With the track season still more than a month away, two of the best high school distance runners in Montana are already cruising.
Flathead senior Zach Perrin and Glacier senior Troy Fraley placed in the top 12 against some of the best distance runners in the nation last weekend.
Perrin, who recently committed to run at the University of Colorado, finished the two-mile race in 9:07.91 and placed fifth at the third annual Brooks PR Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor Facility at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Fraley, who remains undecided about his college plans, finished in 9:16.01 for 12th place.
Three runners broke nine minutes and Bernie Montoya of Yuma, Ariz., won in 8:54.63. The event annually brings together the best prep track athletes in the nation for a preseason indoor meet. Runners from 12 states appeared at this year’s track meet.
Perrin and Fraley were the lone Montana athletes. Track fans should be excited to see these two locals compete this spring as two of the best that Montana has ever seen. It’s worth pointing out that the state record for the 3,200-meter race is 9:16.18, which was set by Flathead’s Seth Watkins in 2001. That’s certainly within grasp for both Perrin and Fraley, along with all other distance records.