The annual Chandler Rotary Invitational mile race in Arizona was anticipated as the showdown between three of Arizona’s top distance runners. The three boys--Brian Shrader, Steve Magnuson and Sherod Hart--had equally impressive backgrounds and Hart was the current national leader in the 1600m, which is just short of a mile. They rarely had the opportunity to race one another and were planning on going all out at this meet, attempting to run the mile distance in under 4 minutes and 10 seconds.

Nobody had anticipated that Alex Herring’10 would pose any significant threat to the main contenders.  “I [was the] out-of-state party crasher,” Herring said. “Nobody really knew me.” Herring had anticipated this meet as an opportunity to race against new competition and gain some confidence. He said that, originally, he didn’t truly believe that he was a serious competitor.

Following the race, Herring was the talk of the meet. In a performance that dubbed him the “Red Herring,” he became the national leader in both the 1600m and the boys’ mile.

“Coach Kedge and I have been working together closely since cross-country ended,” Herring said. “He has really taken me under his wing.” In the weeks before the race, Herring worked on getting stronger by doing longer runs at faster paces. Kedge said that Herring’s focus on improving his strength allowed him to drop time off of his personal best during the competition.

Herring and Kedge had planned on the Arizona trio tiring themselves out by racing one another; Herring could hang back in the middle of the pack and make his move towards the end of the race. If their plan was executed properly, Herring could win.

This race was dubbed an “elite mile” because it featured some of the fastest runners in Arizona. Shrader, Magnuson and Hardt began ahead, as Herring remained in the middle of the group for the first two laps. Other runners had fallen away as the leaders banded together with 700m left in the race. Magnuson led the group, closely followed by Shrader, Hardt and Herring.

When the gun went off signaling the last lap, Herring went into what he said was another gear and quickly passed Hardt and Shrader in succession, putting himself into second.

 Herring said that it finally clicked that he had a chance to win. “I had gotten two of them. So I thought, ‘I can get [Magnuson],’” he said. With only 150m remaining in the race, Herring passed Magnuson. “In the home stretch, I laid it all onto the track,” he said. The plan unfolded perfectly, as Herring crossed the finish line in first place.

Herring ran a 4:12:33 mile, making him the national leader in the boys’ mile. Automatic timing gave Herring credit for a 4:10 1600m, making him the national leader in that event as well. In addition to becoming the national leader, he dropped 8 seconds off of his personal record of 4:20.

Herring said that he, along with every other person at the meet, was surprised by the results. “I run a 4:20 mile indoors,” Herring said. “[Before], I didn’t think I could do it.” Before the competition, Kedge said “it doesn’t matter what others thought about [his] ability; it is what is in his heart and if he has the legs to back that up [that matters]. [Herring] and I knew that he was out there to win.”

Kedge said that Herring’s performance most certainly turned some heads and that he will not be taken lightly anymore. Herring now hopes to break the school record, 4:11, during the state championships. But as he said, “once the gun goes off, it’s just you and the race.”