Hannah Long knew she wanted to get the 2014 track season off to a fast start, but even she couldn’t have predicted where her first 1,600-meter run of the year would lead her.
At Saturday’s brisk Festus Early Bird Invitational, Long broke first to the pole position and led the entire race to capture first in a U.S. No. 1 time of 4:45.84.
“I kind of expected a good time,” said the Eureka junior. “My coach told me to start this season like I finished last season. I wasn’t expecting to run that fast, but I wanted to go sub 4:50. Cross country season didn’t end like I wanted it to, so there was motivation from that to begin the track season strong.
“It’s great to be at the top of that list right now. I love looking at the times from other states, and it motivates me to do better.”
Long started this season even faster than she finished last year. She won the Class 4 state title in 4:49.53 and then ran a converted time of 4:46.86 at the Festival of Miles.
Long maintained a lead of a couple strides on a talented field that included Ste. Genevieve’s Taylor Werner and Festus’ Jamie Kempfer, who ran 4:54.75 and 4:55.57, respectively. The strong competition helped push Long a little bit, even when she took off on the third lap and stretched her lead to more than 20 meters.
“I was running scared because I wasn’t sure who was going to come up behind me,” Long said. “It wasn’t really my strategy going in. I wanted to hit my splits, and my second lap was a little slow. I felt good on the third lap, so that’s when I decided to pick it up.
“It definitely builds confidence for the season, and I’m more excited about the next races to come to see what I can do.”
Long will race at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California in two weeks, and then the Eureka team travels to Louisville for the Eastern Relays on April 25-26.
She also has her eye on that last Missouri meet when she gets another chance to go after Megan Thompson’s long-standing record.
“We talk about Megan and her record all the time,” Long said of the state record time of 4:47.53 set in 1989. “I’m definitely excited to try to get it this year.”
Following her phenomenal 1,600, Long came back and sprinted to a 2:11.38 in the 800-meter run, which was just barely off her state meet and PR time of 2:11.06 she ran last spring. She ran on the outside shoulder of Werner through the first 400 meters and then surged out to build an insurmountable lead on the final lap.
“I really didn’t have a goal in mind,” said Long, who now has the fifth fastest 800 meter time in the country this season. “I just wanted to see where I was at. It’s a great starting point for the season also. That one was just by feel; I didn’t have a strategy in mind.”
The track world took notice once again that Long has the feel for some really fast times.
Festus Early Bird Meet Coverage
Video of 1600 Meter Race
