From one big race to an even bigger one.
After taking a much-deserved break following the indoor season, Sean Gray isn’t wasting any time finding high-level competition this spring.
The Portsmouth High senior will travel to Icahn Stadium this weekend, where he’ll be part of a star-studded field in the featured 3,200-meter run at the Glenn D. Loucks Games. The seldom-run event is one in which Rhode Island athletes have excelled over the last decade, particularly at Loucks.
In 2016, former La Salle Academy standouts Matt Bouthillette and DJ Principe finished fifth and sixth, respectively, while producing the two fastest times in state history for the event. Bouthillette crossed the line in the current state record of 8:51.23, while Principe was just 0.20 seconds behind at 8:51.43. Former La Salle standout Jack Salisbury ranks No. 3 all-time after clocking 8:56.55 at the 2015 meet.
Gray is hoping to become the latest Rhode Island runner to break nine minutes. The Virginia commit isn’t simply aiming to dip under the barrier, either — he’s targeting a record-setting performance in Friday night’s race, scheduled for 7:20 p.m.
The number Gray hopes to see on the clock when he crosses the line – 8:45.
“I am super excited to race some of the best guys from New York and beyond and chase a big goal of 8:45,” he said. “It’s definitely going to be difficult, but based on my workouts and training, I definitely feel it is in the cards.”
When Gray answers the gun this weekend, he will be just six days removed from a strong performance at the Classical Classic, where he nearly captured victories in both the 1,500m and 800m. He placed second in each event while running personal bests of 3:58.19 and 1:58.48, respectively.
Gray’s personal best in the 3,200m is 9:04.27, a mark he set at last year’s Loucks Games.
“I think that if I am feeling great, I could even challenge the 8:40 barrier,” Gray said. “My coaches and I believe that I have the fitness to do this because my mileage and base have built up since indoor, along with a lot of threshold and VO2 work. I am ready to chase this and then next week chase a time in the mile at BSR.”
After Loucks, the Patriot senior has his eyes set on next week’s featured mile at the BSR Elite Scholastic Meet at UMass-Amherst.
