Richmond runner breaks the four-minute mile mark

Ryan Hayden breaks the barrier in a race in Portland

Don Fennell, Sports Editor

The 20-year-old Richmond track star, who is attending Villanova University in Philadelphia on a scholarship, is currently moving from one dorm to another.

But prior to the campus shift he was moving on the track, sprinting his way to the first sub-four-minute mile of his young career.

Hayden mastered the feat in 3:58.27 at the Adidas Oregon Track Classic in Portland. It was his first attempt at running the mile this season.

Running the mile in under four minutes is still considered a big accomplishment in track and field circles. The feat allows Hayden to join some select company including John Landy and Roger Bannister, who both ran the first sub-four minute mile at the British Empire (now Commonwealth) Games in 1954.

Said Hayden: "I felt really good. Before I left Marcus (Villanova coach O'Sullivan) said to me, 'Just go and get it done. Get it out of the way.'

"My whole mindset was to stay relaxed. It wasn't a big surprise but kind of a relief more than anything."

"The mile is something that is always going to stand as a unique race because of its tradition and history," said Mike O'Connor, Hayden's coach with the Richmond Kajaks Track and Field Club. "It's something we tried (to accomplish) when he was 18, but now that he's two years older he has a lot more experience.

"And this was a very high-calibre race to start with. He did very well for himself."

Hayden finished seventh in the race which featured several Kenyan athletes and American standout Brian Berryhill.

O'Connor said the result puts Hayden on the doorstep of getting into the international arena. While he's competed internationally several times already, he's now moving into the "big time," O'Connor suggested.

Hayden is also the National Collegiate Athletic Association Big East Conference champion at 800 metres and expects to do well at the upcoming NCAA championships in two weeks at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His time in the mile, when converted, places him among the top five runners heading into the meet in the 1500 metres.

"I thinking running a lot of 800 metre races has helped me," Hayden said. "I started out in track running a lot of them and it's giving me more confidence in my speed, in the last 200 to 300 metres of the race."

But Hayden isn't putting any added pressure on himself heading into the NCAAs.

"I haven't really set a goal, but I want to be in the top-five minimum," he said.

He added the presence of Adrian Blencoe (a runner from New Zealand) at Villanova, has helped speed up his progress.

"He's someone to look up to," Hayden said. "He's pretty tough in workouts and races and is definitely a good example."

Kevin Sullivan (who is currently injured) and Graham Hood are generally regarded as the two premier Canadian middle distance athletes, but so far this season Hayden has recorded the best times for both the 1500 metres and mile, O'Sullivan noted.

And he's confident that Hayden is capable of continuing his success at the Canadian Track and Field Championships June 21 and 22 at Edmonton. A victory could assure Hayden a trip to Manchester, England this summer for the Commonwealth Games.