Zach Perrin, a Lakeside native and junior distance runner at the University of Colorado, recently clocked one of the fastest miles in the nation and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The 2013 Flathead graduate ran 4:02.27 at the Colorado Open, placing third in his heat behind teammates Ben Saarel, 4:01.49, and Joe Klecker, 4:01.72.
After adjusting for altitude, Perrin’s time converted to 3:56.36.
Perrin qualified for his first NCAA indoor nationals, which will be held in College Station, Texas, on March 10-11. The mile race is scheduled for March 10 starting at 4:30 p.m.
Earlier this season, Perrin made news after falling and breaking his hand at the start of a 3,000-meter race in Seattle. Instead of stepping out of the race, Perrin reset and completed the competition, placing sixth overall and setting a personal best time of 7:55.68. All with a broken arm.
“The hero of the day was Zach Perrin,” Colorado head coach Mark Wetmore told media after the race. “Although he didn’t run as fast as he hoped to in the 3,000 meters, he did it with a broken arm. He tripped at the start of the race; fell very hard, they called the race back. I asked him if he was okay, he replied no, but he wanted to race. He ended up running a very fast time today with a broken arm.”
Last season Perrin broke the four-minute mile barrier in Seattle, running 3:59.00, the second fastest time in school history.