One mile road races in Arkansas

[Brian S-ski]

What with the Go! Mile coming up, a couple of us were talking about old one mile races that used to be run in Arkansas. I contacted Don Potter and Randy Taylor and found out some pretty cool stuff:

There have been four road miles that were USATF certified in Arkansas:

The Riverfront Mile in North Little Rock Certified in 1990. Flat, loop course in the general area of the old Clear Mtn 5K course. Put on by ARK and possibly LRRC.

Ouachita One Mile in Malvern. Certified in 1998. Point-to-point course, but not a net downhill.

McDonnell Magic Mile. The McDonnell Magic Mile was launched in Fayetteville in October 1996 and attracted several future Olympians. The race started at the south end of Razorback Stadium with about a ¼ mile downhill start before it covered flat terrain to the finish line near the baseball stadium. 6 guys broke 4:00 with Paul McMullen leading the charge in 3:47.6 with Jason Pyrah as step or two back in 3:48.1. This course was never certified, was point-to-point and definitely net downhill.

In 1998, the McDonnell Magic Mile changed their course to start in the Fayetteville square and finish hurling down Dickson Street (similar to what used to be the first mile of the Hogeye Marathon). The 1998 McDonnell Magic Mile offered $20,000 in prize money and attracted several Olympians. 7 guys broke 4:00 with Jason Pyrah nipping David Krummenacker in 3:51.88.
The Fayetteville Half Marathon group offered the Magic Mile last December over almost the same course as the 1998 McDonnell Magic Mile but no significant fast time were recorded. The race is scheduled again for 12-10-11 with a route similar to the 1996 course with the finish line on the UofA track.

The fourth certified course is, of course, the Go! Mile!

There is also the Owens Road Mile in Hempwallace. Beloved by high school boys looking to run a fast time on the net downhill course, this race was usually held on Labor Day weekend. Not sure if it is still around, David Samuel can probably give us a LOT more information on this one.

Bill Torrey told me there was also a one mile race in Murray Park in Little Rock back in the 90s. Some of the same terrain that the Rock Run now encompasses.

And there was the Main Street Mile in Bentonville in 2009. Don't know what the course was like, but there is no record of it being certified. Seth Summerside ran 4:13 to edge out Adam Perkins and Josphat Boit.

If anyone has any other information or memories, please chime in.


Billy, we do not need to hear that you ran 4:04 or something as a 9 year old and used to be so much faster than everyone running today. And how (even though) you were so fast back then, you couldn't ever beat Aspel or Willsey and what a shame it is that everyone is sooooo slow now.

[dhmac]

Is is OK if Billy talks about how fat , bald , hurt & slow he is now as he tries to lure unsuspecting individuals into wagers ?

[kimhoward]

I'm thinking there was a Mile race in Glenwood not long ago as well. named after a dentist?? Rod Parker or something of that nature?? I do remember the Owens Road Mile. I know they had it a few years ago, but David Samuel could give us much more info abut both. And, YES,, Aspel ran it and held a record there I think

[Clydesdale]

If he ran it back in the day, he probably had the record.

[David Samuel]

Karl Koonce, Lake Hamilton HS Track/XC Coach, and I started the Owens Road Mile back in about 1985 and Karl continues to direct the road mile on the Saturday on Labor Day Weekend. Two years ago he decided to move the one-mile heats to the Old Airport Road within the LH School District complex due to the development of a subdivision on the Owens Road which increased the traffic. The Owens Road Mile is now named the "Adam Brown Mile" in honor of a LH graduate who was killed in Iraq.

The 1998 "Open Division" Owens Road Mile was the fastest run when Steve Doggett and Tom Aspel battled it out down "slingshot" hill with Doggett edging him at the line with a 4:16 and Tom clocked in 4:17.

