PARK CITY, Utah – Fifty-five seconds is all it took for Ben Saarel to rewrite the record books.
Saarel used an incredible kick on his 55-second final lap to win the 3,200-meter race at the 2013 Arcadia Invitational with a time of 8 minutes, 45.74 seconds. The time was good enough to beat Cibola (Ariz.) star Bernie Montoya by 1.33 seconds.
It marks the best national time for a high school runner in that event since 2011. The
Park City runner also eclipsed an even more significant milestone. He broke a five-year-old Utah state record in the 3200 held by former Judge Memorial and University of Oregon track star Luke Puskedra.
Ben Saarel, Park City
Photo courtesy of Foot Locker
Puskedra became the first high school runner in Utah to break the nine minute barrier in 2008 with his record setting time of 8:54.41 in the 3,200 at the Class 3A championship meet. At the time, Puskedra had eclipsed the previous best mark in the 3,200 by 2.23 seconds – a time he posted a scant two weeks earlier at the 2008 BYU Invitational.
Saarel left that record in the dust.
"What he did is really develop himself over the last nine months," Park City coach Jeff Wyant said. "He's always had a good kick, but he worked on it and improved it."
The grand irony in this accomplishment? Saarel never saw himself actually becoming immersed in the world of distance running when he started high school.
"I played a soccer for a long time," Saarel said. "My freshman year I didn't even do track because I didn't think I was a runner."
His older sister Emma, who currently competes in track and field for Swathmore College, convinced Saarel he had a future as a runner. He started running cross country in the fall and track in the spring for Park City during his sophomore season.
Saarel didn't just join the track team and the cross country team. He came aboard with the goal of becoming a good runner. Saying he accomplished that mission would be a massive understatement.
Saarel has won state titles two consecutive years in the 1,600. A year ago, he pulled off the rare distance sweep – winning Class 3A titles in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.
He has been equally dominant in cross country, as Saarel is a three-time Class 3A champion. He reached his pinnacle in 2012 when he won a state title with a time of 14:56.7, claimed the Foot Locker West Region Championship with a time of 15:28 and then placed fourth at the Foot Locker Nationals with a time 15.13.
As good as he was then, Wyant believes he's reached a higher level this spring.
"He had a really good winter," Wyant said. "He trained hard. He actually improved himself. I actually believe he's a better runner now than he was in the fall. He's got all the tools. He's going to be a hard one to beat."
Saarel focused a large amount of energy on boosting his aerobic fitness coming into his senior season. He used longer intervals and shorter recovery times between those intervals to improve his endurance.
For 800-meter intervals, Saarel rests for 2 minutes and 20 seconds between each interval. On 1,200-meter intervals, he increases his recovery time to 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
It has allowed Saarel to increase his training regimen from 40 hours per week during his sophomore season to 75 hours per week as a senior. He has seen a major benefit in all of the races he's competed in this spring.
"It trains your body to use oxygen more efficiently," Saarel said. "If my speed feels good, I don't really have to work on that. I can focus on trying to make my body more efficient. Those longer intervals really help with teaching your body what lactic acid feels like and get you used to that sort of pace for a long time."
Saarel will have another chance to make a national splash when he competes in the 1,600 at the 2013 Mt. Sac Relays in California this weekend. A bigger splash potentially awaits when he starts running for the University of Colorado. Saarel chose to sign with the Buffaloes after considering offers from Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Stanford and Princeton.
Wyant would not be surprised see Saarel eventually make the same impact at the NCAA level that he has made as a high school runner. He believes all the tools are there to do it and those are the same tools that have made Saarel a once-in-a-generation athlete for Park City.
"The school records that Ben establishes here will be here for 100 years," Wyant said. "A high school doesn't see this twice. As a coach, you don't see this twice. You'll never get the rare combination of talent, dedication and drive at the level he has on race day."
John Coon has covered sports in Utah since 2004. He previously worked as a prep sports reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune for 2 1/2 years and then spent 3 1/2 years as a prep sports reporter with the Deseret News.
