LUKAS VERZBICAS "A chronicle of the greatest American Prep distance runner of all-time"​

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[2011 World Junior Triathlon Champion; 2011 USA Junior Triathlon National Champion; 2011 National HS Indoor Mile 4:10 (4:03SB)/Two-Mile 8:40/5000 Meter 14:06 Champion; National Outdoor Two-Mile record holder 8:29.46; 2011 Dream Mile Champion 3:59.71; 2009 & 2010 Foot Locker National Champion; 2010 Nike Cross National Champion. National Indoor 5000 Meter Record Holder. Two-time Illinois State Cross Country Champion. Undefeated in prep cross country]

 

When we first started speaking with Lukas Verzbicas before the 2010 cross country season he

shared some goals for his senior campaign. He made it clear he wanted to win both national cross

country championships. He wanted to break the indoor two-mile record, the outdoor two-mile

record, the four-minute mile and to be regarded as the greatest high school distance runner of

all-time. History will reflect Lukas Verzbicas accomplished his goal.

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The Assault on History

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In 1963 the prep world was turned up-side down by two 17 year old phenoms Gerry Lindgren and

Jim Ryun. In an age without the Internet, national broadcasting of athletic events or instant media

access Lindgren and Ryun set the bar. Ryun, the fiery Kansas junior and Lindgren the improbable

tiny iron horse Washington senior set sights on the 4-minute mile and the 9-minute two-mile. Each

would set a standard of excellence that would stand as benchmarks for the prep distance runner.

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An assault on the prep two-mile, with the assistance of Track & Field News founder Bert Nelson

the top distance runners in America assembled at the Holiday Invitational in San Fransisco,

California for an indoor two-mile. Among them Jim Ryun who had run 9:07 outdoors and Lindgren

who had run 8:59 for two-miles in a cross country race the previous fall. On that day Lindgren

bested Ryun running 9:00.00 to break the previous indoor record of 9:27, considering the world

record was in the high 8:30's Lindgren was the talk of the nation. Several weeks later he would

drop that time to 8:46.00. On February 15, 1964 running against world record holder Ron Clarke,

Lindgren clocked a hand-timed 8:40.00. Few knew at the time what this one mark, and the 40.00

following it would mean for the sport of prep distance running. 8:40.00 has served as the

benchmark for the prep two-mile runner since 1964 and remained an untouched record. The

outdoor campaign would see Lindgren and Ryun battle back and forth as each scrambled to read

there most recent copy of Track & Field News only to find they were trading off breaking the

national outdoor mile record. Ultimately Ryun would run 3:59.00 on June 5, 1964, like Lindgren establishing a benchmark for excellence for the prep distance runner. Lindgren and Ryun left there mark through extraordinary individual achievements that has stood the test of time always remembered, each for their own event the mile and two-mile.

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"I want to be remembered...when I win (people) remember me more, when I lose they start forgetting me...it is my drive to win. I terribly want to win. Its this willingness to work so hard and to sacrifice so that I end up on top."~Lukas Verzbicas

In 1968, Coos Bay senior Steve Prefontaine set sights on breaking the 4-minute mile and the 8:40 two-mile. Coming into his senior track season with junior bests 9:01 and 4:14 he felt he had what it took to crack the barriers. When Prefontaine decided to go for the prep two-mile record he knew the task would be challenging. As recorded by his high school coach Walt McClure, Prefontaine ran alone from the gun leading the entire race. The planned pace was 66-seconds for the first 6 laps however Pre went out in 68 and then evened out with a 64. After hammering 66 and 65's he dropped a 64 on his 7th lap and finished with a 61.5 final quarter. His time, 8:41.5 established an outdoor national record just 1.5 seconds shy of his goal of 8:40.0 and superior to the outdoor record of 8:48.3 set in 1966 by Rick Riley. That time is still regarded by the NFHS as the prep two-mile record. At the time Lindgren was running undefeated in the NCAA's with near 10 National Championships and was regarded by many as the finest distance runner in America. To run 8:41.5 put Pre in rockstar status, his eventual 4:06 mile attempt fell just short of his sub four minute goal. As history will reflect Prefontaine left his mark and went on to become America's greatest distance runner.

 

The Lukas Verzbicas story not only one-ups Gerry Lindgren, Jim Ryun, and Steve Prefontaine, it places Verzbicas on a stratosphere and level never before achieved at the high school level. Like Lindgren, Ryun and Prefontaine, Verzbicas had goals of breaking records, winning championships, and being remembered. Running against the best in America it can be argued Lukas has faced the stiffest competition ever afforded an American prep while winning every national championship he has competed.

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The youngest cross country national champion in history Lukas won the Foot Locker National Championship as a sophomore. At the 2009 Foot Locker National Championship Verzbicas defeated Nike Cross National Champion Craig Lutz solidifying his consensus #1 national ranking. After rigorous summer academic work Lukas announced fall of 2009 he would be skipping his junior year and enter the 2010 fall cross country season as a senior. After completing the season undefeated Lukas accomplished a feat never before attained when he claimed both the Nike Cross National and Foot Locker National Championships. Completing his prep career undefeated in cross country races Verzbicas earned a place in cross country immortality and will be regarded by many as the greatest prep cross country runner all-time.

