Monday, July 19, 2010

Torrid Torrence


About a year ago, I was perusing the world of online running websites (something I do much too frequently), and stumbled upon a Flotrack blog post written by David Torrence. Torrence? I had seen the name in results, and knew of the athlete, but could tell you very little about him. I knew he went to Cal. I knew he was a miler. That's about it. However, after reading his blog entry about the life of a "sub-elite" runner trying to secure sponsorship, I was intrigued by his personality and his pursuit. Since then, I have followed him closely. And ultimately, Mr. Torrence has parlayed a number of successful performances, including back-to-back USATF road Mile championships and a USATF National indoor 3000m title into a sponsorship, wearing the always-changing Nike singlet. Since his rise, he has continued to improve, and has become one of many American athletes rising to the challenge of competing with the world's best.

Torrence (far right) pulling out all the stops to attract sponsorship

As I alluded to, 2009 was a great year for David. It ultimately led to him signing with agent Ray Flynn, and gaining that sponsorship that he so coveted. However, 2010 has been even better. Torrence has capitalized on the opportunities presented to him, and has begun to make a case for inclusion in the first tier of American elite middle distance runners. This spring, he has set lifetime bests at 800 meters, 1500 meters, and the mile. The biggest breakthrough performance may have come on June 12, when Torrence PR'ed by almost three full seconds, running 3:35.81 at New York's Icahn Stadium, in the first of two Diamond League meets held in the U.S. this year. The mark left him just .04 seconds behind U.S. Champion and Olympian Lopez Lomong, and just two places back of American Record holder Bernard Lagat. Not bad company to be chasing, if you will. Two weeks later, Torrence made his first ever U.S Championships final, and "settled" for fourth place, despite moving up a number of spots in the final 200 meters. Torrence's string of racing continued into July, when he toed the line at Historic Hayward Field, in the Prefontaine Classic, and lowered his lifetime best in the full mile to 3:54.47, another improvement of over two full seconds. Torrence stepped down in distance last night to set yet another lifetime best - this time over 800 meters - in Lignano, Italy. Torrence ran 1:45.97, slipping under the 1:46 barrier, and placed second, losing out on the victory by just .14 seconds. The result continued a positive trend for Torrence, who has set lifetime bests in three of his last four races, and is surely aiming to lower the bar even more.

So, where does he rank? How high has he climbed in American middle distance circles? What does his progression look like? His 3:35.81 ranks him fourth in the U.S. this season, behind the likes of Lomong, Lagat, and Manzano, while his 3:54.47 slots him fifth on the top marks list. Has he arrived? I would argue that he has. I would argue that he should be taken note of. And I would also argue that he is here to stay, and primed to make his bid for championships crowns, and Olympic and World Championship team births. Why? His progression has been rapid, and it has coincided with his ability to train full-time, receive monetary support, and focus on being the best athlete possible. Two years ago, he had never broken 3:40. His P.R. was 3:43. Last year at this time, he was a mid-3:38 runner, thanks to a breakthrough at KBC's Night of Athletics. Now, he is a 3:35 man. That's eight seconds in two years. Maybe he's done. Maybe his breakthrough has happened. Or maybe he's just finally getting the chance to take that next step in training that can catapult him to a world-class miler. Stay tuned. And watch the "Torrence" flow.

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