Flashes of Panic

Several years ago I wrote a column titled, “No more chasing ghosts,” about a young man named Alan Webb. He had just become the fourth American high schooler to run a standard mile in less than 4:00, and the first in over twenty years. The third, and last until Webb, was Marty Liquori, and I hung the column on the idea that now, we could stop anguishing about “not since Marty Liquori in 1967…” and “Marty’s ghost could stop going to track meets.”

Alan Webb ran 3:46.91 at a tiny meet on a six-lane track in the woods in Belgium this afternoon. This makes him the fastest American ever, no qualifications; Steve Scott’s old record, which was 3:47.69, was twenty-five years old (older than Webb himself). Webb is now in the top 10 all-time for the entire world. I just watched grainy, jumpy internet video of the race, and the over-exuberant announcer (who I envied) kept using the phrase, “The ghost of Steve Scott.”

Now all Webb has to chase is Hicham el Guerrouj, the current world record holder. (And, more literally, Adil Kaouch, who I wrote about when he won a medal at the Fukuoka World Cross.) El G only retired in 2005, but his records date from 1997-1999. I honestly don’t think they qualify as ghosts, but that probably won’t stop someone from dragging the cliché out.

(Update, 7/22: I looked at the archive and discovered that I actually predicted the appearance of Scott’s ghost.)

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