Here are the retired records from the races down Owens Road (385' elevation loss) for the first 23 years:

Overall - Steve Doggett, 1988, 4:16.0; Amelia Ingersoll, 1993, 5:14.9

Masters - Lowry Foster, 1991, 4:35.1; Jean Hollander, 1995, 5:56.0

Seniors - Karl Naylor, 1990, 4:51.6; Mary Fletcher, 1989, 7:13.5

High School - Josh Brewer, 2006, 4:22.7; JoAnn Pitts, 1994, 5:15.2

Juniors - Burt Hicks, 2001, 4:31.0; Rendy Williams, 1997, 5:30.9

Race Walkers - Bohdan Bulaskowski (World Class), 1993, 6:39.7;
Laurel Williams, 1993, 9:10.2

[David Samuel]

About ten years ago I organized a road mile down Broadway Street in Glenwood. Many of you remember that mile (#8) while running down Broadway in one of more of the eight Caddo River 15K State Championships. We wanted to honor Dr. Parker for his outstanding athletic achievements. He has set many world (80's and now 90"s) age records in the 100-meter & 200-meter sprints. He has won the National Senior Olympics and continues to amaze us every year at the Arkansas Senior Olympics in Hot Springs. I also know that Dr. Parker played in the 1934 Rose Bowl for Stanford against Nebraska for the National Championship. We met after the race at the Fish Net Restaurant for a luncheon which had speakers like Bob Wisener (HS Sentinel-Record Sports Editor) and Randy Taylor (President of USATF). Henry Hawk and I believe Keith Willsey ran.

[David Samuel]

Previous message has an error: "The 1998 "Open Division" Owens Road Mile was the fastest run when Steve Doggett and Tom Aspel battled it out down "slingshot" hill with Doggett edging him at the line with a 4:16 and Tom clocked in 4:17. "


[/b]CORRECTION...Doggett and Aspel battled it out 23 years ago. 1988, not 1998.

I remember squatting down at the finish line because they were side by side and I would have to declare a winner. Doggett by a step or two.
Maybe Tom can tell us what happened on that last hill.

[Keith Willsey]

David don't forget the 50 race you put on. It was his 50 birthday.

I caught the High School kid at the finish, but they gave him the victory.
(I think his mother was the finish judge)
I won three Owens road mile.(I think) Somewhere in 422?, 427?, 434?

David, correct me if I am wrong, but along with Mr. Parkers birth day we were honoring our veterans that day as well. Veterans Day, called Armistice Day until 1954, when the holiday was rededicated to be in honor all American military, naval, and Air Force, veterans. (United States)


I was honored to win it that day.

Fort Smith put on a mile run at the Old Fort Days Rodeo on Memorial Day
back in the 80's. We ran up Garrison around a rodeo barrel and back down the street. There was a large crowd and I heard some odd comments.



I was honored to win it that day. There are only three trophies I keep and eye on.

1. One individual trophy for Waldron winning the
2 mile relay (Emmet Barnett, James Young, Keith Willsey, Terry Nichols) at the Cyclone Relays held at Tech. Waldron was a Class A school and we beat all the large schools from Fayetteville to Little Rock. We were proud.

2. I placed 5th in State Decathalon- Larry Lawerence 1st(All American at ARK. State football) 2nd Brad Shoup(All Southwest Defensive Back)
3rd Bruce Hays Arkansas wide reciever 4th Gilbert Roberson ????

3. The Roderick Parker Broadway Mile. Because of the respect and admiration for Mr. Parker in all he is and has accomplished.

[sidewinder]

Going back to that Owens mile road race I ran 4.21 as a Masters in 1995 but in the open race.....They wouldn't allow it be a Masters record because I didn't do it in the Masters section....But according to USATF rules it is a masters record....
Also in 1988 Doggett was a College kid and i was a 33 year old road runner that had too many road miles on me.....the kid was a little more bouncy in the legs that me.......

[kimhoward]

...But according to USATF rules it is a masters record....
..

Has more than a meter per mile net decrease in elevation. I believe that is the rule for it to be a record.Although it is still awesome

[dhmac]

Technicalities - technicalities - you guys been hanging around lawyers too much.

[sidewinder]

No Kim.......In that race its not recognised as a record....

[Clydesdale]

Memories!!!

[Longhaul]

...2. I placed 5th in State Decathalon- Larry Lawerence 1st(All American at ARK. State football) 2nd Brad Shoup(All Southwest Defensive Back)

Willsey, Brad Shoup is from the great Metroplis of Carlisle, I will have you know! lol. My home town! Many great athletes come from there! he he

[Joe P Sandbagger]

When I was the cross country/track coach at Eureka Springs from 1988 to 1996 we had a one mile road race called the Highlander Mile. It started at the High School which is on Hwy 23 then ran down the "hill" into town.

I hate to admit it, but I beleive one year that Clydedale did run a 4:11 on this course. It is a full mile but you can imagaine, much like a big truck, that a big "rig" like the Clydesdale could gather enough speed going downhill to run such a time.