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"Everyone in this field has run a 4:02," said Alan Webb after winning the men's mile in 4:01.07 on the second day of the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. "In a 4:02 race, every single person is capable of winning it. Even 30 meters can make the difference. I didn't want to leave any doubt."
Even though there were three other former national champions in the field (Rob Myers, Gabe Jennings, and Chris Lukezic), Webb left little doubt who was in charge. From the moment he chopped his stride and forced Mark Thompson to take the early lead, through Gabe Jennings' aggressive move with three laps remaining, Webb had it under control. In the recovery area after the race, Webb approached Jennings, saying, "We were thinking the same thing, man. Three laps to go. If you hadn't gone, I was going to."
From 2:06 at halfway, Jennings knocked the pace down to 55-second 400 pace, and the race was on. "A 55-second 400 is hard off any pace," Webb observed, and the pack behind them scattered. Lukezic attempted to cover the move, with Myers on his heels, but it wasn't until the final lap that Jennings began to crack. When Webb moved by Jennings, Myers got by Lukezic into third and closed on second, finally catching Jennings at the line, 4:01.78 to 4:01.93.
"You made the race," Webb told Jennings, but it was still Webb's day.
Posted by Parker Morse at 9:07 a.m. | Tags: Race Reports, 2007 USA Indoor T&F Champs