Tualatin senior Caleb Lakeman gets the record he wanted most, one-upping his father in winning the Elite Mile at the Jesuit Twilight Relays

“It’s really cool to have that father-son aspect, where I’m chasing after what he did, chasing after his legacy, but at the same time, starting a legacy for myself.”

Author:
René Ferrán
Publish date:
May 2, 2022 1:00 PM EDT

By René Ferrán | Photo by Taylor Balkom

One mile record withstood an onslaught from the deepest contingent of boys distance runners in recent memory Friday night at the 20th Jesuit Twilight Relays.

Another, more personal record fell by the wayside, giving Caleb Lakeman bragging rights at the family dinner table.

The Tualatin senior had the mark that his father, Dirk, set while running for South Eugene in 1977 — 4 minutes, 4.9 seconds — etched in his memory almost from the time he took up the sport.

He had that mark, and not the meet record of 3:59.53 or Galen Rupp’s state record of 4:01.9, in mind as he stepped to the starting line for the Elite Mile.

It’s what propelled him around the corner as the lead pack exited the backstretch on the final lap, surging past Arlington’s Aiden Emerson and into the lead as the homestretch beckoned.

And with his dad screaming “You did it!” as he crossed the line, a quick jab of the fist punctuated Caleb breaking the tape in 4:04.46, supplanting his father for third place on the all-time state list.

Jesuit Twilight Relays 2022 Taylor Balkom 65

“That’s the goal I’ve been chasing,” Lakeman said. “He’s been my biggest supporter since Day 1 since I’ve been running. It’s really cool to have that father-son aspect, where I’m chasing after what he did, chasing after his legacy, but at the same time, starting a legacy for myself.”

How fast and how deep was the field that competed Friday? Twelve of the 16 runners broke 4:10, including freshman Josiah Tostenson of Crater — who broke the freshman national mile record by going 4:09.11, besting the 4:09.38 run by Eli Krahn of Stillwater, Minn., in 2013.

But leading the way was Lakeman, who entered the spring building off a strong cross country season during which he won the Three Rivers district title, placed fifth at the Class 6A state meet and qualified for the Eastbay National Championships.

“I’ve just been grinding ever since that race,” Lakeman said. “It’s just been exciting to get this much success out of it, chasing after goals I’ve had ever since freshman year.”

His next goal could come in three weeks, when he’ll return to Hayward Field — where he ran the fourth-fastest 3,000 in state history at the Oregon Relays — to vie for his first state title. The Georgetown commit hasn’t decided what he’ll run in the postseason, although the 1,500 is sure to be one of his races.

“I was kind of tired going into this race,” Lakeman said. “But I was just steady and patient until I needed to make a hard move, and I knew I felt way better than everyone else in that field with 200 to go.

“So, to go like that and just have no one respond, that’s what my goal was. And to come out with the win and in that time, it’s kind of scary to see what I can do at state. I think it’s going to be exciting the rest of the season.”