Fastrack Last Chance: Relay photos and more thoughts

Fastrack Last Chance

Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Men’s 3,200-meter relay

1-Marist (Stefan Morton 1:58.9, Drew Burns 1:55.1, Nestor Taylor 1:57.2, Steven Morrison 1:53.1) 7:44.69 *IC4A qualifier, school record, old record 7:45.62 by Justin Harris, Sean Prinz, Brian DeMarco, Mike Bamberger, 2004

Stefan Morton: 28, 57 (29), 1:27 (30), 1:58.9 (31.9)

Drew Burns: 26, 55 (29), 1:25 (30), 1:55.1 (30.1)

Nestor Taylor: 27, 56 (29), 1:26 (30), 1:57.2 (31.2)

Steven Morrison: 27, 55 (28), 1:24 (29), 1:53.1 (29.1)

In the previous post, I tried to explain how our school record relay unfolded on the track. Allow me to use this post to tell you a little bit of what was transpiring off the track as our men took down a 12-year-old school record and increased our travel party to Boston next week by four more athletes.

As we have for most of our Ocean Breeze meets this winter in the inaugural season at this fine facility on Staten Island, we were visited by our most loyal track team alum, Marty McGowan, a lifelong SI resident. Marty graduated Marist more than 40 years ago but has followed our program closely ever since I started coaching 25 years ago. He follows the blog and is always – always! -- the first to email his comments soon after I post. If I’m ever lacking motivation to post to the blog, I think of Marty and I know that he’s checking every morning from SI. We had a special treat on Saturday night, as Marty’s wife Annie – aka “good luck charm” – stopped by Ocean Breeze with the old man. Marty stayed trackside with us for most of the meet, pacing nervously and mumbling encouragement as Marist runners zoomed around the track; it was funny watching him do this, all the while knowing I’m probably just as antsy while our athletes are racing. It was great to share the relay experience with both of them; a fine sendoff after a fun winter of meets at Ocean Breeze. Until next winter, Marty …

Before the meet, I was speaking with an older, assistant coach from another Metro Area school. We shared something in common: We were both coached in college by the late Steve Lurie – the other coach while a runner at Fordham, me at Marist. We were swapping old Steve Lurie stories, and we were talking about how Steve was all about the 4x800 relay, always trying to turn every athlete on every team into another cog in another 4x800 or DMR. But mostly the 4x800. Whenever anyone asks me why I turned to marathon running at the relatively young age of 19, it was in large part to escape this middle distance cauldron and find safe haven in an event at which I might actually excel, as opposed to the personal black hole otherwise known as the 800 meters. Many hours later, as our 4x800 relay won and set a school-record time of which Steve Lurie would be proud, I couldn’t help but think that somewhere the old coach -- with the gravelly voice and the admittedly quirky habits -- is smiling down on us.