Injury Interferes With Miler’s Run for Glory

They have come to track meets all spring, hoping to see Michael Stember become the first high school runner in almost 30 years to break a four-minute mile.

But the dedicated track fans have been disappointed each time. Stember hasn’t been able to break the barrier because he hasn’t been there. Instead, the senior from Carmichael Jesuit High near Sacramento has been at home, sidelined because of a swollen knee that has made running almost impossible.

Fans got their first glimpse of Stember’s talents at the state finals last year, when he won the 1,600 meters in 4:04. It was the best time in the state by a high school runner since 1974 and provided hope that he could break four minutes.

Only three people have run a mile in less than four minutes while in high school. The first was former Olympian Jim Ryun of Wichita, Kan., who did it five times in 1964-65. The others were Tim Danielson of Chula Vista in 1966 and Marty Liquori of Newark, N.J., in 1967.

Since then, the closest challenge was made by Richard Kimball of Concord De La Salle, who ran 4:02.4 in 1974.

As the nation’s premiere high school distance runner, Stember set his senior season toward breaking the four-minute barrier.

The goal appeared on target. At the L.A. Invitational at the Sports Arena in February, he competed in the men’s open mile and finished fourth in 4:07.1. It was the third-best mile indoors by a high school student. He followed that with an easy victory in the 1,600 at the national indoor high school championships in Boston a week later.

But after returning from Boston, Stember noticed swelling on the lower inside of his right knee. He said poor technique had put too much pressure on the knee. Stember was told by two doctors to rest for two weeks.

Stember, 18, tried a comeback in mid-March, but the soreness persisted. He was examined by a San Francisco 49er trainer, but there seemed to by no easy answers to the problem.

Sitting out the Arcadia Invitational and Mt. San Antonio College Relays last month, Stember missed two good opportunities to run a top mile time. And with the season winding down, the chance seemed to be slipping away.

“There’s been so many comparisons made of me to Jim Ryun,” said Stember, a lanky runner who will attend Stanford in the fall. “With all of this talk, I couldn’t help but spend time thinking about doing the unthinkable.”

Stember recently was given an unexpected second chance when a local holistic doctor took him on as a charity case and began improving his mechanics, enabling him to resume training.

Last Saturday, Stember ran his first race in six weeks, finishing second in the 1,600 in 4:13.74 at the Sacramento Meet of Champions. It was his first loss outdoors in two years.

“I could see Michael grit his teeth and appear a bit stunned by the loss,” Jesuit Coach Walt Lange said. “But that time was nothing to be ashamed about considering it was his first race in a while.”

Although he now considers the four-minute mark a longshot, Stember has been invited to run the mile at the Prefontaine meet in Oregon later this month and at the Golden West invitational in Sacramento in June.

In the meantime, he will try to qualify for the state finals. That quest begins with his league meet this weekend.

“I have the heart and desire I believe is necessary to run a mile under four minutes,” Stember said earlier this week.

“Now, if I could combine that with the conditioning I had last year at this time, I would be in great shape. My mind is more capable now.”