After receiving first place at the KU Relays, Daniel Everett is near qualification for the Adidas Grand Prix this summer.
On Saturday, April 23, at the 84th annual University of Kansas Relays, Daniel Everett, senior, won the 1600 meter race with a time of 4:12.58.
This time beat his previous personal record of 4:14.01 that he set in 2009, and winning this race is his first step along the Adidas Golden Stripes Series on his way to the “Dream Mile” in New York this summer.
“This feels really great! It would be so exciting and an honor to get to race in New York City,” said Everett.
The Adidas Golden Strips Series gives athletes a chance to win an invitation to the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City on June 11, and Everett has a chance to run in a specific race, the “Dream Mile”. The series includes three regional invitationals, one being the KU Relays. In order to receive an invitation to the one-mile race in New York, an athlete must win the 1600 meter run at one these regional meets, and run a mile in 4:11 at some point during this track season.
Now that Everett has won a race at the KU Relays, he must run a mile in 4:11 in order to participate in the “Dream Mile” with other high school students this summer. However, in high school track, a one mile event does not exist, so Everett must run a 1600 meter race in 4:05 in order to qualify.
“This is really hard because I’m running 1600 meters, but I need to pace for a 4:11 mile,” said Everett.
If Everett earns a spot in Adidas’ “Dream Mile”, he will be competing with other elite runners with the goal of running one mile in less than four minutes.
“If I go this summer, I will have some great competition, racing guys from all over the country. And Adidas’ goal is that one of us will go sub four minutes. It’s pretty exciting,” said Everett.
Daniel Everett has been a well-known athlete in the running community for many years, but setting this new personal record and winning the KU Relay’s 1600 meter race is a huge accomplishment.
