Rancocas Valley’s Ian Moore ran his first sub-1:52 800 Sunday, winning a fast race at the Monmouth Spring Invitational in West Long Branch.
Moore ran 1:51.98, lowering his PR from 1:52.76 indoors at Ocean Breeze in February of 2020. His outdoor PR was 1:53.24 from last week at Rider.
Moore’s high school PR was 1:56.43 from the 2018 South Jersey Invitational at Delsea.
Six runners broke 1:54, and Moore out-raced Fordham’s Zalen Nelson for the win, edging Nelson by two meters. Nelson ran 1:52.52.
Moore ran even splits, out in 55.56 and back in 56.42.
In the same race, Egg Harbor Township graduate Gobi Thurairajah, a Rider sophomore, ran a massive PR of 1:53.99. His previous best was 1:56.30 earlier this month in a home meet in Lawrenceville.
Thurairajah’s high school PR was a 1:58.05 at the 2019 Cape-Atlantic Championships at Bridgeton.
As for Moore, his time is No. 4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this year behind Kevin Heredia of Rider [1:51.53], Moore’s Monmouth teammate Louis DiLaurenzio [1:51.61] and Rider’s Tamrat Snyder [1:51.71].
Moore’s time is No. 9 in Monmouth history:
1:47.20 … Dylan Capwell, 2019
1:50.07 … David Gaines, 2007
1:50.0h … Mel Ullmeyer, 1978
1:50.33 … Andrew Langille, 2015
1:50.97 … Chris Marco, 2018
1:51.01 … Ford Palmer, 2013
1:51.59 … Felix Olivo, 1999
1:51.61 … Lou DiLaurenzio, 2021
1:51.98 … Ian Moore, 2021
1:52.26 … Kris Landers, 2002
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 