Gabe Stephens never planned to run the 400-meter. In fact, he had no say in it. One day, his father just signed him up, and when Stephens arrived at the first day of practice last season, his coach was already in on the plan.
Stephens and Langston Ford, both juniors, began high school as sprinters, competing in the shortest events, reserved for the fastest runners. Now, they find themselves in the grueling world of mid-distance running, facing intense training and longer races that push their endurance to new limits. The transition from sprints to mid-distance was anything but smooth. Their regimen became significantly tougher, filled with longer runs and workouts designed for distance runners.
“Coach Davis, the cross-country and distance coach, decided it was a great idea to start us off with a quote-unquote Olympian workout just from the start of the year, and I was not prepared for that, and neither was Langston,” Stephens said.
Gone were the quick, intense sprinting drills he was used to, such as working on block starts or practicing stride outs. Instead, his workouts now consisted of endurance-building exercises.
“The workouts were really hard 400m and 800m repeats. We were running like two miles a day,” Stephens said.
400m and 800m repeats are when a runner runs either a 400m distance (one lap around the track) or an 800m distance (two laps around the track) repeatedly until told to stop. Repeating long distances over and over tested Stephen’s in ways sprinting never had. His legs burned daily, and there were moments when he struggled to finish his workouts. Despite this challenge, Stephens’ role on the team continued to evolve.
“I’m not doing any 100 meter sprints anymore. I now do 2×4 relay, open 200m or 2×2 relay. Whatever they need me in,” Stephens said
A 2×4 relay is a 200m sprint done by 4 separate people by passing a baton. Similarly, a 2×2 relay is a 200m sprint done by 2 separate people by passing a baton. Track coach Billy D’Amico had no hesitation about the teammates’ move to mid-distance.
“I made an agreement with Coach Davis, our phenomenal distance coach, that if he is going to take them to the mid-distance squad, I can still use them on relays, as well as individual events when needed. I’ll put the bat signal in the air, and Gabe will know when he’s on the sprint squad or the distance squad that day,” D’Amico said.
Damico saw mid-distance as an opportunity for both runners. With strong sprinting backgrounds, Stephens and Ford could bring speed to the longer races, helping the team remain competitive in events like the 4×4 relay.
“They give us the best chance in the 4×4 and the Open 400,” D’Amico said.
This is important as D’Amico has big goals for the team as the season approaches.
“We are a three-time regional qualifier in the 4×8, and we’re looking to take down the record in the 4×8 that was set by my class in 2011,” D’Amico said.
With big goals on the horizon, training is a must. While Ford took a more traditional approach by training with the distance squad in the offseason, Stephens had his own priorities.
“Gabe is still in bulking season due to his workout, so we don’t talk to him until March rolls around, when that happens, he’s got to cut weight, get stronger, but we allow him to bulk up in the wintertime,” D’Amico said.
Track & Field is a sport that sees many different kinds of training. Different styles of athletes require different regimes to improve in their events. D’Amico explained that runners in the same event may not have the exact same training in order to address each runner’s individual needs.
“There is training that needs to be done by everybody, but it’s specialty, and so you’ve got to understand how to train your athletes,” D’Amico said.
One of the biggest adjustments for Stephens was learning how to pace himself. As a sprinter, he was used to going all-out from the start, but in the 400-meter race, conserving energy for the final stretch is crucial.
“Closing speed, Gabe tends to go out late in his 400, when he’s running either on the 4×4 leg or just an open 400. He likes to come from down a few meters and try to catch a guy that last 100. That works a lot of the time, but when we get to the invites and the districts, we gotta change that approach, and we are working on that,” D’Amico said.
Every runner in track has a unique pace to them. In a race like the 400m, so much goes into how each athlete runs it. With this depth to the event, competitors see a large variety in their running styles.
Rather than thriving on closing speed, D’Amico said that Ford has a better start. The two runners are unique but perform as needed. One challenge the runners face is maintaining stamina over the course of the day. All high school track meets follow the same order of events.
“Sometimes you might get overloaded. Two 400s is a lot when you’re full sprinting, it’s the hardest race in all of track. With Gabe and Langston being open 400 runners, but as well as 4×4 runners, they go to the middle of the meet, and try to regain themselves to end the meet, and we all know that’s a very fantastic race to watch,” D’Amico said.
Ford said that he would originally practice his short burst. A typical day of practice used to be sprint practice such as working on block starts or running the curve. Now, Ford has found his way to a difficult routine.
“I started sprinting in middle school. I chose it because I saw the Olympic sprinters, and I thought it was something I could do. Later I ended up realizing that people like Johlil dominate those events, and I want to be number one. So I switched over to 400 running,” Ford said.
The new event running is a big change from what Ford has been used to. As an aspiring middle schooler, Ford joined to be the fastest sprinter he could be. Now he is finding his groove in a quintessential role on the track team.
“I was running the 100m and 200m back in middle school. And now I run the 400m, 800m, and 4x400m. I love it,” Ford said.
Ford said that the change in training has been a difficult aspect of becoming a mid-distance runner. His new type of events require a lot more endurance compared to his previous sprint events. In order to help aid against this increase in level of required stamina, he picked up a new sport to help with this transition.
“Training has been rough. I joined Cross Country this year… that definitely helped. the 400 is the longest sprint and it really helped with endurance,” Ford said.
Each event in Track & Field is different, and presents it’s own set of challenges and struggles to overcome. The 400m is notorious for being a difficult race, and this remained true for Ford as he drifted away from shorter events such as the 100m. Ford said that despite the difficult training, the hardest part of his running is the mental aspect of it.
“The mental aspect of it is hard. Being able to tell yourself to sprint the whole thing, and not give up that last 50 meters. That’s where it gets everyone,” Ford said.
Running cross country and practicing weekly has allowed Ford to build up his mental fortitude and compete at a high level.
Ford and Stephens have both taken the transition to mid-distance in their own way. Whether they are hitting the weightroom, conditioning, or competing in their signature events, they devote their full effort. Their unique running styles have taken them far, and with D’Amico’s help, they hope to go further in the postseason than before.
