Stillwater's Krahn on pace to be state's fastest miler?

Stillwater coach Scott Christensen said he believes sophomore Eli Krahn has what it takes to be the best miler the state of Minnesota ever has seen.

"He certainly has a chance. I'd take him over anybody else if you're looking from a starting point," said Christensen, the boys' track and field and cross-country coach at Stillwater since 1981.

Krahn burst onto the scene last year, winning the 1,600-meter run state championship in a national freshman record time of 4 minutes, 9.38 seconds.

Krahn bested a trio of talented senior teammates in the state title victory, including state cross-country champ Wade Hall. The race also included highly regarded runners such as Richfield's Obsa Ali, who won the 3,200-meter state title, and Edina record-holder Will Burke.

Krahn's finish, in one of track's glamour events, opened a lot of eyes.

"After the state meet it got pretty crazy pretty fast," Krahn said. "I was just trying to figure out how to deal with all of it."

In his 34 years at Stillwater, Christensen has built the premier distance running program in the state. It's pretty much to Minnesota to what the University of Oregon is to the United States.

Stillwater has accumulated a total of 25 individual state champions in cross-country and track, including relay teams. In the 1,600, alone, Stillwater has six state champs and four runners who went on to break the storied four-minute mark — Ben Blankenship, Luke Watson, Jake Watson and Shawn Graham.

Christensen said Krahn isn't on the Ponies' Mount Rushmore of runners — yet.

His time in the 1,600 last spring didn't quite earn him the Stillwater record. That belongs to Blankenship at 4:09.18.

"It takes something around here to make our Mount Rushmore," Christensen said. "Eli has a shot. He's only 16; he barely has his driver's license, so it's a little early to be talking about Mount Rushmore. But, he certainly has the tools."

Christensen feels Stillwater's Mount Rushmore is Blankenship, Luke Watson, Graham and Andy Tate.

The 6-1, 165-pound Krahn grew up playing soccer, but started running cross-country in seventh grade at Stillwater Junior High School. That year he ended up setting the seventh-grade school record for the 1,600- and the 800-meter runs. He quickly moved up the ranks and joined Stillwater's varsity team as an eighth-grader.

"I kind of stumbled into this running program," Krahn said. "I think about how lucky I was to grow up in this district and to happen to go to Stillwater."

Krahn recently ran his best 1,600 this season, 4:15.66, at the True Team state meet. He said he hopes to add to the legacy at Stillwater by someday breaking the state record, going under the four-minute mark and running in college and beyond.

Burnsville's Rob Finnerty owns Minnesota's high school record in the 1,600 with a time of 3:59.70 in 2008. The state meet record-holder is Benilde-St. Margaret's Nick Schneider, with a time of 4:08.51, in 2001.