#4 | Race of 2015

No. 5 | No. 4 | No. 3 | No. 2 | No. 1

Our #4 race of 2015 is actually two races that occurred nearly a month apart. Yes, that technically breaks the rules but no, I do not care.

These two performances were so unbelievably identical and closely tied together that we had to pair them on our countdown list. Neither race was better than the other, and both athletes left an undeniable mark on U.S. distance running as just the sixth and seventh individuals to break the most revered barrier in the sport while still in high school. So theyÂ’re kind of a package deal.

Only five American preps had broken the four minute mile entering 2015, and for the first time ever, two did it in the same year by running the exact same time, 3:59.38. The Exact. Same. Time. ThatÂ’s like impossible. Matthew Maton and Grant Fisher made 2015 exponentially more awesome by joining the likes of prep immortals Jim Ryun, Alan Webb, and Lukas Verzbicas, with their identical performances forever linking the two together in an even tighter bond. It (3:59.38 x2) was a little extra sugar on top that made the month-long spectacle all the more special to behold.

Maton did it first on May 8th at Hayward Field with unique circumstances allowing him to beat Fisher to the punch. See, the Bend (OR) senior and soon-to-be Oregon Duck had been kicked off his high school team (or he chose to leave depending on which version of the story you believe) so he ran the entire spring unattached, able to map out his own schedule. This was obviously huge because he got to race top college guys and pros at a spot in the season where everyone else (namely, Fisher) was running conference meets.



Just three weeks prior to his historic run, Maton ran 3:42.54 for 1500 (which BTW, broke Galen Rupp's Oregon state record) in a race that featured Mac Fleet and Blake Haney, also at Hayward, which put sub-4 squarely on his radar. When he returned to Eugene for his run at mile glory, Maton stepped to the line with two of the NCAA’s best— Eric Jenkins and Will Geoghegan— who would both end up running 3:57. Like he did in the 1500, the lanky senior stayed patient early and negative split his way to the third-fastest U.S. prep mile in history, with a 57.5 last lap helped along by having Jenkins and Geoghegan up ahead to chase.

Unfortunately for Maton, his season was cut short due to an injury, so the heavyweight Maton v. Fisher clash never materialized. However, we still had FisherÂ’s counterpunch to MatonÂ’s performance looming.

If anyone was likely to crack four in 2015, it was most certainly expected to be Fisher first and foremost, as he was the reigning Dream Mile champ and a double Foot Locker winner to boot. He ran 4:02 as a junior and had even dropped a ridiculous 4:03 indoor mile in March where he stumbled into the infield at The Armory. Sub-4 seemed like an inevitability for the future Stanford Cardinal already, and so the discussion after MatonÂ’s surprising 3:59 immediately turned to when and where Fisher would take his shot.

Like Maton, Fisher preceded his sub-4 with a 3:42 1500 against pros and collegians, with his performance at Payton Jordan signaling that the fitness was there. This was May 2nd and little did we know what was coming just six days later. The spotlight was suddenly even brighter and the pressure all the more intensified on Fisher when Maton did his thing.

While we waited and waited for Fisher to announce where he would be making his formal attempt, he did a strange thing— he almost broke four at his state meet! The nerve of this guy! He had the finish line of the MHSAA 1600 extended 9 extra meters on May 30th, which was like crazy, and proceeded to run a solo 4:01 full mile. Who does this guy think he is, Jim Ryun or something?

Oh, and then he ran an 8:53 3200m the very same day and everybody was like, “Grant’s ready. Get Grant in a big boy race.” And Fisher, I assume, was like, “chill guys, I got this.”

Two days later the news we had been waiting for finally arrived: Grant Fisher would attempt his sub-4 mile at the Nike Festival of Miles in just three days. It was Christmas morning in early June.

The consensus was that Fisher was for sure going to get the job done in St. Louis, as anything less would be a pretty big disappointment. He did not disappoint.

With defending FOM champ Jordan McNamara and fellow pro Tyler Pennel (as well as Aaron Braun and Jack Bolas) serving at FisherÂ’s version of the Jenkins/Geoghegan combo for Maton, the Grand Blanc (MI) senior ran a similarly smart race en route to glory, splitting 2:00-ish at halfway and gradually moving up. It was just as methodical as expected.



When Fisher crossed third and the clock lit up with “3:59.38” next to his name, it was a fitting end to an unbelievable month of high school distance running. Even despite not getting the Fisher v. Maton matchup that everyone so desired, we couldn’t have asked for more.