Mile News


Should Michigan ‘Bring Back the Mile’ to high school track competition?

March 05, 2012

"Even though it is not my primary distance, it is still a goal of mine to break 4 minutes."  - Dathan Ritzenhein

By Cory Olsen, Grand Rapids Press

If it were up to Ryan Lamppa, everyone would be able to run a mile. Well, not just a mile, The Mile.

Since the early 1980s when metric took over track & field, the Mile was out, the 1600m was in. Lamppa believes high school athletes have been shorted in their quest to make history: break the 4-minute Mile.

"There's something about the Mile," Lamppa said. "I've had a real passion for it. It's a very American distance."

Lamppa talks about growing up and starting to run as a youth, reading "The Jim Ryun Story," and becoming inspired by the first high school boy to break the 4-minute Mile mark. That inspiration still lives in Lamppa, you can hear it in his voice when he talks about the distance. It's very much who he is.

Continue reading at: www.mlive.com

Tags: ryan lamppa (110) , michigan (1) , dathan ritzenhein (5) , cory olsen (1) , bbtm news (207)

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Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

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