LAWRENCE, Kan. – Winning at Rim Rock is becoming a habit for Jacob Morgan.
The Washburn Rural senior threw down a blistering 15:13.2 Saturday to win the Gold Division of the Rim Rock Farm Classic by 11 seconds. Morgan set a new PR by more than 20 seconds, bettering the 15:35 he posted to win the Kansas 6A state meet last fall on the same University of Kansas course.
“I worked a lot harder and put more miles in,” said Morgan, who was sixth (15:50) at last fall’s Classic. “I think I still have to get a little faster before state. I’ve got four weeks to do it, so I’ll try to get faster and faster.”
The race pitted Morgan against the defending Missouri Class 4 champion, Zach Herriott of Kansas City Rockhurst. Through the first mile of the race, Herriott and Drew White of Festus (Mo.) High School, pushed out to a small lead.
Morgan said he was content to sit back in the chase pack and run his own pace. He went through the mile mark in about sixth.
“I knew all those guys were going to do that because they’re such strong guys,” Morgan said. “I was going to try to increase the rate as I go, try to break them down and see if they can hang.
“It seems like that’s a huge difference is the second mile. It’s a big part of the race, and it’s a tough part too.”
He started making his move over the second mile, and he was emphatic about passing White and Herriott.
“My strategy was I had to be with Zach Herriott at the mile and two-mile mark in order to beat him,” White said. “I thought I did that. That kid at the two mile mark storms by me and Herriott. I had no clue who he was at all.”
Herriott said he wanted to give chase, but he didn’t have the stamina after a sinus infection had limited him over the past couple days.
“By the two-mile mark I was feeling pretty out of it,” Herriott said. “He flew past us, and then Drew tried to go with him, and I tried to go with Drew a little bit, but I really couldn’t do it. I was trying to hold my spot and finish.”
Morgan said he wanted to shave a few seconds off his previous best, but he never envisioned dropping quite so much.
He was quick to point out that the caliber of the competition likely had a lot to do with pushing him to some fast splits, especially in the final strides of the race.
“With a field like that it’s kind of a given you’re going to PR,” Morgan said. “I was amazed. I didn’t think I ran it that fast. I like Rim Rock. It seems to have it all played out, but it goes by really quick though considering all the hills.”
Pacing seemed to be the strategy of choice for a lot of runners at Rim Rock Saturday.
In the girls Gold Division, Samantha Nightingale of Kansas City’s Blue Springs South led from start to finish in a lightning-fast 14:15.4,which is the 10th fastest 4k time in the country this season.
Shawnee Mission West junior Alli Cash mimicked Morgan and was content to sit back and give chase. Through the first mile, she was holding back in the chase pack before she started to pass and move up toward the front.
Cash didn’t quite get all the way to the front like Morgan, but she did capture third place in a quick 14:54. After Nightingale, defending Arkansas state champ Maggie Montoya of Rogers took second in 14:36.
“I know they’re amazing runners, and it’s pretty cool to run with them,” said Cash, admitting she was aware of the competitions’ reputations entering the meet. “I just try to run my own race and pick as many people off as I can. I wanted to break 15 today, which I did, so I was happy with that.”