Jaret Carpenter Dominates the Distance Races

Jaret Carpenter headed for the finish with Patrick Roos(left) and Jack
Manderscheid(right) behind. Photo by Gene Niemi

If there was any doubts who is  the top male high school distance runner in Minnesota, Jaret Carpenter removed them about half way into the Class AA 3200 Friday morning.  After running side by side or right behind Stillwater's Eli Krahn for most of the first half of the race, which Krahn ran with a metronomic precision at 70 second pace, Carpenter knew what he had to do.

Krahn was going slowly because his race plan was to conserve energy until 600 meters to go and launch his kick.  Carpenter wanted nothing to do with a sit and kick race, so he took charge, as he has all season in both cross country and track by throwing in a mid race surge that nobody could handle. Carpenter threw in a 66 second lap that left everyone else in his wake.

The Edina duo of Jack Manderscheid and Patrick Roos tried to regain lost ground, but couldn't.  The pair had come into the race hoping to take a shot at running under nine minutes as Carpenter did last month in winning the 3200 at the Hamline Elite Meet.  But the increasing heat and humidity caused them to be cautious and run for place, not for time.

Though Carpenter quickly opened up a big lead, he was still nervous.  "I was surprised," he said.  Nobody attempted to cover Carpenter's move, but he didn't believe that, so he looked around.  "I got scared," said Carpenter.  He needn't have been worried as he negative split the race, having gone through the first 1600 around 4:37 and the second half in 4:33.

Though he looked smooth and in control, Carpenter said during the last 200 "bad stuff was happening."  Nothing bad enough to change the outcome of the race, but indicative of Carpenter's leave it all on the track approach that has served him so well during the past year.

Behind the top three Carpenter's teammate Khalid Hussein  and Willmar's Nadir Yusuf were battling for fourth place.  Hussein edged Yusuf by less than a second. Hussein running 9:19.07 and Yusuf 9:19.59.