Several Illinois boys performed well in the 1600m, most notably Wilson Georges
Virginia Beach, VA
Desperate times come desperate measures. With stubborn Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker toeing his hardline stance of not allowing indoor activities in the state, track and field athletes have had to scrape up every nickel and dime and travel to odd places like Ft. Wayne IN, Youngstown OH, Birmingham AL, and Virginia Beach for competition.
There were nearly two dozen athletes from Illinois signed up to compete for the biggest meet of the season in Virginia Beach- the VA Showcase- which is a backdrop of a city known for its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and for naval military activities.
On the third day of the competition, a late arrival by the name of Wilson Georges entered the boys 1600m field. He would be in the fastest section and already a fellow Illinoisian senior Peter Walsdorf of Woodstock Marian High School had busted out a 4:27.90 to win his section.
Like most distance runners, the standout junior from Bartonville High School in Limestone took just a week off after winning the 2A Shazam cross country championship. "I've done some workouts at goal 1600 pace, so around 65 for 400, as well as a decent amount of tempos, thresholds, and some nice long runs," said Georges.
The late arrival to the start list, Georges wasn't sure of the outcome that preceded him. Said of his race, "