Another national title for Fink

It’s hard to outrun Josh Fink — and don’t even think about out-walking him.

A three-time national champion — and working on a fourth — in the 3,000-meter race walk at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics, the Aledo High School sophomore-to-be added another national championship to his resumé recently.

Fink captured first place in the Nike Outdoor Nationals and USA Track and Field 5,000-meter race walk high school championship on June 19.

Fink clocked a time of 24 minutes, 25.18 seconds. 

“Competing at Nike Outdoor Nationals was amazing. The event is set up at Hayward Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, which is arguably the best track in the world,” Fink said.

The 5000-meter race walk featured athletes from both Nike Outdoor and USA Track and Field in the same race. 

“There, I was racing with the best high schoolers and athletes under 20,” Fink said, smiling at his recollection of being a part of the elite competition. “Winning against the high schoolers and finishing third among athletes under 20 was an amazing experience.”

Fink’s time was bested only by a pair of older runners competing in a separate U20 division.

While the visit to Eugene was for competition, Fink and his family did manage to get in some site seeing as well.

“Eugene is also known as Track Town, so I went to many places: Track Town Pizza, Pre’s Trail, and other shops around the University of Oregon,” he said.

Pre’s Trail is named after the famous runner from the University of Oregon, Steve Prefontaine, who died in a car crash in 1975. Between 1973-75 he set American records at every distance from 2,000 to 10,000 meters, along with competing in the 1972 Olympics, finishing fourth in the 5,000.

Prefontaine ran in college for Bill Bowerman, the co-founder of Nike.

Fink said for the rest of the summer he will train for AAU Nationals and defending his national championship, along with doing summer robotics, and working on his Eagle Project for Boy Scouts.

Supersonic performers

Supersonic Track Club in Weatherford also sent a pair of runners to national competition recently.

Sawyer Loe joined Fink at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, competing in three events in the Boys 14-Under division. He was 20th in the 800-meter run with a personal-record time of 2:04.68 and 53rd in the long jump, leaping 15 feet, 8.25 inches. He had a PR time of 54.17 in the 400, but was disqualified for stepping on the line.

On the other side of the country, Colsen Ing ran in two events in the Boys 14-Under division at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia. He finished 21st in the 800, posting a PR of 2:03.29, and was 40th in the 400 with a time of 53.58 seconds.