Junior Nicholas Robie helped the Ankeny boys’ track team to a record-setting victory in the 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays on Saturday.
The foursome of Jake Bosch, Robie, Ike Smith and Ethan Zuber broke one of the oldest Relays records in the high school competition and posted the fastest time in the country this year by winning the race in 7:39.54, which is No. 3 on the state’s all-time list. The Hawks erased the Relays record of 7:45.63 that was set by Marshalltown in 1985.
Here is some inside info on Robie:
Congratulations on your incredible victory in the 4×800. Did you do anything special to celebrate on Saturday night?
I didn’t really do anything special. I spent the afternoon and evening trying to take it all in. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t watch the video of the race a couple of extra times. I stayed at home and relaxed, thinking about what was next!
Let’s break down the entire race. Jake ran the opening leg in 1:55.06, putting your team just .06 seconds behind Dowling Catholic and essentially in a tie for the lead when he handed off to you. How important was it to get off to a good start in the race?
It was super important to be strong on every leg of the race. Jake did an amazing job in putting us in a perfect position to win. Our goal from the beginning was to be the fastest on every leg. I couldn’t have asked for a better position to get the baton. I am more of a sit-and-kick runner, so being able to latch on to Dowling and let someone else pace the race allowed me to run the time that I did. None of that would’ve been possible without Jake.
You ran the second leg in 1:55.11 to put the Hawks into the lead by .37 over Cedar Falls at the midway point of the race. Did you think you were capable of running such a fast split?
I knew that I was capable of running a 1:55, but I was still very surprised. In one of the first practices of the season, (assistant coach Jon) Lindaman came up to me saying how he thinks I’ll be around 1:55 by the end of the season. At this point, my PR was around 2:04 so I thought he was crazy. As the season progressed I got faster, running a 1:59 a week before Drake. My team walked into (the Relays) aiming for 1:55s across the board, and we did just that. I trusted my coaching and knew that we would come out of that race happy.
Ike then ran the third leg in 1:57.77 to extend your team’s lead over Cedar Falls to 1.39 seconds before he handed off to Ethan, the state cross country champion who had anchored Ankeny’s runner-up distance medley relay on Friday. Were you pretty confident that the race was over at that point?
Not every team is fortunate enough to have a runner like Ethan. We put him in the anchor spot knowing that if we gave him the baton in first, he would bring it home. Ike ran incredibly and put Ethan in a great position to get the win. Witnessing that last leg from the field was exhilarating, but it wasn’t until Ethan started speeding up at the end that I knew for sure that we would win. The race is never over until you cross the finish line, but I had full confidence in my team and Ethan that he would do his part.
Ethan ran the final 800 in 1:51.62 to give your team the win over Dowling by nearly 4 seconds. Did you ever think your team could run sub-7:40 and post the fastest time in the country this year?
I always knew that we were a high-caliber team, but sub-7:40 is surreal. I remember watching the state record time at the state meet last year thinking how incredible it was that a team can go sub-7:40. But now we are that team! And, the thing is that we all think that we can go even faster at state. To know that we are within reach of the state record is incredible, and I truly believe that we can do it.
Going into the race, which teams did you think would provide the biggest challenge for you?
In the days leading up to the race, we talked about race strategy. Johnston is always a strong team, and Cedar Falls beat us at the 4A state cross country meet. But personally, my eyes were always on Dowling. They’re such a strong program, and they consistently run fast. To come out with a win against such a strong field just adds to the excitement.
This is the first time that you’ve ran the 4×800 relay with that quartet for a variety of reasons, including an injury to Jake that kept him out of action for awhile. Did it feel good to win a white flag for Jake, since he’s the only senior in the group?
It feels amazing to get Jake a win at the blue oval. He has been a crucial part of both the track and cross country team from the moment he joined. He’s an amazing runner and more importantly a leader. Even when he was injured, Jake was there recovering with our trainer and supporting the team. Ankeny wouldn’t be the same without him, and I’m glad I got to help him win that flag and take a victory lap during his final season.
Ethan showed throughout the meet that he’s one of the state’s best runners at distances ranging from 800 to 3,200. Do you feel comfortable running all of those distances as well, or do you feel like the 800 is clearly your best event?
Thanks to great coaching and training, I believe that our entire distance group could run any event that is thrown their way. We make it a goal to not only be strong distance runners, but also strong sprinters. I haven’t run the 3,200 in a while, favoring the 1,600 and 800, but if my team needed me to run the 3,200 I would have no problem doing so.
Ankeny’s group of sprinters also had a great weekend as Logan Fairchild won the 100 and placed in the top four of the 400 along with Jack Belding, and those two also ran on the fourth-place 4×100 relay that set a Relays record in the preliminaries without Tyler Sickerson–who had pulled up with a tight hamstring in the 100 final on Friday. Assuming that Tyler can get healthy before the state meet, do you feel like your team will be the one to beat at the state meet next month?
Almost a year ago we finished second at the state meet while scoring 80 points, which to my knowledge is the highest-scoring second-place finish in history. Ever since then, we had our eyes set on May 2024. With the addition of Logan to our team and an amazing meet at Iowa State early in the season, we knew that come the end of the year we would succeed. Coach (Jordan) Mullen has preached this entire season that we need to take it one meet at a time and trust in the process. If we stay healthy, trust the training, and run faster than the guy next to us, we will be happy in May. Even after that 4×800 win, we all knew that the job wasn’t finished. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be the ones lifting that first-place trophy on May 18.
You’re also a key member of the Ankeny boys’ swimming team who has been a state qualifier in that sport. Have you decided if you would like to run or swim in college, or perhaps try to do both?
Running is a very important part of my life right now. I would love to continue running after I graduate, but most likely not in a competitive format. Currently, my primary interest is in music. Ankeny not only has a good track program but also a successful music program. I was selected as an all-state musician in both my sophomore and junior years, and I plan on putting forth my focus toward bettering myself as a musician. Currently, I plan on being a Music Education major at the University of Iowa.
