Running Home | Weather Forecast | What is Redwood Empire
Track All-Time | Cross Country All-Time
Schedule | Archives | Links
4-minute mile too distant
By ERIC BRANCH
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Saturday, May 8, 2010
Tim Bayley of Lafayette ran the mile in 4 minutes 2 seconds in an attempt to run a sub-4 minute mile at
Santa Rosa High School, May 7, 2010. By Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat
A screaming crowd of several hundred fans left Santa Rosa High's track a bit disappointed late Friday night after
eight professionals failed to record the first sub-four-minute mile in Sonoma County history.
Tim Bayley, 28, a British runner living in Lafayette, won the inaugural Heart and Sole Elite Mile in 4 minutes,
2.75 seconds. Bayley pulled away from the field in the final 100 meters and was met by a tunnel of screaming humanity
as he strained to record the fourth sub-four-minute mile of his career.
But after the former All-American at Iona College crossed the finish line, the clock read 4:02 and a sudden hush
fell over the ear-splitting crowd.
Bayley, who competed in the 1,500 meters at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, also fell short of
running the fastest mile in Sonoma County history. Jamie Harris of the Asics Aggies ran a 4:00.4 mile in the mid-'90s
during a meet at Santa Rosa Junior College.
"This was a fantastic event," said Bayley, who won $750. "The crowd was unbelievable. It was a din coming down that
home stretch. The noise was just crazy."
The atmosphere might have helped runner-up Michael Hendry, 25, who dropped about a second off his previous best of
4:05.03. Hendry, who has the eighth-fastest mile in LSU history, said the event is a testament to how tough a sub-four-
minute mile is. As of March 7, 347 Americans had accomplished the feat since 1957.
"I really thought if everything went perfect, I could run anywhere from a 3:59 to 4:01," Hendry said. "But it's tough.
It's the ultimate goal of a miler."
Francis Gadayan, who ran at Cal and was a two-time state champion in the 800 meters at City College of San Francisco,
finished third in 4:05. J.K. Withers, a former star at Cardinal Newman who has battled injuries this season, withdrew
prior to the race.
Santa Rosa's Kim Conley, UC Davis' record holder in the 5.000 meters, won the four-person women's elite mile in 4:49.