Ryan Fowkes, a 24-year-old East Hampton native, has qualified for the U.S.A. Track and Field Nationals in Eugene, Ore., an Olympic-level competition in July that is a qualifier for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Fowkes ran the 1,500-meter race at the Hill City Twilight Meet in Lynchburg, Va., on Friday in a jaw-dropping 3:38.07, a personal best. In doing so, he "shaved 5 seconds off" his previous best time, "which is huge," his mother, Jenn Fowkes, said.
While the distance is slightly less than a mile, the time would translate to a sub-4-minute mile. "This was what he needed to get to the next level," his mother said. "He's been training so hard to break the 4-minute mile, which is a mental and physical barrier. . . . I'm so excited for him."
A member of East Hampton High's class of 2019, Fowkes will finish his graduate studies in environmental economics and natural resources at Virginia Tech in just a few weeks. He ran Friday under the banner of his own running club, Kipco Athletics. He will be home in East Hampton for the summer, working in the village as he trains for the nationals in July.
His mother said she is hoping he will run the Old Montauk Athletic Club's Montauk Mile on June 1.
