Brad Nye made a huge statement by passing Edward Cheserek just before the finish line at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Photo courtesy of the Nye family
Brad Nye patiently waited for the right moment to make his move. Then, in a mad dash for the finish line, the
Davis (Kaysville, Utah) senior upended St. Benedict Prep (Newark, N.J.) star Edward Cheserek at the New Balance Indoor Nationals 1,600-meter run in March.
The soon-to-be Brigham Young University runner went into the race looking to be competitive, but slipped off with the title after stopping Cheserek's winning streak that Davis track and field coach Corbin Talley guessed extended back to last season.
Talley has seen plenty of Nye's races end in this same manner.
"He runs patiently," Talley said. "Sometimes when he hits the 1,000-meter mark, I'm thinking 'Come on Brad you gotta get moving' – and he doesn't. I think he just knows when it's time for him to go."
Brad Nye
Photo courtesy of the Nye family
Cheserek pulled into the lead during the fifth of eight laps at the New Balance Armory in New York City. At the same time, Nye was moving into fourth from near the back of the pack. The Darts senior then moved into third during the sixth lap and overtook Cheserek with just a few meters left to thwart his bid for a fourth 2012 New Balance gold.
As Cheserek's winning streak came to an end, Nye continued to stay hot while building a following of his own.
"To win it in 4:08 – that was unexpected," Nye said last week. "It was a big, big break through for me. It was years of a lot of desire and hard work. That was a fast, complete mile – completely different than what I am used to. All of those workouts came through.
"Now I'm striving to run that fast consistently. I feel as if I can be competitive with anybody in high school."
Talley took Nye's thoughts one step farther, and came close to saying that his ace runner is nearly unstoppable at the prep level this year.
"He's quiet. He's not one to talk to the other racers before the race," Talley said. "He's quiet and focused – hardly nervous. Brad is pretty even-tempered.
"If they push the pace from the start, he'll stay with them. If they keep it close, he's got the closing speed. I'm sure that there are people that can beat him. But not the way he has raced this year."
Going into one of the nation's more reputable high school races, Nye realized just how difficult it would be to win. So catching Cheserek at the tape in front of a rowdy, boisterous crowd was monumental.
"That was excellent," Nye said. "I can't describe the feeling. In the last 600 meters I was sitting third or fourth. The closer we got to the finish line, the better I felt. It was super loud and we were flying around. I came up on his shoulder and I was pumping as hard as I could. It was so surreal. When I realized that I had won, I was filled with so much passion. I actually let out a yell. There was no way I was going to lose – I was completely in a zone.
"I mean he is the best high school runner," Nye added of Cheserek. "He had won three races earlier and it was a mad dash to the finish line."
Following the race, Nye discovered Talley and some of his Dart teammates jumping up and down and celebrating. Talley describes Nye as a quiet, yet, confident and focused runner. Talley said Nye is competitive – but not arrogant.
"It was a huge breakthrough race for him, and his confidence has grown as a result of it," Talley said. "His desire has continued to increase. Brad enters each event with multiple race plans and then adapts to the race around him."
As a sophomore, Nye was just beginning to get into the high school running scene and desired to run fast. Coming from a running family, Nye said he knew a lot about the sport, but admitted that he didn't realize what it all entailed.
Nye said he wanted to be successful early on, but first had to focus on his training so he could run the races he desired. He thought he was working hard, but Nye soon realized that he would have to step up his workouts.
"Mentally and physically, it's tough to keep healthy," Nye said. "It is a long season from cross country through track. It's a lot of mileage and a lot of hard work. Coach (Talley) plans all of my workouts for me. He understands how a runner's body works and prepares us from season to season."
While many runners adapt to a certain style, Nye is comfortable regardless of the race's pace. If the pack gets out and goes, Nye is more than comfortable maintaining that pace. Slow it down and he'll get you down the stretch.
The length of the race doesn't matter much either. Nye simply has a passion for running. He loves the back and forth jostling that comes with each race – the excitement and the competition.
"My training is going very well," he said. "My strength is getting better and better. It's much better than it was in the past. I now can run a 5K and the two-mile, and be just as competitive in both. I am just as competitive in a not so super gutsy fast race that's winding up to a big finish as I am in a race that's a full speed ahead dash to the finish line the whole last lap."
Going into his final season, Nye had set some pretty intense goals to say the least. Utah's defending Class 5A state champion in the 800-meters set a state standard when he ran his first sub-4:10 mile to catch Cheserek in 4:08.67. Earlier this month, Nye broke the 1:52 barrier in the 800 when he won the event at the BYU Invitational with a Utah state record time of 1:51.89.
Now he has his sites set on raking in four gold medals at the Utah State Track and Field Championships this weekend at BYU in Provo. A year ago he won the 800, ran a leg on the winning 4x400 relay and claimed silver in the mile. Now he's shooting for gold medals in all three of those events as well as in the 3,200.
But of more importance to Nye is the opportunity to claim another Utah Class 5A team championship in both the boys and girls divisions. The Darts won both state titles a year ago.
"Our goal, once again, is to win it all this year," he said. "We won it all last year, and you have to be strong in all areas. It takes a whole team to win a championship. Fortunately, at Davis, we have quality athletes in all events."
Nye's offseason schedule will be plenty intense, considering he has one more national event to compete in before heading off to Provo to run for BYU coaches Ed Eyestone (cross country) and Mark Robinson (track and field).
The soon-to-be Cougar will attempt to add an Adidas Dream Mile victory to his resume next month. The race is part of the Adidas Grand Prix, which is set for June 9 at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island in New York City.
Nye once again looks forward to meeting new runners and making more friends.
"When you go to national meets, you get to meet and talk to all kinds of people," he said. "They're all my friends. I have made a lot of friends locally as well as nationally. The guys I run against make me work hard."
