FYI - wpial titan

[wickedcrossover]

Sam Bair, Pitt grad, has finally broken the 4:00 minute mile. After numerous runs of 4:00.xx, he recently ran 3:59.72.

ps. talk about competition..........he finished 10th!

[usatf oldguy]

Where did he do it? Quite an achievement 1

[wickedcrossover]

It was at the Husky Classic held at the University of Washington on February 13. There were 13 runners that ran under 4:00 in the race. Bair finished 12th overall. He joins his father in the sub 4:00 minute club, making him and his father the 2nd father son combo tho achieve such a lofty feat.

[WPIAL~Titan]

I know...Sam actually called me that evening...I watched a live feed of the race. It was incredibly fast. 13 guys broke 4:00, if you include 3 guys from the heat before Bair's heat.

Sam has been training in Boulder, CO since June. He is in fantastic shape, and only needs to knock off some rust as he has rarely raced since 2008. Look for him to run 3:57 or better in the right race before the winter is over.

[wickedcrossover]

Wpial, question, why is he training so hard? I find it interesting that such elite athletes do this even after college. Is it Olympic aspirations? Or is it that he simply loves and craves the competition? Or?

[WPIAL~Titan]

Sam has been training to break 4:00 in the mile since he graduated from Pitt. He has run between 4:00.00 and 4:00.99 seven times while at Pitt. He had an excellent career there and was a 3 time All-American in indoor and outdoor track, and also ran 30:30 for 10K in XC.

I think Sam has aspirations to be invited to join an elite running group or get a shoe contract (even a small one), get some expenses paid to races, equipment, etc. and to make a bid for the Olympc trials in 2012. Right now, he is living in Boulder, CO at altitude and he is training entirely on his own (while working part time), and will be running another mile race at Notre Dame in a few weeks, then a few outdoor meets. Hopefully, he can get into the 3:56-3:57 range for the mile and bust a 3:37 or so in the 1500m outdoors.

By breaking 4:00, Sam and his father become only the 4th father-son in world history to break 4:00. The other families are the Keinos (Kenya), Centrowitz (USA), Brown (USA), and now Bairs (USA).

[wickedcrossover]

That's awesome. To set a goal and then work to acheive it. It takes a lot of self-discipline for someone to train on their own. Let him know that his work and accomplishment does not go unnoticed.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Sam will be running an invitational mile at Notre Dame next Saturday...ND has a fast track and the largest leagl indoor track in the world at 350m.

[usatf oldguy]

Does he ever race in boston? The reggie lewis center was one of the nicest surfaces I have ever competed on.They hold nationals for highschool and world class events there every year.It's a mondo surface,but it isn't a 350 m track.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Yes, Sam ran the 800m at indoor nationals last year in Boston at the Reggie Lewis Center. Fast surface from what I understand.

The 307m indoor track at UWashington in Seattle is the fastest surface anywhere. The race Sam ran 3:59.72, he finished in 10th place in his heat, 13th overall. 14 guys broke 4:00 for the mile. There's the proof.