Davis Surprises Field With Two-Mile Victory

Doug Padilla was supposed to challenge the world record in the indoor two-mile in Friday night’s Sunkist Invitational. Brian Diemer, the top-ranked American in the steeplechase in 1990 and Brian Abshire, one of the top distance runners on the indoor circuit, were supposed to challenge Padilla.

But along came a college student from San Diego who left all three and the rest of the field behind.

His name is Marc Davis, a 1987 graduate of San Diego High who now runs at Arizona. He took an early 15-yard lead and kept it until Abshire reeled him in, narrowing the lead to two strides right before the bell lap.

The bell sounded and Davis and Abshire took off. It was apparent Davis wasn’t used to being in that situation. He kept looking over his shoulder to see where all his competition was.

Right behind you, Marc.

Davis maintained a two-step lead throughout the final sprint and finished in 8:31.85 to Abshire’s 8:31.98.

“That was definitely my best indoor race ever,” Davis said.

About the only person it didn’t catch off-guard was Padilla, who placed fifth at 8:40.53.

“Marc’s tough,” Padilla said. “He ran a tough race, it wasn’t a surprise. We knew Marc could do it.”

At that, Davis, sitting at the same table, piped in.

“Marc didn’t (know),” he said, referring to himself in the third person. “Trust me. Marc didn’t know.”

Davis, who won the Kinney National cross-country championship as a high school senior in 1986, has been inconsistent ever since he suffered a stress fracture in one of his feet at the 1989 Pac-10 cross-country championships.

He said the foot is still bothering him and probably will the rest of his life.

Davis’ inconsistency showed after he won both the 1990 Pac-10 championship and the District 8 title. Afterward Davis proceeded to “bomb out” in the NCAA championships.

That caused him to change his usual holiday training regimen. He came back home and worked out on his old track at Balboa Stadium. He also worked out with local distance running gurus Thom Hunt and Steve Scott.

“Steve Scott took me on a 15-mile run,” Davis said. “And he just hammered me. “But it was a good run for me. I think that’s what gave the strength to win here.”