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Heading into last weekend’s America East track and field championships, University of Maine senior Donny Drake had a decision to make. A versatile distance runner capable of competing in any event from 800 to 5,000 meters, Drake and UMaine coach Mark Lech set out to figure out which event the Portland native would run in Boston.
Last Monday, the pair met and Drake’s individual prospects and team aspirations boiled down to either the 1,000 or the mile.
“The mile was the glory event in our conference this year – there were guys that had run 3:59, 4:03, 4:08 and 4:10,” Drake explained. “Coach and I felt I could be competitive in the mile and maybe run my best time ever. But I felt I had the best chance of winning the 1,000 since I’d never run under 4:00 in the mile.”
On race day, most of the marquee milers also lined up for the 1,000, which was run just over an hour after the mile race finished.
“That made me a little nervous, but I knew that they would already have a race under their belt and I’d be running fresh,” said Drake.
With that in mind, Lech and Drake crafted a strategy that had him running all out from the beginning to test the runners tired from their recent mile run.
“Mark and I talked strategy on Thursday and we knew if all those guys had run the mile, my only strategy could be to take it out hard and make them hurt to beat me,” Drake said.
Fresh legs paid off, as Drake hit his 200-meter intervals at a nearly perfect 29 seconds each, outpacing the field by nearly 30 meters over the final stretch to claim the America East crown in 2:24.65. The time beat Drake’s previous personal best by three seconds and qualified him for New England’s and ICAAAA’s in the coming weeks.
“Moments like these are things you train for all the time,” he said. “I feel like I put in a lot of hard work and to come out with the win makes me extremely happy and blessed. Being a senior definitely makes it more special, and I’m excited to get a win in my last chance at indoor conferences.”
Drake has also qualified for New England in the mile, and though his 1,000 time is the top mark in the region this year, he has yet another decision to make heading into this weekend’s competition.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to run,” he said. “I’d like to run the mile and see what I can do in that, but if coach wants me to run the 1,000 I’ll do that – either way I’ll be happy.
Bangor Daily News