Today we chat with the 7th fastest high school miler of all time (4:01.02) Steve Magness.  He accomplished his time during his senior year at the 2003 Prefontaine Classic.  The picture to the right is during that race(courtesy of www.dyestat.com) with Steve running next to former Jesuit HS/Stanford runner Michael Stember and with high school and American record holder in the mile, Alan Webb in the background.  Interesting to note that the majority of the fastest high school miles have been recorded against elite athletes such as Steve's time above in the Pre Classic.  To check out the all-time high school mile times in HS only competition, check out the following link below.  Steve went on to compete at Rice University.  He is currently coaching runners and is quite a student of the sport.  You can check out his highly educational blog at http://www.scienceofrunning.com/.


1) How did you get your start in distance running?
I was always pretty good at the PE physical fitness mile we'd run every year in school and the fact that my dad and grandfather, who was a sub 4:30 HS miler way back in the 20's or 30's, I kind of always knew I'd run track when I got to Junior High. I just kind of did it because I was good at it until High School when some of the older runners on the team took me under their wing and helped bring me to that next level.

2) When did you realize that distance running was your sport and you can excel in it?
My freshman year in High School. Up until then I was a soccer player and runner, but the success I had that first season in cross-country, the fun of being on a good team, and the way running fit with my personality made me choose running.

3) What are your highlights from high school competitions? PRs on the track?
In HS I ended up with PR's of 4:01.02-mile, 1:52.70-800m, and 9:06-3200m. My whole senior year track season was a highlight, but the two biggest races that stand out were running in the Prefontaine Classic and then a 4xmile relay we did at one of the bigger relay meets. The Pre Classic is obvious because it was a once in a lifetime thing and the experience was amazing. The relay was special to me because we had spent the previous 3 years trying to beat the Woodlands and Kingwood, who were two perenially national ranked teams, and my final year we came together as a team and pulled off a victory. Also, after splitting 4:03 going out in 56, that was the first time I knew I was on another level in my own running.