ONE RACE, MAYBE TWO RECORDS, TONIGHT AT THE ARMORY
By David Monti
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission

NEW YORK (12-Feb) -- Two of the oldest records in American athletics could fall tonight at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in Upper Manhattan.  In a special race organized by the Armory Foundation and the New York Road Runners, Bernard Lagat and Lukas Verzbicas will attempt to become the fastest indoor two-milers in American history in their respective categories.

"Any record is a measure of excellence of what you have done over the years," Lagat, 36, said in a recent teleconference to announce the 'NYRR Deuce Record Challenge' as the special race is known.  "I feel like I'm still strong."

Lagat, who lives in Tucson, Ariz., will attempt to topple Doug Padilla's 1990 two-mile American indoor record of 8:15.02 set at the Forum in Los Angeles on a tight 146m wooden track.  Lagat has never run the distance indoors, but ran 8:12.45 outdoors at the Prefontaine Classic in 2008.  Should Lagat get Padilla's record, he will have every USA indoor record from 1500m to 5000m.

Verzbicas, 18, a senior at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Hills, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, will be chasing a record which has stood since Lyndon Johnson was in the White House and the Beatles first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show.  In February, 1964, Gerry Lindgren ran 8:40.0 at a meeting in Dale City, Calif., a mark which has stood for nearly 47 years.  Verzbicas, an American citizen who was born in Lithuania and emigrated to the United States when he was eight years-old, has an indoor best of 8:57.44 set in Boston in 2009.  The Oregon-bound senior has won the last two Foot Locker Cross Country Championships titles.  He recently set an indoor personal best for the mile of 4:03.88.

Both Lagat and Verzbicas will have pacemakers.  Lagat will be led through the first 1200m by University of Virginia sophomore Robby Andrews, then recent New Balance Grand Prix mile champion Russell Brown of the Nike Oregon Track Club will take over, going to 2000m.  After that, Lagat will run on his own for the record.  He hopes to break 7:40 for 3000m en route to his two-mile finish (automatic timing has been set up at that point).  Verzbicas will be paced by former Georgetown Hoya Liam Boylan-Pett who will take him 2000m before retiring.

Tonight's race can be watched LIVE at http://www.armorytrack.com.  The race, which is scheduled for 8:06 p.m. EST., is part of NYRR Saturday Night at The Armory III, a collegiate meeting.