June 5th. Lampron was pushed hard in both his races. In the 800, he had to overcome a challenge from three-time state 600 champ Andre Rolim (1:53.38). His effort in the 800 broke a state meet record that had stood for 37 years. In the mile, Lampron faced what was arguably the deepest field in Mass. state meet history (eight runners under 4:20), and in particular, Marshfield's Joel Hubbard, who ran 4:09.27 and posed the toughest challenge. After that double, he had only three days to recover for the Adidas meet... but he also had the satisfaction that he had helped his team win another State Championship.
But for all the achievements, state championships, and national reputation, it seems to me that Josh Lampron has been a "quiet" talent. Unlike other Massachusetts mid-distance greats (Riley, Powell, Gras, Barnicle, Amirault, e.g.), Lampron was never dominant in cross country. He didn't run in the state XC meet as a sophomore, finished eighth as a junior, and didn't run as senior due to injury. In track, he was a relative late bloomer. As a sophomore, he made the state meet in the 800m, but finished 18th in 1:59.69. If there was anyone who foresaw that one year later he would win a national title in the mile, I'd like to know who that was.
And now Lampron has one meet left in his high school career -- outdoor nationalsUSATF juniors, where he has to be considered one of the favorites in the 1500m. With a few more days rest, I hope he hits that last straightaway with legs ready to kick for the win. Should he get it, it will be a remarkable achievement for someone who didn't really emerge until his junior year.
Josh, we hardly knew ye.
3 comments:
I think Josh is running USATF Juniors next weekend and not NBON. The Dream mile certainly showed the great depth in US HS tright now in the mid d.
Good to see th eblog back. Hope it continues.
Thanks, Mike. I think you're right, and I've made the correction.
"If there was anyone who foresaw that one year later he would win a national title in the mile, I'd like to know who that was."
Well before Lampron was good, I was convinced he'd be the best Massachusetts high school runner ever at 800m/mile and the best in the country. I knew he had good speed - he ran a 1:59 or 2:00 800m split as a freshman in his first season - but because of his fluidity and strength, before he was even "good", I thought he could approach a sub 4:00 in high school.
- Tom
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