by Larry EderThe Stumptown Twilight is part of the tradition in Portland. The Portland Track Festival was held on May 28-29, 2021, and then, the following Thursday, June 3, 2021, the stars aligned once again, and the Stumptown Twilight was held.
Men’s 1,500m at 2021 Stumptown Twilight, June 3, 2021, photo by How Lao Photography
What makes these meets special? The meets are held for the benefit of the athletes, mostly elite, but also Masters, high school, and club athletes, from 400m to 5,000m.
This was my first visit to Lewis & Clark College since the late 1990s, when I visited to cover the adidas Oregon Track Classics, managed by the late Paul Banta.
The team at Portland Track should be congratulated. Their truly bespoke meets give the athletes a chance to compete and get qualifying marks even in a pandemic.
Here are my five deep thoughts from the Stumptown Twilight.
1. Matt Centrowitz did a fascinating workout, showing his racing readiness.
Last weekend, Matt Centrowitz ran a 1:46.23, and qualified for a second event at the 2021 USATF Olympic Trials. Matt Centrowtiz is the 2016 Olympic champion at 1,500m, the first American since 1908 to win the Olympic titles.
Matt Centrowitz is under constant scrutiny. His family is quite supportive and he and his Dad are very close. He handles it well.
Matt Centrowitz during his 3 x800m at Stumptown Twilight, photo by How Lao Photography
Centrowitz is like a prizefighter. When fit, when confident, he seldom makes a wrong move. He is the alpha racer, and he has eyes in the back of his head, much like 1992 Olympic champion Fermin Cacho of Spain.
On Thursday, Coach Jerry Schumacher of the Bowerman TC had Matt do a tough workout.
Three times an 800m. In the first, Centrowitz ran 1:50.33, then an 8:22 break. Matt then ran a 1:49.77 and took a break of six minutes, 22 seconds, and finally, in his third 800m of the day, he went 1:53.92.
In all three, Centrowitz looked within himself. Not to suggest that he was not tired, but his coach had assigned him a workout, and he completed the task.
Is he ready for Eugene? Mais oui.
2. Craig Engels is ready for Eugene as well.
Last weekend at the Portland Track Festival, Craig Engels won the elite Men’s 1,500m in 3:33:64, a new PB. The time was spectacular, leading 11 men under 3:35. It was his perfect timing and speed that Craig used on May 29, 2021, that made Coach Pete Julian smile. Engels has the ability to close down the last 100m that will put him in medal contention and makes him a legitimate challenge to Matt Centrowitz at the Olympic Trials.
Craig Engels takes the elite Men’s 800m at Stumptown Twilight, photo by How Lao Photography
Then, on June 3, 2021, Craig won the 800m heat that he was in 1:46.14, again, battling up the final straight, and taking the elite heat at the very end. He came back and jogged a 5000m in 14:46, playfully leaning at the finish.
In a recent interview, Pete Julian, the coach of Craig Engels, told me that Craig makes him smile most days: Engels’s sense of humor and easy-going manner disguises his hunter instincts. The guy is an elite miler.
3. Emily Infeld is ready to race the 10,000m.
In 2015, in Beijing, at the World Championships, Emily Infeld caught Molly Huddle just prior to the finish and took the WC bronze medal in the 10,000m. It was a spectacular move and moment, and since 2015, Emily has been dealing with various ailments.
Emily Infeld just does it, 3 June 2021, Women’s 5000m, photo by How Lao Photography
In 2019, Emily required hip surgery. In 2020, she developed a hip stress fracture. Emily fought back, ran PBs at 5000m and 3000m during the indoor season.
Emily Infeld is forever the optimist. She has battled back from some tough injuries with honesty and a positive attitude. On Thursday night, June 3, 2021, Emily Infeld won a close 5000m in 15:14.97.
This is her third race in 2021. On Feb. 7, 2021, Emily ran an 8:51.63. On Feb. 20, 2021, Ms. Infeld came back and ran a 10,000m PB of 31:08.57.
The 15:14.97 showed that the carefully built campaign to reach Eugene by Emily and the Bowerman team is coming to reality.
Emily Infeld should be in the thick of the battle in the 10,000m.
4. Josh Kerr sent a message heard around the world!
Josh Kerr runs for the Brooks Beasts.
He is one talented athlete. In 2015, Josh won the European U20 1,500m title in 3:49.62. Two years later, Mr. Kerr won the NCAA 1,500m title, in a slow 3:43.03 with a big kick. In 2019, Josh Kerr came of age, taking sixth in the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Josh ran 3:32.52, a PB at the time.
Josh Kerr and his coach, Danny Mackey knew, that with that sixth, he was a player in the global middle distances.
I remember meeting Josh and his folks outside the Crown Plaza in Birmingham, England in 2017. Josh had been frustrated with the decisions of his country’s selectors, and I let him know that he should have been chosen to Team GB.
And now, back from the digression to 2021.
Josh had two races before Stumptown.
On May 9, 2021, Josh ran a fine 800m in 1:45.74 at the new Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. SAC. One week later, at the Irvine meeting for Sound Running, the Scotsman ran 13:23.78 for 5000m, his new PB.
Josh Kerr making history, 3 June 2021, Stumptown Twilight, photo by How Lao Photography
Prior to Stumptown, Josh Kerr had told meet management he was ready for a 3:31.3 or so. He needed some pacing.
The pacemaker took Josh Kerr through a 56 first lap, a 57-second lap, and then, by the 1000m, Josh had daylight. And he should have, as he pushed that third lap into a 56.04 and did not stop!
Using that speed and strength that Coach Mackey had encouraged, Josh Kerr ran a fine 57.01 last 400m, putting four seconds between him and the field, running a PB of 3:31.55!
Josh Kerr goes supersonic! 3 June 2021, photo by How Lao Photography
Then, the stat geeks got to work. Josh Kerr had run the fastest 1,500m ever in North America, surpassing the 3:32.20 that Seb Coe ran in the 1984 LA Olympics.
How should Josh Kerr feel about his race? On top of the world, and as he prepares for the British Olympic Trials and Selections, his 3:31.55 puts him in the driver’s seat for Team GB!
5. The Portland Track Festival is an example of how things should be.
The goal of the Portland Track Festival is to give elite athletes and not so elite a chance to compete in a well-managed meet. That is easier said than done. Many meets run hours behind and are less than communicative.
2021 Stumptown Twilight, Women’s 800m, 3 June 2021, photo by How Lao Photography
The bespoke meets that happened in 2020 and 2021 have not only kept the sport alive but help the sport thrive, as we deliver events, content, video , audio and continue to tell stories about our athletes and meets.
The 2021 season is about to explode. The 2021 US Olympic Trials, June 18-27, 2021 and the Olympics (July 23-August 8, 2021) will give the elite of elite a chance to compete in as normal a championship season as we can provide in a pandemic.
The Stumptown Twilight helped give athletes a chance to race!
Congrats on such a fine job!
