Kyle Merber’s Blog: Celebrating a Loss

By Kyle Merber

“EL GUERROUJ! LAGAT! TO THE LINE! EL GUERROUJ GOT IT!” When I was thirteen years old, I remember watching the Olympic 1500 final in Athens 2004 and having my eyelids peeled back as I stared at the screen in awe. At this point in my running career, I did not fully understand the race’s place in track and field history, and I didn’t have any reason to care. I couldn’t spell El Guerrouj’s name or find Morocco on a map. But when my HS coach told me to watch the best runners run at the Olympics and to learn from them, I did as I was told. I have watched that race again and again and again. I know the moves, I know the splits, and I know the commentators description of how the event unfolds. But it wasn’t until I watched the race some four years later that I stopped focusing just on the race for gold, and started watching Rui Silva of Portugal.

This past weekend I flew to the golden coast to chase a regionals time for the 1500 at Mt. SAC Relays.  The goal was to run under 3:45, get a little bronzing, and see some pretty girls before heading back to Austin to continue putting the Miles in. As you would expect with any California meet, the heat was stacked and it was a great opportunity to run against strong competition.

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