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How will Lukas Verzbicas be remembered as a prep competitor? Fearless.

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The following indoor season Verzbicas set sights on a monumental task, breaking the 8:40.00 barrier and claiming the National Indoor Championship Triple Crown. At the New Balance National Indoor Championships, on the grandest stage of them all, Lukas ran to an impressive 14:06.78 national indoor 5000 meter record. He then backed that up with a solo 8:40.66 indoor two-mile. The two-mile has been something of question since Lindgren's 8:40.00 was hand-timed while Lukas 8:40.66 was FAT timed, one could assume the marks are near identical. While Lindgren ran 8:40.00 against world record holder Ron Clarke, Verzbicas ran alone with super-soph Edward Cheserek breathing down his back. One of the great individual achievements in prep track & field history the national indoor two-mile will not soon be forgotten. Lukas then faced many fresh and top national milers and claimed the national indoor mile championship in a gutsy courageous race. Like cross country following the New Balance Indoor National Championships Lukas had achieved something never before accomplished and done it in historic fashion. Verzbicas will always be remembered for achieving the "Triple-Crown" at the National Indoor Championships.

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he outdoor season would be a short one for Lukas. His goal of breaking the national two-mile record and the 4-minute mile would lead him down a hyper-focused schedule to Hayward Field and the Dream Mile. Traveling to the "House that Pre Built" Verzbicas had utter confidence in himself and set a monumental goal of 8:29. Few would have ever thought that mark could be achieved by a high school athlete. Yet as the laps clipped away and as Verzbicas held on the mark seemed more and more a reality. Heading into the final lap Lukas dropped a 60-second quarter to finish with an 8:29.46. The mark speaks for itself, a time so impressive and astounding it rivals that of the 4-minute mile. A legendary performance immortalizing Verzbicas. However, he was not yet finished. As stated over a year ago Lukas had a goal of breaking 4-minutes in the mile and solidifying his place as a great. Competing at the Adidas Grand Prix High School Dream Mile, an event inspired by the legendary Jim Ryun the phenom Lukas Verzbicas did what he knew possible. 3:59.71...becoming only the fifth prep ever to achieve the mark and the second fastest high school only mile in US history.

It is clear that the complete story of Lukas Verzbicas has yet to be written. However, if his first chapter is a prelude of things to come we are all witnessing something never before achieved and an individual athlete willing to do that which has never been done before. The argument has been made and the marks speak for themselves and present Verzbicas as the most heralded prep distance runner of all-time.

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The Drive to Win (interview August 2010)

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​Over three decades ago America's greatest running icon Steve Prefontaine stated, "I have to win." That drive to win drove a relentless quest to challenge the limitations of the human body and mind. He said, "A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways they're capable of understanding." That drive to win still inspires a generation, among those Lukas Verzbicas.

 

"On the wall of my room is a poster of Steve Prefontaine. I have watched movies about him countless times. Pre was different from everyone else. I admire the fact that he believed and stood up for change. Not only did he run differently than everyone else, but his gutsy actions changed track&field into a professional sport. I think this makes me and other people like Pre so much alike, that he was not just another ordinary runner but a figure who inspired like no other; through change."

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Verzbicas is pushing the limitations of himself by setting expectations so high that only he can meet them rewriting the record books in the process. He is gifted, talented, and capable of holding every prep record from the mile to 10000 meters. Hailing from Orland Hills, Illinois, Verzbicas has crushed multiple national and class records in track but it is cross that he has reigned supreme having never been defeated!

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"I want to be remembered...when I win (people) remember me more, when I lose they start forgetting me...it is my drive to win. I terribly want to win. Its this willingness to work so hard and to sacrifice so that I end up on top."

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The youngest cross country national champion in history, Verzbicas is one of the greatest prep cross country runners all-time. As a sophomore Verzbicas did the impossible winning the Illinois State Championship, Foot Locker Midwest Regional Championship and Foot Locker National Championship. At Nationals Verzbicas defeated Nike Cross National Champion Craig Lutz solidifying his consensus #1 national ranking. This accomplishment is something that the greats have never done guaranteeing Verzbicas a place in cross country immortality.

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Verzbicas has an uncommon courage as he runs beyond limits. This drive to win was evident from a very early age. Verzbicas takes a can-do attitude as he attacks cross country courses in a way few can match causing most to stand in awe much the same way they did when Pre competed.

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"Courage to me is what I did when I started running. Being ten years old I would enter into local 5k races. In every one of them I would stand at the front of the starting line and run the first mile with the leaders until either collapsing or totally slowing down while barely being able to still stand. Most of all I love the team aspect of cross country. It is so great knowing that there are all these other guys pushing themselves just as hard as you are during workouts and races. It makes each and every team member work harder when we know that the guy next to us is doing it, no matter how tired we might be. I also enjoy racing in the different nature and terrain, it makes the sport so much more interesting."

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Favorite Workout: 10x2 minute fartlek with 2 minutes easy in between.