If you're a sports fan looking for some live entertainment on Thursday night, you could go to Busch Stadium. Prized pitching prospect Michael Wacha, the team's top draft choice from a year ago, will be making his much-anticipated debut against the cross-state rival Royals. But across town, there's another event that might be just as deserving of your attention: the Festival of Miles, a charity track meet put on by Big River Running Company, featuring elite runners from across the continent.
The night starts at 6:30 with a mile run for kids, includes several all-star high-school races, and culminates with two elite races—the women's 800 meters and men's mile.
The fields are loaded for every race. The boys' and girls' 100-meter dashes include the top sprinters from Missouri and Illinois, including SLUH's own Raymond Wingo, the boys Class 4 state champion. In the mile run, the girls' race includes state champions from Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Missouri. The favorite will be freshman Stephanie Jenks of Iowa, who ran a 4:44 mile this past weekend, the nation's sixth-best time this year. In the boys' race, another Iowan, Jason Thomas, is the favorite, having run 1,600 meters in 4:10.
But with all due respect to the kids, the real highlight of the night will be the elite races. Three speedy Canadian women—2012 Olympians Melissa Bishop and Jessica Smith, plus Division II national champion Helen Crofts—will be competing in the 800 meters. Pablo Solares, the Mexican national record holder with a blistering time of 3:54, leads the field in the men's mile. How often do you get a chance to see someone run a mile in under four minutes? It could happen Thursday.
If you get tuckered out just watching, head to the fan zone for food, giveaways, and music. The kids' race starts at 6:30 with the men's mile capping things off around 8:50. Admission is $5, and all ticket revenue goes directly to an athlete in need. This year, that's Brad Eastman, a young father and lifelong runner who was diagnosed with brain cancer earlier in 2013. After setting a personal best in the marathon, Eastman learned that he had a baseball-size tumor in his right temporal lobe. Doctors were able to surgically remove 95 percent of the tumor, but Eastman still has a long road ahead.
So to recap, you get to see nine competitive races for $5, and the money goes to a good cause. Yeah, I'd say that's as excited as Michael Wacha.
