The Turnpike From Everywhere to Boston

Photo of Ella Donaghu (in UAC uniform, she is now training under Diljeet Taylor) taken by Amanda Gehrich

The Turnpike From Everywhere to Boston

Words Jeff Merrill

Somewhere along the line everyone started going to Boston in the wintertime. Not Boca Raton. not San Diego. Boston.

In a coaching career that ended in controversy, which, to the uninformed can be remedied by a simple google search of Alberto Salazar, the maniacal coach’s commitment to seeking out marginal gains, led him to uncover the product of Harvard mid-century scientific research and design housed in the Boston University Track and Tennis Center. A few record breaking performances later and the track world has beaten a well-worn path to the fieldhouse’s doorstep to race on its magical (science) fixed (not hydraulic) plywood board track.

A series of notable performances within the last decade have catapulted the BU indoor track to a level of glorification that befits its Cold War era R&D origin story. It started with an onslaught on the record book by Galen Rupp in 2013 and 2014.

Following a 3 x mile workout on the University of Washington indoor track in the winter of 2013 in which he closed the final rep in 3:57, Rupp took a flight to Boston to target Bernard Lagat’s American Indoor Mile Record of 3:49.89. He didn’t do it at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the pro meet then held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury MA- the site of his then mile best of 3:57.10 set the year before. He and Salazar set up a special heat at the Terrier Classic at BU. The result was a 3:50.92 from the 5k and 10k specialist that shook the track world.

In 2014, Rupp returned to BU to shave 2 seconds from Lagat’s short track 2 mile American Record, clocking 8:07.41 a week after he took 6 seconds from Lopez Lomong’s 5000m record, running 13:01.26 on the same track.

Every time the American Record in the 5000m has been broken since (twice), it has happened at BU, and mind-bogglingly, the top 13 American times (short track) ever run in the 5,000m have all occurred at BU.

In 2019, after falling short in his attempt to break the World Indoor Record in the mile at the Millrose Games, Salazar-coached Ethiopian athlete Yomif Kejelcha succeeded in cracking El Guerrouj’s mark on the BU track, running 3:47.01.

In February 2020, the Bowerman Track Club got the BU bug.  Karissa Schweizer, Shelby Houlihan and Colleen Quigley all broke Shalane Flanagan’s 13-year-old Indoor 3,000m American Record of 8:33.25, running 8:25.70, 8:26.66, and 8:28.71- still the 3rd, 4th, and 5th marks on the American all-time list behind Elle St. Pierre and Alicia Monson.

In 2022, Cranny returned to BU to take over 15 seconds off the American Indoor 5000m Record, running 14:33.17, finishing behind her BTC teammate, Gabriela Debues-Stafford, who broke the Canadian Record, running 14:31.38.

8 of the top 10 American Indoor 5,000m times for women have been run at BU.

46 out of 100 of the top American men’s short track miles have been run at BU.

34 of the top 100 American women’s short track 3,000m times have been run at BU.

61 of the top 100 American women’s 5,000m times!!! (short track)

Down the road about a mile and a half from the BU Track and Tennis Center, sits The Track by New Balance- a state of the art facility that will play host to this Sunday’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, following Friday and Saturday’s Terrier Classic at BU. It’s a real barn burner of a weekend in Beantown.

Attempting to wrest a bit of the scientific hoodoo that has rightfully contributed to BU’s lore, New Balance constructed The Track’s hydraulic track with a wooden substructure and plywood boards. They wanted that BU bounce. The early judgments suggest that the construction design doesn’t quite offer the same oomf. The meet structure, however, is a contrasting professional one to the roller-derby hodgepodge conveyer belt of sweat and guts that you’ll find down at BU.

NBIGP is a more high-stakes racing affair, where how it's done will be equally if not more scrutinized and applauded than the final times that result from the dust-ups. We’ll keep a close eye on gear-shifting, the splits that are produced from it, strength and closing speed. Remember, these are the A-listers practicing their craft. They likely won’t have their full arsenal at their disposal quite yet, but they’ve got the racing experience and savvy to size up the field and give a pro’s performance on the day.

Consider the Terrier Classic at BU to be the minor leagues to NBIGP’s majors. The goal at BU is to send it, baby. Put one out into the cheap seats, tactics be damned. Get a mark on the board next to your name that can scoot you up the rankings and get you closer to the bright lights at The Track, where the fields are set by haggling agents and brands negotiating appearance fees and the racing is done for prize money in front of a ravenous Peacock streaming audience.

You’ll find some instances where athletes who very well could get themselves a spot on the line at NBIGP will opt to race at BU to rip a world qualifying standard early, or pluck a record. This kind of thing is easier to manage at the Terrier, where fields are set by the hosting college’s track department and claiming a heat to choreograph a full pacing train can be done with the ease of throwing a quarter into the jukebox and playing your song (What’s New Pussycat) for a few precious minutes. It’s tougher to pull off in the big leagues, where there is a set schedule of races for the TV window- a window that frowns on anything over the 3k, which may also contribute to the 5,000m frenzy over at the BU bounce house.

