|
|
Do you have a website? Would you like to be
FEATURED as one of our spotlight sites in the future?
Racestats.net is looking for running, fitness, and/or running/fitness related product websites to promote to our website visitors.
Drop us a line and help us to help you promote your website!
|
RECENT FEATURES
|
4x800Relay.org
03.18.07
As a high school senior, Chris Hamilton had already been one of the top distance runners in Oregon for several years and Parkrose HS
had enjoyed a nice run of individual state T&F champions from the mid 1970's thru the mid 1980's.
Yet, despite such individual successes on the track, the Parkrose HS Broncos XC/T&F teams achieved far less success winning only 2 XC dual meets and no T&F dual meets during Hamilton's
3-year career.
Ironically it was the lack of team success during his career at Parkrose HS that first gave Hamilton the idea for a "distance" relay championship.
Question: Chris - how and when did you first come up with the idea of a "mythical" relay
championship race for the State T&F Meet?
Hamilton: The idea for a 4x800 first came up my senior year at Parkrose in 1980. We had a group of four including
myself (state 1500m champ in 1980) and rapidly improving sophomore Dub Myers (state 800m and 1500m champ in both 1981 and
1982). The distance group my three years there won a total of two XC dual meets. I don't think our track team ever won a
dual meet. Surprisingly we had a string of individual state champions from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. Although schools
like CC and Jesuit will benefit from a distance relay, my thoughts are more towards giving aditional opportunity to schools
that have an occasional good year or two like Parkrose and St Helens.
Question: You mentioned that you first came up with the idea for a
"distance" relay during your senior year. Wow, that's a long time to have a dream and 24 years later to still be chasing it.
How have you been able to keep that dream alive after all this time?
Hamilton: Two of my closest friends today, Robert Reed and Mike Dragowsky, were teammates and fellow 4x800
conspirators at Parkrose High School. The desire for a 4x800 event in track was inspired by our total failure at team
success in XC. Competing in the powerful Metro League of the late 70s, Parkrose never had a legitimate chance at sending a
team to state in XC. When track rolled around we realized that if only there were a 4x800 event then we might have had a
good chance at sending a team to state.
In 1983 I transfered to the University of Oregon and joined Oregon freshman Dub Myers who was two years behind me at Parkrose.
Dub and I ran the Twilight mile that spring and I recall both of us running together and passing three laps in about 3 minutes
flat. Then Dub took off and won the race in 3:57 while I seemed to go backward and ran 4:05. The next year I became a 10k
runner. Dub eventually became an NCAA champion at 1500m.
Dub and I were members on the Duck team in 1984 that won the NCAA championships in Eugene. Later that summer we ran in the
Olympic Trials in Los Angeles. I expected many more years of competing, not anticipating that a chronic foot injury would
ruin my senior year and force me out of track and field at age 23. I ended up leaving the sport fairly disappointed.
For a number of years I wasn't much of a track fan except for the occasional Prefontaine meet. Around 2000 I realized that
there was a resurgence in Oregon HS distance running with guys like Eric Logsdon and Ian Dobson. Many former Oregon HS
runners were starting to have success in the college ranks. I found myself becoming a fan of track and field again with a
new appreciation for the HS level.
Question: When did you start your website? You have quite a collection of 4x800 lists. How
difficult has it been collecting the info to compile the lists?
Hamilton: Collecting the data is easy because of Athletic.net.
Maybe you should write an article on David Bowdoin and his great statistics website for high school T&F (that's next on the Racestats agenda).
I'm very impressed at the accomplishment of this young coach from little New Hope Christian. First impression is that there
must be some kind of money behind the site supporting it, but this is not the case. I hope many schools become supporters and spend the $25/$40 per year
so the website thrives and continues.
Before the 2006 track season I had dinner with some old college teammates and the subject of a 4x800 came up again. Why not
start a crazy website called 4x800relay.org! It occured to me that I could take the actual 800m times from Athletic.net and
create hypothetical 4x800m lists and this would be the draw to the website. I sent an email off to David explaining what I
wanted to do and he kindly agreed to share his 800m data.
Question: You added a "hypothetical" DMR calculator for 2007. How has that worked out and what
are your plans in the future for the website?
Hamilton: The responses I've gotten to the website have been overwhelmingly in favor of a distance relay at state, but
many prefer a DMR and I kept getting requests to post hypothetical DMR lists. I had to figure out how to manufacture
predicted 1200m and 1600m times given only actual 800m and 1500m times. So I created this DMR calculator/worksheet for
testing purposes. It seemed like a fun toy to play with so I posted it on my website. It became popular during this last
indoor season and I had hits on it from all over the country.
My commitment to the website is through the 2008 season. Even if it does not result in a 4x800 or DMR at the state meet, its
been fun putting it together and I've enjoyed the feedback from coaches who mention using it as a motivational tool. Once
4x800relay.org runs its course I'll make sure that Athletic.net or another site continues to post hypothetical 4x800 and DMR lists.
Question: Lastly, give us a brief bio of what Chris Hamilton is doing these days.
Hamilton: Happily living in Eugene, Oregon with my wife and two young daughters. I work as a software developer for
Palo Alto Software doing Windows application development. Playing with the 4x800relay.org website was a fun way to get some exposure
to web development. One of the perks of my job is that Hayward Field is only a 15-minute walk away.
Chris Hamilton
www.4x800Relay.org
feedback@4x800Relay.org
|
|
 |
|
