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As been typical since last year, Devan Kipyego will be competing in a host of high-level, national-caliber competitions this season. The first of those meets take place this weekend when the Saint Raphael senior travels cross-country to sunny California for the prestigious Arcadia Invitational.
Let’s just say of all the meets he competes in this spring, this one might be the best of them all.
For the first time in his career, Kipyego will race in the 3,200-meter run (Saturday, 11:42 p.m. EST). The Saints’ standout will be doing it against a stacked, absolutely insane field at Arcadia High.
How stacked, how insane is this field? For starters, SRA coach Chris Magill had to actually plead with meet officials to get his four-minute miler in the seeded heat.
“They don’t mess around,” Magill said. “I had to beg for him to be in the 3,200m.”
In its history, the Arcadia Invitational has been the site of 33 national high school records. A total of 203 future Olympians have taken part in the meet, including Noah Lyles and Alan Webb.
Of all the events at the two-day meet, which kicks off on Friday, the 3,200m will feature the most national talent on the line. The race includes nearly two dozen runners that have broken nine minutes for the two mile or its conversion. The top seed is Southern Boone County (MO) senior Connor Burns, who captured the two mile at last month’s New Balance Nationals with a nation-leading 8:43.2. The field also includes North Carolina’s Rocky Hansen, the Christ School senior, who won the Junior Mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and has a best of 8:46.2 for the 2M. Among others is the host state’s Chris Caudillo of Clovis, who brings a best of 8:45.1 to the line from last year’s fourth-place finish at Arcadia.
In 2022, Newbury Park teammates Colin Sahlman and Lex Young ran the two fastest times ever at the Arcadia Invite with Sahlman establishing a new meet record of 8:34.99 and Young finishing second at 8:35.72. A total of 23 runners broke nine minutes with eight dipping under 8:50.
This weekend’s field could match, and possibly exceed, what happened last year. Magill is looking forward to seeing just how well his star runner matches up against the nation’s best.
“I am very excited for him,” he said. “There’s a lot of competition out west. That’s where he needed to go.”
For Kipyego. this will be his first elite race since nearly pulling out a victory in the mile at the New Balance Nationals three weeks ago where he ran 4:02.30 to finish just five hundredths of a second behind individual winner Jackson Heidesch of Dowling Catholic (IA). That time was just off his indoor PR of 4:01.04 from BU’ Last Chance Qualifier on Feb. 26.
According to Magill, Kipyego is in great shape for a prime showing at Arcadia. The SRA standout utilized this past weekend’s Knights of Columbus Relays to simulate a pace in the mid 8:40 range. After running a 4:17 leg for his team’s second-place 4xMile squad, the Iowa State-bound runner ran another mile on the track at the conclusion of the meet in 4:24 and followed that with four 400s at 61-62 second pace with limited rest.
Kipyego has yet to compete in the two mile or the 3,200m while at St. Ray’s. His best for the 3K was 8:20.52 at last year’s St. Germain Invitational. a race he was able to focus on just one event and was held under rainy and windy conditions. His effort at St. Germain converts to about 8:57-8:58 for the two mile.
“I think he’s at least 12 seconds faster than that this year, maybe faster,” Magill said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he ran between 8:40-8:45. I think he’s ready. He did a solid workout on Saturday and another good workout on Tuesday. He’s flying out there on Thursday and he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
Besides a top finish, Kipyego will be looking to break the state record of 8:51.23, held by former La Salle great Matt Bouthillette from the 2016 Glenn B. Loucks Games in New York. The Saints’ runner is only the second Rhode Islander to ever compete at Arcadia. In 2006, Hendricken alum Tom Webb was ninth overall with a time of 9:04.61.
Among other top-level meets that Kipyego will be competing in this spring are the HOKA Festival of Miles in St. Louis (June 1) and the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle (June 14), a meet he finished third in the mile last year with his all-time best of 4:00.64.
