FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After watching runners in the first heat of the 5,000 meters take a more strategic and plodding approach, Willie Milam got the feeling the athletes in his group would opt for a much faster pace. While this hunch helped the Gonzaga standout initially, it alone could not sustain him.
Similar to fellow Zag Nick Roche the night before, Milam started strong before fading down the stretch in the 5K at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Championships on Saturday night. Milam finished 13th in his heat, and 18th overall, while racing on the third and final day of the meet, held at John McDonnell Field at the University of Arkansas.
Saturday's competition marked the first time Milam, a native of Portland, Ore., competed at a regional meet. He posted a time of 14 minutes, 19.40 seconds, leaving him about 19 seconds behind his personal best, which is also a Gonzaga record.
"It was a good race — not a great race — but a good race," said Pat Tyson, Gonzaga's program director and men's coach. "He got some great experience and learned what it takes to run with the elite."
Throughout the first half of the race, Milam matched the pace set by many of the other top runners in his heat. For instance, he was only three seconds off the leader's pace after the initial 2,200 meters.
"We need him to dig deep," Tyson said. "He's got to stay a little longer on the pack and learn to hold on against the big dogs."
Milam began to fade around the 2,600-meter mark, slipping six seconds off the pace. He lost seven more seconds in the next 400 meters before eventually settling for 13th place in his 24-man heat.
"I felt like my heat was harder and faster, but I knew the pace would be faster," Milam said. "I just didn't have it in my legs. Part of it was mental, but the pace was faster and I just couldn't hang on as long as I wanted to."
Texas Tech's Kennedy Kithuka won Milam's heat with a time of 13 minutes, 37.95 seconds, setting a facility record in the process. Contrast that with the winning time of 14:11.57 from the slower first heat. In fact, the top 11 placers from heat No. 2 all posted faster times than that. But only the top five finishers from each heat, plus the next two best times, advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., in mid-June.
"I'm not too happy with how I raced," Milam said. "But this was a huge experience for me. These are the guys that I want to race with and compete with. I want to be on this level, and this experience will just give me motivation for next year."
