Chasing the 40-year-old 4×4 record at Steamboat Springs HS
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — Breaking a school record is one of the most sought-after achievements a high school track athlete can achieve. To have your name sitting proudly upon the record board and to defeat the previous record holders is a proud accomplishment. Especially with a record that has stood for 40 years.
The 1600 meter relay is one of the most exciting events in track and field. The race consists of four runners who each run 400 meters or one lap around the track each. Each runner has to pass off a baton in order to keep the race going. The last time this record was broken at Steamboat Springs High School was in 1980. The four runners ran a time of 3 minutes and 25.31 seconds, each running an average split of 51.33 seconds.
Last year, when heading off to the 2021 state championships, our team had high hopes of breaking the record. With their team already formed, they were promised a successful race. The four Steamboat athletes lined up at the starting line for the race. They ran as fast as possible and executed perfect handoffs, but sadly came just 6 seconds short of the record.
A devastating end to the 2021 season. “It was really disappointing,” stated senior Connor Prost, when asked about the race. “We thought we had a shot, but clearly it wasn’t meant to be” Defeated, he looks forward to this upcoming season.
This upcoming season seniors Bowden Tuminello, Connor Prost, and Nik Neyek, as well as junior Casey Wolf plan on taking this record.
“We’ve been working all winter and really all four years for this,” says Tuminello when asked if he thinks this team has what it takes. “ I know that we all have it within us and we are all gonna go lay it down this year”. With an already successful last year of cross country competing at the state cross country championship, Tuminello is hopeful to see what the team can do in the track season. He is ready and faster than ever.
Senior Connor Prost is ready to make his comeback in this event. After coming close last year, we asked what he’s gonna work on differently this time
“I’ve been training all winter. I’m gonna make sure that I’m going into the season already in my prime” Prost is one of the most important members on the team for his specialization in the 400m dash. He is naturally fast and a strong anchor runner for this team.
The team has been practicing throughout the winter and is coming into the track season already strong as they can be. They’ve been competing at indoor track meets in and around Denver. When looking forward to this season, they are hopeful and they will run their best in order to take down this 40-year-old record.
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