Photos by Davio DeLuca
Just last week I reflected on what I thought were the big plays of Super Bowl weekend, those of course happening on the track in Plymouth. Many great races and record performances. But that wasn’t only happening in Plymouth. No sir. History was being made in New York at the Millrose Games as well. In the Wanamaker Mile, Yared Nuguse and Hobbs Kessler broke the world record in the mile, both sneaking under the old mark. Grant Fisher and Cole Hocker did the same in the 3000, with Fisher coming out on top, running 7:22.91. Turns out last Saturday was also the Winni Derby, and much like Millrose it’s the grand championship of ice fishing. I can’t say whether any records were broken there, but I can say it wasn’t the end of the record breaking season.
Just this past Friday night, Fisher again broke a world record at the BU Valentine meet, running 12:44.09. Being the cheapskate that I am, I watched the race Saturday morning on YouTube. In the early morning hours before the sun came up I watched Fisher run away from the French record holder at the halfway mark as the pacer dropped off. From that point on, it was simply a master class with Fisher lapping the entire field except Gressier, passing the chase group with just over a lap to go IN LANE TWO, and was still able to go up on the old mark by almost a full two seconds. Absolutely incredible. The crowd was going wild, and I hear it was absolute hysteria in the BU Tennis and Track facility, but I feel that’s only half the story.
I might be wrong but I think most track and field observers became aware of Grant Fisher over the last couple years. Of course winning two medals at the Olympics in the 5000 and 10000 will often do that for you. But as a connoisseur of distance running, or at least a long time enthusiast, I’ve watched Grant Fisher develop since he was a high schooler from Grand Blanc, Michigan, making his first worlds team in the 1500, thereby vaulting onto the national scene. His junior year he qualified and ran at Foot Locker Nationals, winning the title as a junior. He followed that up with a second win at Footlocker and became the seventh high schooler to break the 4 minute barrier in the mile.
He ended up going to Stanford on scholarship, essentially the top recruit in the country. I have to admit, at the time, I questioned whether that was the best idea, as while a top running school for sure, they were a bit in a glut, getting top recruits but not really performing in line with the recruits they were getting. Not to say they weren’t good, with Sean McGorty and the Rosa twins of NJ as teammates during his tenure. But the Cardinal couldn’t seem to put it together for Nationals, and I felt there might be a better place for him.
In retrospect I think I was wrong. Well, sort of wrong. I was right that Stanford was never really able to put it together during Fisher’s time there, but in the long term I feel it worked out to his advantage. His freshman year he finished seventeenth, eventually moving up to second his senior year. But during those years after his freshman one, it always appeared he should be in the running for the individual champion spot, something that eluded him with the exception of winning the 5000 his sophomore year.
During this time, not only did others ascend to the throne, having finished behind him the year before to beat him the next year, they seemed to gap him and go on to big time individual NCAA careers. It always seemed Fisher’s college career was tied to the team’s benefit while others were free to pursue individual endeavors. If I recall in Fisher’s senior year, he held back through much of the race, trying to help his Cardinal teammates and forgoing his potential individual glory. I can’t say how he felt about this all, but when you win two Footlocker National titles you would think somewhere in those four years you’d anticipate there would be a turn on the throne.
Upon completing his time with Stanford, Fisher turned professional and joined the Bowerman Track Club, which was arguably the top distance program in the country. Stocked with many of the top Americans, Fisher came aboard, and even with his fast times and strong work ethic, he appeared to be second tier as far as the outcome of races went. He certainly wasn’t afraid to take the pace, something I think he’s becoming known for (I’ve heard the comment ‘metronome’ a number of times.) But in the closing laps, a Woody Kincaid or a Lopez Lomong would step out into lane 2, hit the burners, and steal the win. I feel Fisher was a bridesmaid much of the time, while putting in the work to make the race what it was.
Not long after joining Bowerman, we went into covid mode, and if anyone remembers, Bowerman, in order to find opportunities to race, put on a bunch of their races, teammates joining other “squads” and racing each other in time trials. They ended up running some really fast times, something you can do when you’re the best professional club, which was both entertaining for someone like me desperate for content and I feel a benefit to the athletes in both exposure and giving them something to focus on, when focusing was difficult.
I think it was during this time that they were also putting out training videos, kind of what was life like being a Bowerman athlete. I remember a video of them at altitude camp, everyone getting ready for a long run, with Grant doing a series of band exercises that the rest of the crew was not doing. Seems Fisher had added something else to his routine, and it seemed he was seeing dividends. I can’t recall if he was beginning to win some indoor races of that’s all in my mind, but he was stepping out of the shadows and his teammates were taking notice. I recall another video where someone else in the bunch was trying his band exercises on tape, thinking what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
And I think that is exactly what brings us to today. There’s a few years in between then and now, but I think it’s now evident that Fisher has always been in this for the long game. With Bowerman now broken up, and you can come to your own conclusions on why that is, Grant had elected to go his own way over a year ago. He went back to his high school coach, moved to Park City, and trains mostly by himself. He learned the ins and outs with Bowerman, but has been a student of what works for him and what doesn’t the whole time, and while he developed into a stronger athlete, potentially forgoing individual glory that can drag you in different directions, he honed his skill set and is now seeing the pay off.
His rise has been anticipated. Before his Olympic medals, he had a number of top finishes and American records. While I think he caught people off guard last year making the podium at the world level having switched his training situation, he had shown he was world class and had put his competitors on notice. But these two world records are next level.
In his post race interview, he acknowledged his fitness is higher than it was during last year’s Olympics. In that he said the last few laps were really, really long. But I’m going to say I saw this coming. And while I’ve been watching for a long time, that’s not exactly what I mean.
Overlooked two weeks back was a performance that told me there was something special coming. Fisher came in second in a 1500 to Josh Hoey, running 3:33 in the process. Most of the chatter was around Hoey, who had been hanging out kind of second tier for a while but has been on a roll of late, taking down the American record in the 800 and 1000 this season. What was overlooked about Fisher finishing second, is he beat the likes of Ollie Hoare, Joe Waskom and Vince Ciattei, specialists in the mile. If Grant Fisher is able to kick against a bunch of milers and almost win, that’s something to think about.
So I guess it’s true I’ve been waiting for this day, the day that has been ten years in the making. The high school phenom not only becoming America’s best, but one of the best in the world. I’d like to tip my hat to Fisher, as I’ve enjoyed the ride and I’m guessing he has too. I look forward to the next few months and the next few years and hope him the best.
I’ll see you out there.