All of this is to say that if you’re a track fan anywhere near Boston this weekend, pack a hearty lunch and a snack, friend, you’ve got the full run of the sport laid out in front of you over a 2-day stretch. You can partake in the choreographed chaos of the Terrier Classic- the Boston lager in a plastic cup of track meets if you will, before breathing in the refined champagne setting of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. It's a smorgasbord of speed in the Cradle of Liberty and in the loosely constructed schedule that makes up a track season, it is the first weekend where a critical mass of stars will be opening up their racing. This weekend will throw the firsts darts on the board allowing us to conceptualize an initial sort of standings that we will accept as gospel until it's undoubtedly reshuffled by someone doing something spectacular, again and again and again.

There are many great athletes competing, but below are the

things I’m watching at the…

Terrier Classic

In the Women’s 5000m, I’m most curious to see how Ella Donaghu has taken to her new group and training under Diljeet Taylor. She’s a fast closer and has bests of 15:06.20  and 8:46.39, both run at BU.

It’s not often you get to see Nikki Hiltz run a 3k. Following a 2024 season where they leveled up quite a bit to run 3:55 in a championship race at the Olympic Trials to win the thing, what does 2025 have in store? Previously touted as an 800m/1500m type, their focus on excellence has elevated them to an all-around contender and threat creeping up to the 3,000m. They’re a prime example of someone who easily could have a spot on the line at NBIGP but has chosen to race at BU for reasons. We’ll find out what those might be after the results are posted.

Can Colin Sahlman crack 3:50? The NAU stud ran 3:53.17 at this meet last year. He’s young, and he’s got incredible wheels for a 1500m specialist. Up in the ‘ol Skydome at 7,000 ft in Flagstaff on Jan 10th, he scorched a 1:17.24 600m and a 48.6 400m in the same evening.

Of course I want to see what Kenneth Rooks and Matt ‘Silky Wilky’ Wilkinson can run in a 5000m.

Let’s play a little game. I’m going to list the 100th spot on the American All-time rankings for short track in the distances below. We’ll check back next week to see where they rank.

Women’s Mile: 4:31.73, Gina Procaccio, 1990

Men’s Mile: 3:56.06, Brett Meyer, 2024 (BU)

Women’s 3,000m: 8:56.15, Alexandra Carlson, 2023 (BU)

Men’s 3,000m: 7:47.74, Acer Iverson, 2023 (BU)

Women’s 5,000m: 15:39.75, Amy Skieresz, 1997

Men’s 5,000m: 13:34.06, Christian Allen, 2022 (BU)

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix

It’s Valbymania in New Balance’s Valhalla. Parker Valby is debuting for NB in the New Balance Palace and she’s doing so against some pretty big names. How will she fare against Jess Hull, Elise Cranny, and Georgia Bell? This one would appear on paper to be a slug out between Hull and Cranny, but what has impressed me most with Valby is her ability to go to a dark place, sink her teeth in and not let go.

*Update: Elise Cranny won the fast heat of the mile at BU in 4:20.83, a facility record and the 4th fastest (short track) time ever run by an American. She will race the 3,000m at NBIGP on Sunday. If she contends for the win there (which we fully expect her to do) this will be a banner weekend for the Coloradan.

What kind of wheels is Graham Blanks playing with? The NCAA XC champ and 12:58 5000m man is stepping down to the 1500m. He’s not at BU, so we can’t be sure the race will be an evenly paced pursuit like Rupp’s 3:50 that went out in 1:54 and came through 1200m in 2:52, but can he play with the big boys who could do something like that? I’m looking at Olli Hoare and Jake Wightman, even though I know Blanks will be marking Grant Fisher the entire way.

Who takes the Women’s Mile? The pride of Portland Sinclaire Johnson? Or the hometown favorite Heather MacClean? Voodoo Donuts vs. Dunkin Donuts. This early in the season, the shorter distances are less likely to produce eye popping times from the specialists in those distances, so we’ll be treated to a good old fashioned grudge match in this one, where the win more than anything else is the prize. Time to make the donuts.

What will Hobbs Kessler run in a 3000m? The Olympic 5th placer is a throwback 800m/1500m type (so close to my heart). A relic of a bygone era who while leaning up against his Ford Pinto outside of the Circle K in 1980 was thrown into a wormhole to land with his bedhead on a 2024 track to take on the strength types who run rampant across the landscape. It’s a role Keanu Reaves was born to play. Can he stay cool on the train and feel good enough to work his way up late? This race could tell us a lot about the base he’s building for the outdoor campaign… or it won’t.