Dan Lennon: Olympic Future?

Not many individuals will walk out of their high school career running 9:00 in the 2-mile.

Dan Lennon of Peru is one of those lucky, accomplished few.

There's no smiling in XC!!

At the Glenn D. Loucks Games this year, Lennon set two PRs--a 4:15.67 in the mile and a scintillating 9:00.52 in the 2-mile. Looking ahead to the NCAA field and a comparable event--the 3000m--his time would be good enough to lead all New York collegiate runners this season. He finished fourth nationally in the 3k indoors at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. We could go on and on here, but the fact is that Dan has been a consistent superstar on the distance running stage for the past two years (at least), and he's got the folks at Syracuse University giddy with expectations upon his arrival in the fall.

Can Lennon make the transition? And what's more, can he compete with the big guns?

We posted a video earlier of a certain young distance prodigy by the name of Galen Rupp, breaking the American indoor record in the 2-mile this February. Coached by Nike legend Alberto Salazar, Rupp has become the darling-child of men's distance running.

With higher-level coaching (all the deference in the world, however, to the fantastic program at Peru High School), better competition and a collegiate-type focus, how good can Lennon be? We know he's someone who will compete with anyone in the NCAA field, but it will take extreme dedication for him to challenge records and compete internationally.

And now it's time for the prediction: if Dan Lennon can drop below 4 minutes in the mile, he will be a consistent national-title contender in events from the 1500m to the marathon.

But here's the clincher: he will have a difficult time reaching the highest level with the current NCAA coaching mentality. He'll certainly learn how to run a "tactical" race (something he has already proven he can do), but will NCAA coaches hungry for individual and team titles allow Lennon to reach his full potential by pushing the envelope? It's a tough choice to make, but for Lennon, the question will become: NCAA titles? Or American (and World) records?

As American distance running looms large on a horizon dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, there can be no doubt that Dan Lennon--and others like him--will be the ones paving the way forward to American distance domination once more.