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All-First Coast boys cross country/distance runner of the year: Rheinhardt Harrison, Nease

clayton freeman, florida times-union
·4 min read

After all the practices, all the race wins and all the state championships, one title now tells the story of Rheinhardt Harrison's Nease running career.

He is now the four-minute mile man.

That historic four-minute mile capped a year that included victories on the 5-kilometer course as well as the track, and the Nease senior's latest All-First Coast athlete of the year award in boys cross country and distance track.

He will enter the history books as a six-time Florida High School Athletic Association individual champion — three times in cross country and three times in track, a total that likely would have increased even further if not for the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

And Harrison is officially Florida's first-ever four-minute miler, the 16th in United States high school history.

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All-First Coast cross country and distance runner of the year Rheinhardt Harrison of Nease won his third track state championship and his third FHSAA cross country title.
All-First Coast cross country and distance runner of the year Rheinhardt Harrison of Nease won his third track state championship and his third FHSAA cross country title.

The four-minute run

The golden moment for Harrison didn't come on his home course, or even at the state finals in Gainesville.

Instead, Harrison set the record three weeks after the end of the high school season, at the Golden South Invitational in Tarpon Springs.

Racing against a field consisting entirely of high schoolers, Harrison zoomed to the front early and never slowed down, with both eyes on the clock as he dashed down the finishing straight.

The finishing time: 3:59.33.

With that time, Harrison not only made Florida history but joined a list that includes some of the most illustrious runners through the years in American distance racing — including three-time Olympian Jim Ryun, Marty Liquori and Alan Webb.

Simply unbeatable

This year, whether Harrison would break four minutes was the biggest question surrounding his season.

Whether in cross country or in track, nobody defeated Harrison in any high school meet all year, with performances that left Nease head track and field coach Ted DeVos in awe.

"Enjoy the process," DeVos said, "because these things are not automatic."

Harrison dominated the cross country season from start to finish, winning his third consecutive FHSAA Class 4A individual championship — a feat previously achieved by only four runners in Florida.

At Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Harrison wiped out the field in 15:03.60, a winning margin of 14 seconds.

Earlier in the season, he broke the state's record for a cross country 5K race, crossing the line in 14:45 at the New World Fall Spectacular at Cecil Field.

Destination Oregon

Harrison now closes his Nease career in possession of too many school, St. Johns County and state records to count.

A 2021 champion in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs on the track, Harrison dedicated his energy this spring to the 800.

He left no question. He won all seven of his races at the distance this year, including a season-best 1:48.05 at Thursday Night Spikes at nearby Bartram Trail. In the state championships in Gainesville, he crossed the line in 1:48.62, nearly a second and a half clear of runner-up Miguel Pantojas of Oviedo Hagerty.

After an all-around busy year, Harrison is gearing up for the next challenge in his track career.

He signed over the winter with Oregon, where he's scheduled to race for a legendary track and field program that perennially ranks among the nation's best inside the famed surroundings of Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

"It's been a great experience, and it's not one that'll happen again," DeVos said.

Rheinhardt Harrison, boys cross country/distance

Senior, Nease

Age: 18

Resume: Became the first-ever Florida high school runner and the 16th in U.S. history to break the four-minute mile. ... Repeated to win his third FHSAA Class 4A cross country championship (15:03.60). ... Surpassed Florida's 5K cross country record time (14:45). ... In the track season, won the Class 4A championship in the 800-meter run (1:48.62). ... Undefeated all year in high school cross country and track meets. ... Signed with Oregon.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Rheinhardt Harrison of Nease wins All-First Coast boys cross country award