Jason Weller had a busy day. Mile. 3000 meters. DMR anchor. Sounds like a little much. Well, for most athletes it would have proven to be their undoing. However, Weller welcomed the challenge, and the guts and gamble paid off with his award as the Male Athlete of the Meet.
Weller told PennTrack's Hannah Granger that he knew the mile would be stacked. He would be facing Lucas Zarzeczny of Avonworth/Northgate, the AA XC state champ; and Paul Springer of Unionville, who had beaten him head-to-head in a 3000 just two weeks earler. And even though Weller is the AAA XC champ and the reigning Millrose Mile champion, he knew no one in the race was conceding even a second.
As the race developed, it turned into a three-man battle between the three elite athletes. Weller led through 400, but then Springer and Zarzeczny took over. Springer followed a Zarzeczny surge after the 800, and then took the lead for the final 400. Weller was in third, but 5 to 7 meters off the leading pace.
Weller says he really didn't save anything for his later races. "But I did PR in the mile by a little." (4:15.14, less than a second better than his Millrose win).
The plan for the 3000 had always been to go for Craig Miller's state best and meet record 8:22.65 set last year. "I knew it would be tough after a 4:15 mile, so I was more running for the win because I didn't know how I'd feel, or if I'd be able to run that fast." He was also a little worried about Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Scott Van Kooten and Strath Haven's Rob Speare... "They were fresh. But it worked out where I could follow for a mile and then just take off."
Coming through the mile in 4:29.7, Weller knew he was on the cusp of going after Miller's record of 8:22.65. "I decided then to go for it." With a final surge for 200 of 30.8, he came up just short at 8:26.21. That is the 2nd fasted 3000 in PA history, and the third guy in two years to beat the record that had stood since 1997. (Jake Walker of Ellwood City also broke Chris Dugan's, Southmoreland, record of 8:30.4 while chasing Miller in 2004)
Weller then anchored his Boyertown team to a 7th place finish. "I just wanted to try to get the other guys a medal, and we did."