Kyle Merber, Colby Alexander, Falmouth Mile, August 2016, photo by Photorun.net
Doug Binder is one of the finest writers in our sport. Prolific, and thoughtful, Doug wrote this piece about the upcoming battle at the Armory Track Center on Friday, February 17, 2017. Per meet director Ray Flynn's text, "six teams will line up for the World Record attempt at 7:45 PM on Friday". I have posted the story below (here's link to original story: http://artie-o-connor-college-
invitational.runnerspace.com/
eprofile.php?event_id=12173&
do=news&news_id=459133
Ray Flynn should understand the attempt, as his team owns the WR outdoors for the 4 x mile, with some of the titans of Irish running (Ray Flynn, Marcus O'Sullivan, Frank O'Meara and Eammon Coglan ran 15:49.08).
The team from HOKA ONE ONE NJNYTC is Donn Cabral, Ford Palmer, Kyle Merber and Colby Alexander!
Read more: Artie O'Connor College Invitational - News - HOKA NJNY TC Team Ready To Go After Record in the 4xMile at 2017 Artie O'Connor Invitational
To read the complete article, just go below.
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HOKA NJNY TC quartet ready to go after 4xMile WR
By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor
As the New Jersey-New York Track Club reconvened last fall and picked up a sponsorship deal with HOKA ONE ONE, a plan was hatched to go after the world record in the indoor 4xmile relay.
And one of the people suggesting it was agent Ray Flynn, who just so happens to be part of the existing outdoor world record in that event from 1985 in Ireland.
At the inaugural Artie O'Connor College Invitational at The Armory, the NJNYTC's lineup of Donn Cabral, Ford Palmer, Kyle Merber and Colby Alexander will try to rip apart the indoor record of 16 minutes, 16.67 seconds set by the New York Athletic Club in 1993 and drive it under 16 minutes.
The race is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. EST Friday. LIVE WEBCAST INFO
"We're very confident, with what Kyle and Colby ran at the Wanamaker Mile (on Saturday) was awesome," Palmer said. "As a credibility issue, we want to get it under 16 (minutes). Our best times altogether say 15:45. If we don't get under 16, it will be a disappointment."
All four members of the team, at practice Tuesday in The Armory, said they are ready to drive the record down to a sub-four average per leg.
At the 110th NYRR Millrose Games, Merber finished third Saturday in the Wanamaker Mile, running 3:54.67. Alexander was fifth in 3:55.99.
The 4xMile is not often run at the elite level, but the idea of going for the record was a way to generate some excitement.
"It's a fun thing to do during indoors, keep the motivation up and the training fun," Merber said.
Alexander, it appears, will handle the anchor duties. Merber said that is because Alexander runs well in the front and can push for long stretches by himself.
Alexander joked that he wants the baton at the end so that he can be the one starring in Instagram photos when he crosses the finish line.
"It's a really good opportunity to break a world record," he said. "You don't get to try that too often."
Forget about breaking a world record, the last time Donn Cabral was part of a relay race was at the 2012 Penn Relays. Cabral anchored Princeton to wins in the distance medley and 4xmile relays.
"After those races, I thought I might never get (into) a relay again," he said. "Now I'm back in my first one in five years and it's a world record attempt."
Cabral, a U.S. Olympian in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, is a new addition to the NJNYTC and is coming off a disappointing 2-mile at Millrose.
"I'm coming off a frustrating race for me, so there is some redemption (at stake)," he said. "I know I'm in good shape. I have run 3:56 in the mile. I think if I have to go out and run by myself, I can run high 3:50s or four flat."
There will be additional teams in the race, although those details are not yet final. Regardless, the four members of the relay say they will be racing the clock and feeling responsibility to one another.
"There's something about running by yourself that's difficult," Cabral said. "But there's something about running by yourself when you know teammates are relying on you that makes it so much easier. I know when I step off the track that I'll still have 12 more minutes of cheering to go."
Eventually, the group might also go after the outdoor record of 15:49.08, set in Dublin by an Irish team of Flynn, Marcus O'Sullivan, Frank O'Mara and Eamonn Coghlann..
The world record has come under assault before, when the University of Oregon put a team together and tried to chase the mark in 2009 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. That group - Shadrack Biwott, Matthew Centrowitz, Andrew Wheating and Galen Rupp - broke the collegiate record by clocking 16:03.24.
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Read more: Artie O'Connor College Invitational - News - HOKA NJNY TC Team Ready To Go After Record in the 4xMile at 2017 Artie O'Connor Invitational