Byline: Jeff Smith The Register-Guard
Using every ounce of energy he had left, Musa Ahmed leaned over the finish line to try to edge his weeklong rival, Roblet Muhudin.
Ahmed then glanced up at the scoreboard, saw that victory in the 1,500 meters had eluded him by a mere four-hundredths of a second and fell to his knees, head down.
No more than five seconds later, Muhudin walked over to Ahmed, pulled him to his feet, and the two walked off the track with their arms around each other.
Such was the respect the two 12-year-old distance runners have forged for each other as they highlighted the Midget Boys (11-12) age group at this week's USA National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.
Their showdown began Friday, when Ahmed, of Portland, beat Muhudin in the 3,000 meters. Muhudin then got him back with a narrow victory in Saturday's 800, which set the stage for Sunday's thrilling 1,500 that Muhudin ran in 4 minutes, 30.37 seconds to beat Ahmed's 4:30.41.
"We tried to put on a show, and that's what we did," said Ahmed, a native of Ethiopia who runs for Pride Sports Academy in Portland. "People always talk about the 400, 200 and 100. I just want people to say, `Hey, it's the 1,500. Let's go watch it.' Show them that not just the sprints excite them. The distances can, too."
For those fans lucky enough to witness all three of Ahmed and Muhudin's duels, they saw the beginning of what should be an outstanding rivalry.
Before this week, the two had never raced, and Ahmed had only heard of Muhudin from the Internet.
It didn't take long for the two to become acquainted after Ahmed won the 3,000 by just more than a second against Muhudin, who said Sunday that he was "tricked" by Ahmed in that race. In the 1,500, Muhudin sprinted out to a wide lead to set the tone.
"I start hard and finish hard," said Muhudin, a native of Somalia who runs for Blazers Track Club in Denver.
As Muhudin took off, Ahmed was content to stay in the middle of the pack before making his move with two laps to go.
"It's all about patience when you run," Ahmed said. "I knew he wasn't going to keep that pace."
Sure enough, Ahmed reached Muhudin with 200 meters left, took a slight lead with 100 to go, and then the two sprinted side-by-side as the crowd rose to its feet to watch Muhudin use his longer legs and body to reach the line first.
"I was expecting him at the end," Muhudin said. "He's always going to come at me. I think he's a great runner."
The two will now go their separate ways but expect to see plenty of each other in meets to come.
"We've become close friends," Ahmed said. "We have a lot in common. We both work hard and we're friends ... until we come on that track."
In the Young Men's (17-18) 1,500, Oakridge senior-to-be Andrew Perri had the lead to begin the bell lap and thought he would be able to live up to his status as the event's No. 1 seed.
But Perri was caught with 100 meters left, and passed on the straightaway, finishing fourth in 4:03.13. He was tripped by third-place finisher Qayyim Wiley as he crossed the finish line, a symbolic end to what he hoped to be a memorable day.
"I was getting tripped and shoved a whole bunch out there during the race," said Perri, who runs for Too Much Bear Runners. "Today wasn't my day. I'm really disappointed. I was extremely nervous. I was way too worked up. I may have psyched myself out."
The loss may sting for awhile, but it'll also add fuel to his fire for his senior season of cross country and track.
"Next year is going to be a great year," Perri said. "I promise I'll come back with a vengeance."
Also finishing fourth - and being extremely pleased about that - was South Eugene senior-to-be Erin Gray in the Young Women's 1,500.
"This whole week has been really amazing," said Gray, who competed for Track City Track Club.
Gray, who won the 2,000-meter steeplechase Tuesday, was fourth in 4:51.93. Rolanda Bell, of Awesome Power, took first in 4:38.22 while setting a pace that Gray knew she couldn't keep up with.
"When I realized how fast they were, I realized I was going to have to abandon that if I wanted to get a medal," Gray said. "I ran as hard as I could on that last lap."
Nicole Cochran, a Spanaway, Wash., native competing for South Hill Striders, won the Intermediate Girls 1,500 (4:33.54).
In the Youth Boys 1,500, Blake Shaw, of the Northwest Flyers, won in 4:16.57.
CAPTION(S):
Roblet Muhudin of Denver (right) races to the finish line for a time of 4:30.37 in the Midget Boys 1,500 meters, edging Musa Ahmed of Portland by a mere four-hundredths of a second. Muhudin also won the 800, while Ahmed claimed the 3,000.
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