2022 TRACK RESULTS
2022 KIDS RACE RESULTS
Runnerspace Videos
Meet Recap
The spectators and participants at the 2022 edition of the HOKA Festival of Miles enjoyed beautiful weather with lower than usual temperatures and humidity for St. Louis. Good weather combined with the deepest fields ever assembled led to a fast night on the track on Thursday, June 2 at St. Louis University High School.
Hundreds of kindergarten through 8th grade runners of all speeds helped us kick off the event in the Dillon Family Kids Race and Middle School Race. Part of the mission of the Festival of Miles Foundation is to promote the sport of track and field by getting kids interested in running while offering a competitive and welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy. The other part of the Foundation’s mission focuses on giving back to an athlete in need. The beneficiary of this year’s meet was Emma Reece, a 2 year old battling leukemia. Emma’s family is embedded in the Festus, MO running community with her dad as a coach of the Festus High School track team and one of her sisters a member of the Festus cross country team. Although the atmosphere was a bit loud for little Emma, her family was grateful for the opportunity to be at Festival of Miles and for all of the support.
The Junior High Invitational Miles were the first races on the track. Sixth grader Ella Messner from Academie Lafayette (MO) made her way through the pack during the first 400 and then worked herself into the lead. Messner held off a strong push from Mae Walker (MO) over the last lap to win in a time of 5:23.53. In the boys race, Caleb Ten Pas of XLR8 Track Club (IA) lived up to his top seed time. He went straight to the lead and ran away from the field for the win in 4:31.37.
In the Spewak Training High School Development Miles, Cami Crouch of Nerinx Hall (MO) defended her 2021 win with similar tactics running mid-pack most of the race and using a fast last lap along with a strong kick to win in 4:57.75, her first time sub-5 minutes. On the boy’s side, Jacob Meyers of Festus High School, was in 8th place with a lap to go but found a way to be first to the finish line with a time of 4:10.73. Meyers had previously run at Festival of Miles in 8th grade in 2018 and had a goal to earn a spot as a high schooler. He certainly made his mark by winning as a senior.
In the fan-favorite Mascot 400m, a large field of birds, big cats, horned animals and more stepped to the line. The Webster High School Stateman, who was unencumbered by a full animal head, strided out and went straight to the front. With tux tails flapping and a top hat remaining in place on his head, the Statesman crossed the line in a new meet record of 56.79! The Cougar from St. Charles Lutheran also dipped under the record, finishing in second place with a time of 59.17. They were the first two mascots ever to have run sub 60 seconds at Festival of Miles.
In the Eric Fernandez High School Girls 800m run, Makayla Clark of Lee’s Summit West High School (MO) defended her 2021 title with a definitive kick and new PR of 2:07.97 just barely missing the meet record. This fast field produced 4 sub-2:10 times and the three podium finishers broke 2:09 and made the Festival of Miles All-Time 800 list: Makayla Clark now holds the 4th and 5th fastest 800m times at Festival of Miles, Brianna Rinn (NE) second in the race and now #8 all-time with a 2:08.95, and freshman Elyse Wilmes (MO) third in the race and ninth all-time with a 2:08.99.
The Eric Fernandez High School Boys 800m saw top seed Daniel Watcke of Hinsdale Central (IL) lead from the gun and fend off a late push from Nicholas Pizarro (DE) to win. A first timer at HOKA Festival of Miles, Watcke ran a 1:50.81 to earn the third all-time fastest 800 run at FOM. Pizarro’s second place time of 1:50.9 puts him 4th on the all-time list and Gabe Nash of Iowa finds himself 5th all-time with his third place finish time of 1:51.23. A nod to the depth of this fast field, the fourth place finisher, Garrett Wilmes (MO), also found himself on the top 10 all-time list in the #9 slot.
A stacked Big River Running High School Championship Girls Mile field was led by Camry Wennersten (NJ) through three laps when a pack of four broke away at the bell. Tatum David (IL) used a surge at 300m to create some separation and cruise to the win. David not only smashed her personal best, but also an eight year old meet record with her time of 4:42.15. Second and third place also ran under the previous record with Samantha Humphries (TX) running a 4:45.11 and MaryEllen Eudaly (FL) running 4:45.55. Thirteen girls in this race ran under 5:00! Fun fact: Tatum David now holds two meet records for Festival of Miles, adding to her Junior High Invite Girls Mile record which she set in 2019.
A loaded field took the line for the second edition of the Drury Hotel Women’s Mile. Susan Ejore with Cascadia Elite quickly set up behind the pacers, but a big group remained together through three laps. Alex Teubel (Northern Iowa Track) pushed the pace at the beginning of the last lap, but it was Ejore whose slingshot around the curve allowed her to move into first in the last 100m and take the win with a time of 4:32.33. Teubel was second in 4:32.77 and Jenn Randall of Cascadia Elite/Tracksmith rounded out the podium with a time of 4:33.81. Natalie Cook, a high schooler from Flower Mound High School in Texas and high school 5k record holder, was part of the field but was spiked pretty badly during the race and ended up finishing 12th in a time of 4:42.33.
A fast and talented group lined up for the Big River Running High School Boys Championship Mile. A series of lead changes kept the pace hot throughout the race. It was Jackson Heidesch who made a big move with 300m to go. He sprinted down the homestretch with a big smile on his face and his lucky donut socks on his feet to win in a time of 4:06.14. Tanner Talley (MO), who won the 800m at Festival of Miles last year, moved up from the back of the field to finish second (4:08.34) and Dawson Welch of Iowa finished third in 4:08.96. Ten boys in this field ran 4:10 or faster and the entire field of 15 was 4:12 or better.
The culminating race of the evening – St. Louis Track Club Mens Mile – featured a slew of talent in Paul Ryan of Golden Coast/Adidas, Wesley Kiptoo (multiple time NCAA champion) of HOKA NAZ Elite, and Jack Antsey of Dark Sky Distance among others. But a lot of attention was paid to the three high schoolers in the field including Gary Martin, a senior from Archbishop Wood High (PA) who had recently broke 4-minutes in a record breaking time as the fastest mile run in an unpaced high school only race (3:57.98), Connor Burns, a junior from Southern Boone High (MO) who holds the Missouri state record in the 3200m and Daelen Ackley, a senior from Eldorado Springs High (MO), the Missouri Class 3 1600m State Champion. At the gun, it was high schooler Gary Martin who went straight to the front with Wesley Kiptoo settling into second, the rest of the field close behind. Jack Antsey moved into second at the bell lap and made a move to first with 200m to go. Paul Ryan ran a fast curve and pushed to the win with a time of 3:55.95 to take the #3 spot on the Festival of Miles All-Time list. Jack Antsey hung on for 2nd in 3:56.87 (#8 FOM all-time) and Caleb Webb finished third with a 3:57.54.
The finishers just behind the top three were just as exciting. For the first time in U.S. running history, two high schoolers ran sub-4 in the same race with Gary Martin, bettering his PR to 3:57.89 and Connor Burns, running sub-4 for the first time with a 3:58.83. Burns is the first Missouri runner to break 4 and the first junior since Jim Ryun! He’s the 15th U.S. high schooler to go under 4 minutes and the 4th to do so at Festival of Miles.
With 7 sub-4 finishers, this race ties the 2018 record of highest number of sub-4’s in one race at Festival of Miles. The tally of sub-4 minute miles at Festival of Miles now stands at 48.