Stacked fields

The Super Bowl is on Sunday, and we hear it's a pretty big deal. There might even be a party or two where people get together to watch the game or something. More importantly, though, the next two weekends are kind of a big deal in the track and distance running world.

That's right, the Millrose Games start today, which whets the appetite for next weekend's national cross-country championships in Boulder. The cross-country championships in Boulder? That's like having Mardi Gras, the Super Bowl, and New Year's Eve on the same day… in Las Vegas.

It boggles the mind.

The Millrose Games, which are held in Madison Square Garden, are celebrating its 100^th anniversary and are expected to draw a sell-out crowd for Friday's marquee event, The Wanamaker Mile. That race, televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., will feature wunderkind Alan Webb, defending champ Bernard Lagat, and versatile Australian Craig Mottram. All three runners appear to be in good shape, which coupled with the amount of chatter and hype could result in some really fast times. The meet record is 3:52.87, but that could be gone by tonight.

Aside from being a New York City event, much like the Penn Relays have a Philadelphia flavor, the Millrose Games receive a lot of international scrutiny. Many of the world's top track & field performers will be hitting the boards at the Garden for the next two days.

Here's the interesting part: in a USA Today profile, meet director emeritus, Howard Schmertz, said:

"I remember when New York had nine newspapers, and every paper had a track writer. Every paper had a guy writing track every day of the week from mid-January to early March."

Quick, who were the toughest athletes at your high school and college? Check the operative words in that sentence – tough and athlete. Unmistakably, it was the cross-country runners. No, they didn't hit each other like in football or wrestling. Nor is it like basketball with the quick burst of speed and leaping, but in running it's all about managing pain. Whoever can tolerate the most pain will likely win, because there are no huddles, substitutions or time outs.

If your school had crew, that wins.

Nevertheless, the big race in Boulder is especially compelling because of the all-American field in which all the top runners are fit, healthy and focused. And that's not just with the men's field, but also the women's, too.

They are all coming…

When is the last time a big sporting event could boast the best of the best were fit, feisty and at the top of their game?