Greyhills Academy harrier records personal bests at AIA division meet
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Greyhills Academy Benjamin Miera eyes the finish line in the boys 1600-meter run Friday at the AIA Division IV Championships. Miera placed sixth overall, completing the race in 4:30.99.
MESA, Ariz. – Long-distance runner Benjamin Miera capped his 2024 high school track season on a high note.
The Greyhills Academy junior competed in three races at the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division V Championships held at Red Mountain High School last week in Mesa.
Miera hit new personal bests in the 1600 and 3200 at the small school championships. He also competed in the 800, finishing nearly two seconds off his PR.
On Friday Miera beat his previous best by four seconds in the one-mile race, as he clocked in at 4:30.99, which was sixth-best in his division.
“It’s not the best race that I’ve ever ran, but I’m happy that I PRd,” said Miera, who came into the meet with a seed time of 4:35.00.
The Greyhills runner was boxed in for the first two legs of the four-lap race that featured 23 runners.
“I felt like I was sleep-running,” Miera said. “I was kind of out of it and after the third lap I tried to pick it up. At the 300-yard mark, I was holding down sixth place and I tried to sprint it in.
“I ended up dying, but I managed to hold off the runners behind me,” he added.
Miera, who transferred from Rio Rancho High School in New Mexico, passed three runners in that final lap. Admittedly, he believes he could have done better had he not been boxed in.
“I plan on getting out a lot faster next year because the 1600 is a fast race,” he said. “I spent too much time running with the middle pack.”
Miera ran two races on Saturday as he scored another sixth-place finish on the final day of the two-day track meet. He completed the 3200 in 9:53.07, improving his PR by 1.13 seconds in the eight-lap race.
Of the five runners that finished ahead of him in the aforementioned races, two were seniors, which includes triple-crown winner Jonah Pearson of North Phoenix High School.
Pearson cleaned house by winning the 800, 1600 and 3200 races.
In the half-mile race, Miera took 18th with a time of 2:07.50.
“I didn’t make the podium this year, but I’m going to be back,” Miera said. “I plan on doing a lot better. I’m going to work on getting faster and, you know, just improve.”
As for the fall cross country season, Miera is looking forward to running for the Greyhills program. Last fall, he was part of the New Mexico Class 5A state championship team at Rio Rancho. He placed 20th overall at the state meet.
With family roots in nearby Toadlena, Arizona, Miera’s family moved back to the area, which accounts for his transfer to the BIE school.
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