Competing Against Top Hurdlers Is a Dirty Job : When Better Times Are at Stake, Travis Knox Will Overlook Surface Qualities

San Dieguito High School’s Travis Knox figures competition is more important than running surfaces when it comes to improving his times.

San Diego County’s defending CIF champion in the 100-meter high and 300-meter intermediate hurdles made that determination last week when he opted to run in the Arcadia Invitational on Arcadia High School’s dirt track instead of at the Poway Titan Relays on San Diego State University’s all-weather surface.

Knox’s seasonal bests of 14.5 seconds in the highs and 39.3 in the intermediates are good by San Diego standards, but well off the state’s best and his 1984 bests.

Knox, 19, has been unable to escape the San Dieguito dirt track, where he ran 14.5 in the school’s opening dual meet of the season and equaled the mark three weeks ago at the Mustang Relays. Despite the dirt track being a key factor in holding back his times, Knox had no problem deciding he wanted to go to Arcadia.

He was the lone San Diegan in the strong Arcadia field. Among those he raced against in the 110 highs were George Porter of Cabrillo High in Lompoc, who has run 13.8 this season, Robert Reading of Saint Mary’s High in Oakland, the top hurdler in Northern California, and Damon Thomas of Pasadena High. Reading and Thomas have each run 13.9.

“The good competition mainly gets you pumped up,” Knox said. “It helps bring the time down. The faster people help. I really can’t describe it, but everything comes together for me.”

The Arcadia meet was also the first of three successive meets that will assemble the state’s finest prep talent. The Sundevil/Coca-Cola Invitational on Saturday at Mount Carmel High and the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 27 also are expected to have strong fields.

“The meet is exciting because it brings together guys like Travis, and other guys who have dominated events in their area,” Arcadia meet director Doug Speck said. “You bring all these people together and good things happen.”

For Knox, the best thing would have been an improved time. After getting off to a good start this season, his times have leveled off because of a long bout with a sinus condition. That prevented Knox from taking full advantage of the class field on Saturday. He finished 10th in 15.06 in the 110 highs and scratched from the 300 intermediates.

“I was feeling bad,” Knox said. “The medication I was taking made me feel drowsy, so I didn’t take any medication the day of the meet. My head was really congested during the race. My coach said I was in fourth place going over the fourth hurdle. It was hard to breath after the fourth. I wasn’t pulling in any air.”

A lack of strength was the key to Knox scratching from the 300-meter intermediates. Again, he would have faced a strong field. Porter, who has the country’s best time at 35.9, set a meet record on Saturday, winning in 36.42.

Based on career bests, Knox would have been more competitive in the intermediates on Saturday. He is clear, however, about his preference for the highs.

“In the intermediates, guys who are in good shape will cover up their lack of skill in hurdling,” Knox said. “The highs are technical.”

As a sophomore, Knox finished fourth in the San Diego Section final in the 100-meter highs, but didn’t advance beyond the CIF preliminaries in the 300-meter lows. In the off-season, the 300-meter hurdles were raised from 30 to 36 inches and a new event was formed, the 300-meter intermediates.

Knox responded by winning both events in the San Diego final and established a section record in the intermediates, 38.3.

“They played right into his hands when they raised the height of the hurdles,” San Dieguito Coach Mike Davis said. “Travis is a pure hurdler. (The 300-meter lows) were like a 400-meter dash with little objects along the way.”

Despite enjoying the higher hurdles, Knox did not set a goal for himself in the 300-meter event.

“I want to place in the state meet in the highs,” Knox said. “And I’d like to get a 13.9.”

Knox added he’d like to duplicate his double at last season’s San Diego finals, something that has never been done.

Despite being undefeated in San Diego last season, Knox did not consider himself the favorite in last season’s sectional meet.

“In the CIF finals last year, It was anybody’s race going into it,” Knox said. “It was up for grabs.”

Hardly a surprise winner, Knox ran away from the competition.

Knox went on to record a career best 14.33 in the 100-meter highs in the Southern Section prelims, before being eliminated in the finals.

Knox’s section record was on the dirt track at Mount Carmel High, the site of Saturday’s Sundevil/Coca-Cola Invitational. Knox said he hopes his illness will be behind him when he races against another quality field.

“Mount Carmel is a fast track for a dirt track,” Knox said. “Running the intermediates depends on how I feel after the highs.”

And for a change, Knox is looking forward to running the intermediates.

“They’re (the competition) the ones I’ll be running against at CIF,” Knox said.

In the intermediates, Knox is scheduled to run against Saint Augustine’s Jay Taylor, the county leader at 39.2, and Oceanside’s Terry Herron, who has run 39.3. In the 110 highs, Knox’s competition will be Darry Johnson (14.3) of Washington and Mark McKinney (14.5) of Western Las Vegas.

After accomplishing the immediate goal of getting healthy, Davis said he hopes Knox can make it to the state finals, something no San Dieguito track athlete has done. And Davis hopes that Saturday will be the first step toward achieving that goal.