Hanford’s Caleb Olson wins Richland Invitational in record time

Hanford’s Caleb Olson took the lead from College Place’s Kenneth Rooks with about 300 meters to go Saturday at Carmichael Middle School, and pulled away to win the Boys Division I heat of the Max Jensen Richland Invitational.

“I’ve wanted this since freshman year,” said Olson, who finished 35th in the Division I race as a sophomore last year. “It feels great.”

On a warm, windy day in Richland, Olson posted the fastest 3-mile time in the state at any classification so far this season, 14 minutes, 33.8 seconds, blowing away his previous PR of 15:14.3. Rooks also dropped an eternity off his best time, finishing in 14:36.45 (previously 15:07.6).

“I PR’d big time, that’s the fastest I’ve ever run in my life,” Rooks said. “Placing comes secondary to that, it’s about getting better.”

Rooks knew the Carmichael loop was running hot when he went out in 4:35 on the first mile (said he’s usually just shooting for anything under 5 minutes) and still had Olson and Bellarmine Prep’s Spencer Fischer breathing down his neck.

“I didn’t feel it so much (the speed of the race), because I got boxed in at the beginning,” Rooks said. “Normally I go out and I’m leading. So I felt better for the first like half-mile ... so I took off a little bit faster.”

Rooks stayed in front with a pack formed behind him for much of the race, until he and Olson pulled away from the field with about 800 meters to go. Olson said he made his move with less than a quarter of a mile left, and was able to hold off Rooks for the win.

“It wasn’t til about, what, 300 meters out that I kicked past him,” Olson said. “My coach told me to just hang on with the front pack, and that’s what I did.”

Richland’s Riley Moore made a late charge and finished fourth, behind Fischer, in 14:43.82 (also a PR). With top 30 finishes from Jesse Todd (15:22.92, 25th) and Anthony Stone (15:27.51), the Bombers were able to finish eighth as a team.

Kennewick’s Johan Correa finished ninth with another PR time of 14:55.22.

GIRLS

Sitting comfortably in third for most of the race, Kennewick’s Geraldin Correa started losing ground to a pack of five runners with about a half-mile to go in the Girls Division I race.

But she got inspiration when she needed it most.

“Over there, I was really tired, and everyone started screaming to me ‘push yourself. You’re almost there. Sprint,’ ” Correa said. “And so I started sprinting.”

And sprint she did, all the way to a third-place finish in 17:55.77, shattering her 3-mile PR by more than 55 seconds.

Needless to say, she was ecstatic — albeit spent — when she hit the finish line.

“I couldn’t walk,” she said. “I felt like I couldn’t stand myself up. But I was proud of myself, because I sprinted like my coach told me to.”

McKinzi Teeples finished 14th in 18:16.82 to lead Kamiakin to a fourth-place team finish, and Richland’s Katie Andrus crossed the line in 18:09.50 to take 10th and help the Bombers finish sixth overall. Hanford placed 10th.

Lewis and Clark’s Katie Thronson won in impressive fashion, opening up a 20-second lead on North Central’s Erinn Hill halfway through the race, and only expanding it on her way to a winning time of 17:10.54. Hall crossed the line in 17:37.57.

This story was originally published October 7, 2017 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Hanford’s Caleb Olson wins Richland Invitational in record time."