Kingsway junior Payton Veilleux won the 1,600 Monday at Ocean Breeze, and assuming it’s the same Payton Veilleux who began his high school career at Mount Pleasant High School in Michigan – about halfway between Detroit and the Straits of Mackinac – this is a huge PR.
(btw … “Mackinac” is pronounced “Mackinaw.”)
Veilleux ran 4:32.54 and won the 1,600 at the SJTCA meet at Ocean Breeze, finishing 15 meters ahead of 2nd-place Tyler Hurst of Steinert.
If it’s a different Payton Veilleux – and how many Payton Veilleux’s can there really be? – it’s the first track race of his life.
We’ll operate under the assumption this is the same Veilleux who competed from the 2023 XC season through the 2025 outdoor season for Mount Pleasant and had a 1,600 PR of 4:45.09 at a meet this past March at the Jack Skoog Indoor Track at Central Michigan University, also in Mount Pleasant.
According to the Michigan Milesplit page, Veilleux only ran two races last spring with a 1,600 best of 4:56.97 in a meet in April at his home high school. He resurfaced at Kingsway this past fall, placing 17th in Group 4 Sectionals at DREAM Park in 16:26.92.
So assuming it’s the same Veilleux, this is a 24 ½-second PR.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 