McLaughlin, HOKA NJNY 4xMile crew smash records

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

In the hours that followed the 110th NYRR Millrose Games on Feb. 11, Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic NJ knew she hadn't given her best effort in the 300 meters. 

She wanted a do-over. 

Before McLaughlin and her coaches left The Armory six days ago, they were already trying to figure out if they could find one more opportunity to take down Francena McCorory's 2006 national high school record of 36.96 seconds. 

By Monday, the inaugural Artie O'Connor Invitational at The Armory had a 300 meters on the schedule and a commitment from McLaughlin to be there. 

On Friday, McLaughlin got it right -- running with power and intensity through the lap and half race and hitting the finish tape in 36.82 seconds. At Millrose, she ran 37.09.

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"There are so many more people at Millrose and it got to my head a little bit. I didn't run my race," McLaughlin said. "I felt like I was going along with the flow and wasn't competing."

McLaughlin, who already owned national records in the 400 meters indoors and the 400-meter hurdles outdoors, has been pursuring the 300 record for years. Her first race for Union Catholic as a freshman was in the 300 meters at The Armory, where she broke the New Jersey state record.

"It's a good way to finish things off in the 300," she said. 

McLaughlin will switch gears and compete in the New Jersey Non-Public A Group meet Saturday, probably a 400 meters and a leg on the 4x400.

Training partners break 24-year-old record in 4xMile

Less than an hour later, four training partners from the New Jersey-New York Track Club -- Donn Cabral, Ford Palmer, Graham Crawford and Kyle Merber -- broke the 24-year old world indoor best in the 4xmile relay. (The IAAF doesn't officially recognize the event for its record book). 

Merber anchored the team with a 3:59, spurred on by fans lined around the perimeter of the track, and brought it home in 16:12.81 -- nearly four seconds under the record.

The team had to replace its intended anchor, Colby Alexander, with a substitute, Crawford, who was coming off an injury and running his first race of the year.

That change altered the talk about driving the record under 16 minutes, but the team was still able to achieve its primary objective.

"It's great exposure for HOKA and the New Jersey-New York Track Club," Merber said. "To do something that really shows a great team effort is special for Gags. This is not an all-star team. We're not four guys from the same country who get together to go for a record, or even four guys from the same shoe company. We're four guys who train together every day and that makes it special."

Cabral led off with a 4:05.4. Palmer ran 3:59.5. Crawford split 4:08.6. And Merber, who was third in last week's NYRR Wanamaker Mile, anchored in 3:59.3.

Crawford found out Wednesday afternoon that he would have to fill in for Alexander, who wasn't feeling well. 

"I was trying to bust the rust and it's a hell of a way to do it in a world record attempt," Crawford said. "I was trying not to implode out there."

The desire to carry a quarter of the load was there for all four. 

Palmer, determined to run under four minutes on his carry, went out in 27-point for his first 200 meters.

"That was a bit ballsy on my part, but it was good," Palmer said. "Honestly if the crowd wasn't there today it would have been much harder. They got us going."