Zallow is up against the nation's best, not just NCAA.
From today's Vindy:
With the collegiate season over, Youngstown State track athletes Collin Harden and Chad Zallow are at their final hurdles this season — literally and figuratively.
Harden ran Friday in the 400 hurdles of the USA Track and Field Junior Outdoor Championships, finishing 12th overall against the nation’s best high school and freshmen college athletes.
Zallow runs the 110 hurdles today in a competition a level above Harden, the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. The competition is how Team USA will be selected for this year’s World Championships which are in London this August.
Both competitions are taking place in Sacramento, Calif.
The Outdoor Championships include everyone from collegians to professional athletes looking for a taste of international competition and to represent the United States.
“I’d say this is the biggest thing I’ve ever ran in,” Zallow said. “I’m going against guys who do this for a living – some of the better athletes in the world.”
Zallow is competing for spots on the same London-bound team as track stars he began following in middle and high school — guys like Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin and LaShawn Merritt.
“It’s pretty cool to be able to run races with them,” Zallow said. “But I still have to put all that aside and prepare.”
Preparation for a meet even of this magnitude is very similar to other meets for Zallow, but with temperatures expected to reach 97 in Sacramento today, there’s one bit of preparation he is focusing on.
“One thing I’m definitely doing is making sure I’m hydrated,” Zallow said. “It’s really hot here.”
Harden finished his 400 hurdles in 52.33. The winner, Quincy Hall, won the event in 50.06 Only the top eight advanced to the final.
“I’m not too excited [about my performance] but the experience was great,” Harden said. “But I’ll have to come back here next year and work to be better at everything I do.”
After a lengthy indoor and outdoor season that stretched much longer than a high school track season, Harden isn’t sad he’s getting a bit of an offseason.
“It’s been a long season,” he said. “But it’s over so now I get to relax and prepare for next season. Coach [Brian Gorby] said we’ll start up in September, but I might do some offseason workouts.”
While the result wasn’t what Harden dreamed of, the trip wasn’t all bad.
“Flying out to California wasn’t too bad,” Harden said.
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