Robbie Harms’ Greatest Athletic Achievement

Imagine running along a trail in Eugene, Oregon and seeing a famous track athlete.

Now imagine that you caught up to that athlete on the trail and passed him.

On a June 2012 morning, Robbie Harms did just that. Harms, a senior from Daytona Beach, Florida, was fairly new to the sport of Cross Country having just picked it up that school year, and was going on a run with fellow runner Jordan Tager.

“My friend and I were just warming up, stretching, getting ready to go on a six or seven mile run. We were stretching and saw a group of very dark African guys running past us,” said Harms, “We were just kind of talking, trying to figure out who it was. We decided it was a once in a lifetime chance to go try and see who it was.”

The two weren’t completely sure who they had just seen, but guessed it was Bernard Lagat because he was set to have a race that night. “He is a very famous runner,” said Harms, “and that night he would accomplish something pretty spectacular.”

Having spotted Lagat, a 38 year-old three time Olympic competitor and two-time medalist who currently holds the US record for the 1500m as well as the indoor mile and 1500m, the two decided to track him down on the trails.

“We were just planning on taking a leisurely run and ended up going probably a 5:40 first mile, which is pretty fast for an easy run,” said Harms, “We were cruising because we wanted to find him.”

“He was just doing kind of a shake out, three or four mile run. Just to get his legs ready for that night’s race,” said Harms, “that’s a thing that runners usually do.”

According to Harms, spotting a famous athlete on Pre’s Trail is not unheard of. “We had seen relatively famous runners running on that trail before. It’s a very famous place to go,” said Harms.

Pre’s Trail, named after famous University of Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine, is a 4-mile loop located in Eugene, Oregon. Right next to Pre’s Trail is Track Town USA, the location for the 2012 US Olympic Trials.

It was more a combination of factors that made this day so great for Harms. Not only did Harms and Tager spot a famous athlete who was going to be competing in the 5000m in the Olympic Trials that night, but also that the two were able to pass him at a quick pace on the trails.

What originally was meant to be a leisurely run turned out to be Harm’s greatest athletic achievement as he was able to both talk to and pass a famous runner at his own sport. A sport that Harms had just begun.

“I think the coolest thing that came out of the experience was that not a lot of people can say they passed Bernard Lagat on a run. And I can,” Harms said.

That evening Harms and Tager sat in the stands and watched on as Lagat qualified for his fourth Olympic Games.

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This article was written in compliance with the instructions of my creative sportswriting class.