Cross Country | 2/4/2022 10:42:00 AM

 
 
The oldest individual record in Wichita State men's track and field is from 1973 and it is an event worshipped by runners and running fans. Generations of Shockers set their sights on the indoor mile time of 4 minutes, 1.5 seconds (hand-timed) set by Alan Walker.
 
"The mile, it's got history," Wichita State senior Adam Moore said. "It's where the well-rounded athlete puts himself in. I'm not the first guy that's gone for it."
 
Moore is the first to tie Walker's mark. He ran a 4:01.51 on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb., in the Adidas Classic. He entered the race with a previous best of 4:02.32.
 
"That's definitely something that's been on our mind," said teammate Jed Helker. "Adam is really there and he's ready. He had an incredible winter of training."
 
Before Moore, Walker's mark withstood several challengers. When the Shockers worked out of Cessna Stadium, they walked past a display of school records to enter the team room. Each year, distance runners looked at the 1973 mile and chased it. Girts Azis, in 2008, ran a 4:01.80. Zack Penrod, who won the American Athletic Conference indoor mile in 2018 and 2019, peaked with a 4:03.39.
 
"To have a record like that last that long is pretty incredible," Shocker distance coach Kirk Hunter said. "And in a program that's really good. We believe that there's been some terrific athletes. Zack Penrod is the one I thought would get it first and Jed Helker is probably the one I thought would get it second. Adam came in and passed them both."
 
Moore, from Staines-upon-Thames, England, hopes that performance is a one step on the way to breaking four minutes and qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships. He will rest this weekend before running the event next week in Topeka at the Ichabod Mid-Week Challenge. While breaking Walker's record is important, it is also a step toward breaking four minutes and qualifying for the national meet. He expects a time of around 3:57 is necessary.
 
"For me, the whole thing is about breaking four (minutes)," he said. "Nowadays, a really, really good college runner is a sub-four-minute miler."
 
As a group, the Shockers are rooting to put a sub-4-minute mile on top of the records for program pride. Breaking four minutes is no longer rare for top college runners.
 
"There's a lot of schools with sub-4 as their school record and we wanted that on the books," Helker said.
 
One of the reasons that Walker's time stood for so long is that it is difficult to find opponents who can push runners to that time. Walker set the record during a strong period of distance running under coach Herm Wilson.
 
"I truly believe he can break four minutes, given the right circumstances," Hunter said. "If you're a 4:08, 4:07, 4:06, there's plenty of guys to race. You get down to four minutes in the mile, it's harder to find those guys."
 
Tanner Brown, a junior, helped by serving as the rabbit for Moore in Lincoln. Moore ran alone for the final 900 meters.
 
"We had a lot of confidence in what I can do from workouts and from the week before, running 4:02," he said. "We spoke a lot about going a little bit harder a little bit earlier and finding my limit. We got the rabbit and decided to push it."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.