Reliving The Greatest 1000m Race In State History

One race. Three local legends. All under the State (and National) Record, that would last 31 years.

The buzz that Miles Irish (Brunt Hills), Mike Stahr (Carmel) and Charlie Marsala (New Dorp) created on Jan. 22, 1983 reverberated around the country. The trio made headlines in national sports sections after putting on one of the most memorable, if not the most memorable, shows in the history of United States high school track. 

Each of the three runners shattered the previous National High School Record for the 1000 meters in an electrifying race at The Yale Invitational. While Irish won the race in 2:24.1 to take ownership of the new record - the previous record of 2:26.35 was set by Ken Lowry in 1982 - Stahr [2:24.2] and Marsala [2:25.9] also eclipsed the previous standard in a race that remains a hot topic of conversation in the track world nearly four decades later. The three would sit atop the New York State All-Time list, order intact, until 2014. Overall Record not dethroned until 2019.

Each athlete has their own story. Bringing different experiences, different training, different mindsets to the race. For the first time ever, we dug into each of their perspectives to recount the race like never before. Pulling from archival knowledge, and maybe even the home video after its dug up from the basement, we bring you a unique look at the greatest 1000m race ever run in prep history.