by Bill Taylor, the coach of Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo
special report
DRAKE CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER CHOSEN FOR MARIN "HALL OF FAME"
It was learned yesterday that one Richie Boulet will be inducted into the Marin "Hall of Fame" in November. He will be the fourth Drake cross country runner to be so honored. Boulet's recognition is for both cross country and track. Athletes and coaches are not usually considered until twenty years after their senior high school season. Boulet graduated from Drake in 1991.
Richie made it to the state finals twice in cross country, twice in track. In 1990 it looked like he was going to win division II/III cross country final with 200 yards to go, but two competitors made it by him by the chute. I said something like, "he kicked too soon". A Stanford "Olympic" coach said to me, "you can always smooth out the kick."
When a junior on the track, Richie was down to around 4:20 for the mile when we went over to Hayward for a NCS regional meet. In the field was a 4:13 miler, ranked 13th in the nation by time. I was told when I arrived that some of the East Bay coaches had placed some "bets" on the mile. Richie was told told to strike at 300 yard. The "4:13 miler" casually led the way after three laps. Then precisely with 300 yards to go, Boulet turned on the jets and ran away from the entire field. This was the break out race in the young life of Richie Boulet.
What track fans know him by today is his 3:53.26 mile in Oregon in 1997. Two Kenyans led the way in the "Prefontaine Classic", running about 1:52 at he half mile. Richie was last, or close to last. But he kept moving up, up, up and placed third behind the Kenyans. All of the best U.S. milers were in the field. He also reached a 1:48.90 time over 800m in a European meet one summer, qualified by times for the World Indoor and Outdoor meets, and ran 13:32 or so over 5000 meters.
Olympics? When he up-ed his mileage, and went high for altitude, hip and Achilles trouble resulted. In the immediate years before the Olympic trials, Boulet would have very likely made the U.S. team. But the "excessive" mileage cost him dearly. I have a picture of him which he doesn't like. He is down, on hands and knees, after missing making the U.S. Olympic team in 2000. Boulet always gave fully of himself. He was a rare one.
Bill Taylor
Today? Richie owns two running shoe companies in East Bay, is married to U.S. Olympic marathoner, 2004, Magda Louey Boulet. And has an 8 year old son called, Owen.
I ordered two new pairs of shoes from him yesterday.
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UNITED STATES ALL-TIME MEN'S LIST THROUGH 2013
ONE MILE
1 3:46.91 Alan Webb 83 Nike 1 Mem. I Calewaert Brasschaat 21 Jul 07
2 3:47.69 Steve Scott 56 Sub 4 TC 1 Oslo Games Oslo 7 Jul 82
19 3:52.01 David Torrence 85 Nike 9 Prefontaine Eugene 2 Jun 12
24 3:52.80 Jeff Atkinson 63 Nike 4 Weltklasse Zurich 17 Aug 88
26 3:53.15 Garrett Heath 85 Saucony 10 Sainsbury London (O)27 Jul 13
27 3:53.26 Richie Boulet 73 New Balance 3 Prefontaine Eugene 31 May 98
Source: 2014 USA Track & Field Fast Annual 36th Edition
Photo
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/richie-boulet/6b/4a7/4bb
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