South Dakotan wins the Drake Relays boys’ Elite Mile in 4:02.36

DES MOINES — Simeon Birnbaum came to the Drake Relays with two objectives:

To play spoiler to the hometown crowd, and to break the 4-minute mile.

He met one goal, fell a bit short of the second.

The South Dakotan outdueled West Des Moines Dowling ace Jackson Heidesch down the stretch to capture the boys’ Elite Mile at the Drake Relays on Friday night at Drake Stadium.

  Buy Photo

“I know (Heidesch) has great speed,” said Birnbaum, a University of Oregon commit. “This was a great opportunity; I know my mom was super excited.

“It’s crazy to do this in the Midwest; we were close to getting perfect weather.”

Birnbaum finished in 4 minutes, 2.36 seconds. Heidesch, a Duke recruit, ran in 4:02.76.

“The crowd helped a ton,” Heidesch said. “They gave me an extra second or two today. This field was stacked. It was awesome.

“Simeon, I consider him a world-class guy.”

Iowa City High ace Ford Washburn was fourth in a career-best 4:07.08.

“I knew I was capable of a big PR,” said Washburn, who will run at Northern Arizona next year. “I feel I represented (City High) and myself really well. I couldn’t ask for much more.”

  Buy Photo

Runners agreed that conditions had cooled enough (it was 54 degrees with a 13 mile-per-hour wind out of the north) to make it difficult to break 4:00.

“An hour or two earlier would have been better,” Heidesch said. “A little cool, a little windy.”

The race evolved into a Birnbaum-Heidesch duel by the time the bell rang for the final lap. And though Heidesch tried to force Birnbaum wide, the out-of-stater had the better kick.

The girls’ race was an all-Central Iowa affair at the front. Adrienne Buettner-Cable of Des Moines Roosevelt (4:49.58) outkicked Ballard ace Paityn Noe (4:49.91).

“I was grateful to be in this,” Buettner-Cable said. Paityn, Addison (Dorenkamp) and I are fantastic runners. “It was so cool, especially at night.”

Dorenkamp was third in 4:51.45.

  Buy Photo

Drake Relays: Elite Mile

Girls — 1. Adrienne Buettner-Cable (Des Moines Roosevelt), 4:49.58; 2. Paityn Noe (Ballard), 4:49.91; 3. Addi Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley), 4:51.45; 4. Josie Baker (Kirkwood Mo.), 4:54.33; 5. Libby Castelli (Sioux Falls S.D. O'Gorman), 4:56.96; 6. Lydia Sommer (Pleasant Valley), 4:58.34; 7. Marley Turk (Ames), 5:00.35; 8. Jordyn Arens (Crofton Neb.), 5:22.35.

Boys — 1. Simeon Birnbaum (Rapid City S.D. Stevens), 4:02.36; 2. Jackson Heidesch (West Des Moines Dowling), 4:02.76; 3. Wyatt Haughton (Shawnee Mission Kan. East), 4:05.99; 4. Ford Washburn (Iowa City High), 4:07.08; 5. Noah Breker (Plymouth Minn. Robbinsdale Armstrong), 4:09.68; 6. Andrew Hauser (Columbia Mo. Rock Bridge), 4:12.87; 7. Hobbs Campbell (Joplin, Mo.) 4:15.01; 8. Daniel Watcke (Hinsdale Ill. Central), 4:18.45.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com