Saarel Runs a Dream Race in New York
High school athlete of the week
By Marc Bloom, Running Times
Athlete: Ben Saarel
Year: Senior
School: Park City High School
Location: Park City, UT
Mile PR: 4:02.72
3200m PR: 8:45.74
Ben Saarel (right, PhotoRun), a senior at Park City High in Utah and last Saturday’s Dream Mile champion at the adidas Grand Prix meet, may have been the unlikeliest of the many upset winners the event has seen over the years. He did not take up running seriously until two years ago. He did not think he would run in college until last year. He did not even have a solid Mile time until a month before the race, and he was rated 11th in the 14-man field.
When, despite the high winds and rainy conditions, he roared the final lap in 56 seconds for a spectacular 4:02.72 victory, Saarel reached home in more ways than one: He had lived in New York briefly as a child and still has family in the city.
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