Edgewood's Tracy waits out ran delay to get his chance at state
· Yahoo Sports
COLUMBUS — There was plenty of time for Garret Tracy to prepare for the Division III 1600-meter race in the state championships.
The Edgewood senior arrived Friday to get used to the surroundings and watch other area athletes compete in the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
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The time to prepare for his Saturday race grew exponentially when two lightning delays, with accompanying rain and wind, delayed his 6:20 p.m. scheduled start by about three hours.
During that time, Tracy returned to his car and slept before heading out to Panera for some food, Edgewood distance coach Steve Hill said.
Lightning forced the stadium to be cleared, as people headed to their cars and competitors and coaches went to the adjacent Covelli Center located just north of the track.
After hours of waiting, Tracy hit the track with a pack of runners ready to roll.
The pack stayed together for the first two laps, then started to move away from Tracy after that.
Tracy ended up in 18th place in 4:29.7, which was still his second-fastest time in the 1600, Hill said.
The long break was a challenge for Tracy and all those who competed.
"He was bothered by it, but I'm sure everybody was," Hill said.
Woodridge senior Ben Lebay ran a 4:13.50 to win the state title.
Tracy earned his trip to Columbus with an eight-second personal record at the Austintown Regional last week. He made the 1600 finals with a sprint to the finish, securing a spot by hundredths of a second.
A contingent of fans met Tracy after the race in the northern corner of the stadium, including Edgewood Athletic Administrator Steve Kray and Warriors boys coach Anthony Cardaman.
"Not his best race but he got down here which makes him one of the best in the state of Ohio," Cardaman said. "We are excited as he continues on in college and we will be following him."
Tracy is headed to Roberts Wesleyan University in Rochester, New York this fall after his recent graduation for academics and cross county-track.
The race changes disrupted not only the DIII finals, but the D-II prelims, which were then completed as part of the finals Sunday. The D-II 3200 boys and girls finals were run prior to the start of the D-III meet.