Len Sitko became the first person to run a sub-four minute mile in Texas in five years, winning the Congress Avenue Mile in 3 minutes, 59.74 seconds Sunday morning. Before Sunday, the most recent sub-four minute clocking in Texas was at the 1992 Congress Avenue Mile run in 1992. Paul Perrone placed fifth in 3:58.9, technically making him the last person in Texas to accomplish the feat Perrone was on hand to congratulate Sitko.

Sitko, 28, who moved to Austin from Chicago last year and won the Capitol 10,000 in April, ran a perfectly executed race. Bolting down the slightly downhill start, the group of 11 elites quickly strung out. Sitko and Adam Dailey, an Austin High School graduate and current University of Arkansas runner, pushed the pace up front.

The first quarter-mile was crucial for Sitko to set himself up to break four minutes. He wanted to take advantage of the downhill start but not blow it early with too much enthusiasm. A 57-second split seemed just right, and he showed confidence by opening a small gap on Dailey.

“I was a little nervous at the start,” said Sitko, a former All-American miler at Illinois. “I haven’t run a hard mile in a long time. It’s a whole different kind of hurt.”

Sitko took command at the halfway mark in 1:57, and from that point enough edge for the final attack on the bridge. He’d need a 62-second closing quarter to do it, but a stiff headwind had developed, and he was starting to feel the pace.

“I started to tie up a bit entering the bridge,” Sitko said. “I was eyeing the clock the whole way, and the finish kept getting further away. I knew I would have to stay smooth.

“When you get that close, you just try to find that extra gear. Time is the only thing on your mind. But I set myself up right for that last split. I had just enough of a cushion. And there was great crowd support on that last stretch.”

Dailey was second in 4:10. David Hartman was third in 4:17, ahead of Joseph Ryan and John Mizell, another Austin High graduate, in 4:20.

David Washburn, 40, from Houston, was the fastest master in 4:23.

“I really hammered the third quarter, but then I really tied up. That’s just part of the mile, I guess, ” said Washburn, who won an Ivy League mile championship (4:06) while running for Cornell.

Katrina Price, a national-class runner attending law school at the University of Texas, won the women’s title in 4:48. Sheena Carswell of Austin grabbed second in 5:06.

PUBLICATION: Austin American-Statesman (TX)
SECTION: Sports
PAGE: C1