Warsaw Distance Runners Shine Bright At Miracle Mile

April 17, 2023 at 10:46 p.m.
Warsaw Distance Runners Shine Bright At Miracle Mile
Warsaw Distance Runners Shine Bright At Miracle Mile

By Staff Report-

A group of Warsaw Distance runners performed well on Friday at the elite Flashes Distance Showcase, dubbed the Miracle Mile. This annual event showcases the best distance runners in the state of Indiana, as well runners from Kentucky and Ohio.  Rather than running multiple distance events, this night is focused on one distance, a full 1-mile, designed to allow the best to all run the same distance on fresh legs, as well as a 4x800 event to kick off the evening.

 Warsaw’s distance squad, both boys and girls, sent 14 runners.  The combined squad trains together often, thus only fitting to have both running in the same event as they truly act as one program.  Warsaw Distance continues to make the community proud, picking up 3 podium finishes out of 5 possible.  

The evening kicked off with two heats of boys freshman mile where both Miles Rager (4:46) and Jackson Gackenheimer (4:36) both set new personal records.  Gackenheimer’s performance set a new Warsaw Freshman school record and was good for a 5th place finish.  The “Tylers” both ran in the same heat and set new personal records, with Tyler Mimnaugh at 4:27 and Tyler Swartz finishing 4:37.  The 4x800 squad comprised of Garret Hall, Rick Orr, Gabe Klein, and Andrew Potter finished 11th.

On the girls side, the 4x800 team of Mikayla Mimnaugh, Sammi Rastrelli, Tatum Bergan, and Elizabeth Vanderbie finished in 4th, with three new personal bests resulting.  Freshman Eden Metz set a new best in her inaugural miracle mile, running a 5:35.

 The evening for Warsaw finished with the elite heat of the mile.  Josefina Rastrelli competed with a field comprised of all-state XC and track athletes.  Joey again ran under 5 minutes, clocking a 4:59 mile, which converts to a 4:57 1600, just missing setting a new all-time Warsaw school record by only 2 seconds.  This performance, classified as a “Gold Elite Performance” by national standards, was good for a 6th place podium-finish in this elite field of athletes.  Many suspect this was a great preview of what to expect at the State Championships in June.

The combined distance squads will send another group of runners this Friday to the Carmel Showcase, running in the 3200 meter only showcase expected once again to play host to the top runners at this distance in the state.

A group of Warsaw Distance runners performed well on Friday at the elite Flashes Distance Showcase, dubbed the Miracle Mile. This annual event showcases the best distance runners in the state of Indiana, as well runners from Kentucky and Ohio.  Rather than running multiple distance events, this night is focused on one distance, a full 1-mile, designed to allow the best to all run the same distance on fresh legs, as well as a 4x800 event to kick off the evening.

 Warsaw’s distance squad, both boys and girls, sent 14 runners.  The combined squad trains together often, thus only fitting to have both running in the same event as they truly act as one program.  Warsaw Distance continues to make the community proud, picking up 3 podium finishes out of 5 possible.  

The evening kicked off with two heats of boys freshman mile where both Miles Rager (4:46) and Jackson Gackenheimer (4:36) both set new personal records.  Gackenheimer’s performance set a new Warsaw Freshman school record and was good for a 5th place finish.  The “Tylers” both ran in the same heat and set new personal records, with Tyler Mimnaugh at 4:27 and Tyler Swartz finishing 4:37.  The 4x800 squad comprised of Garret Hall, Rick Orr, Gabe Klein, and Andrew Potter finished 11th.

On the girls side, the 4x800 team of Mikayla Mimnaugh, Sammi Rastrelli, Tatum Bergan, and Elizabeth Vanderbie finished in 4th, with three new personal bests resulting.  Freshman Eden Metz set a new best in her inaugural miracle mile, running a 5:35.

 The evening for Warsaw finished with the elite heat of the mile.  Josefina Rastrelli competed with a field comprised of all-state XC and track athletes.  Joey again ran under 5 minutes, clocking a 4:59 mile, which converts to a 4:57 1600, just missing setting a new all-time Warsaw school record by only 2 seconds.  This performance, classified as a “Gold Elite Performance” by national standards, was good for a 6th place podium-finish in this elite field of athletes.  Many suspect this was a great preview of what to expect at the State Championships in June.

The combined distance squads will send another group of runners this Friday to the Carmel Showcase, running in the 3200 meter only showcase expected once again to play host to the top runners at this distance in the state.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


Public Occurrences 05.14.25
County Jail Bookings The following people were arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail:

Fat & Skinny Tire Festival’s 20th Year Feels Surreal To Co-Founder
WINONA LAKE - For Fat & Skinny Tire Fest co-founder and co-director Greg Demopoulos, the fact that this weekend is the 20th year for the three-day bicycling event is surreal.

Nappanee Man Injured In Turkey Hunting Accident In Fulton County
A Nappanee man was injured in a turkey hunting accident Saturday in Fulton County.

Breakfast Optimist Club Car Show Is Sunday
Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club is hosting the 15th Annual City of Lakes Car Show on Sunday, May 18 from noon to 5 p.m. in downtown Warsaw at the courthouse square.

Huntington Teen Arrested On Rape, Child Molesting Charges
A Huntington teen was arrested after allegedly forcing a minor under 14 to have sex.