Wednesday, April 15, 1998
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Bennett Valencia, front, pulls away from teammate
Chris Akamine after taking the baton during a practice
run in the 4x100 relay yesterday.
Running with
the Big Boys
Despite his slight build,
By Pat Bigold
Punahou's Bennett Valencia
has become a force in the
gruelling 400 meters
Star-BulletinASK Bennett Valencia what he likes about his specialty, the 400 meters, and you'll get a tough, passionate response.
"The 400 is a gut race," he said. "It challenges you to show who you are. You either finish strong or you crumble."
The scrappy, but slight, 5-foot-8, 150-pound Valencia refuses to crumble.
Even at the Junior Olympics in 1996 and 1997, where he found that football physiques dominated his event, he gutted it out.
"They all passed me on the turn and I just watched them," Valencia said. "It was a little intimidating, but I got back in it. With a little more experience, I will get used to it."
Despite looking like he had signed up for the wrong event, Valencia finished 12th in last year's Junior Olympics in 48.79 -- the third best effort of his career.
Last May, Valencia broke the 63-year-old Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship meet record with a 48.64 time, and set a new state meet record at 48.66.
Last month at Iolani, he improved to 48.50, and the best might yet to come at next month's state meet.
"Once he gets up to top speed, his ability to maintain it is what sets him apart," said Punahou head coach Dacre Bowen, a former Canadian Olympic sprinter. "His home stretch is a lot of fun to watch. He actually has a secondary acceleration that a lot of people don't have."
Bowen classifies Valencia as a strength runner.
"He's not a big guy, but he's a strength runner for his size," he said. "He's got great power for his body weight. He's like an Austin Mini Cooper (automobile), which is illegal here because its engine power to body weight ratio is so high."
Valencia plans to study business management at Boston College next fall, and hopes to run the 400 event in the spring of 1999.
But Bowen sees physical limitations on Valencia's future in the 400. His vision for Valencia is in the 800.
"He could run an international 800," Bowen said.
"It scares me that he would say that," Valencia said.
Bowen said he believes Valencia could run in the 1:44 range in the 800 someday.
"He's built like the best 800-meter runners in the world today, people like Wilson Kipketer."
Duncan Macdonald, a former world-class track competitor who has observed Valencia, said his two-year varsity soccer background makes him a natural for the 800.
"Soccer players make good 800-meter runners," Macdonald said. "In the 800, you don't have to stay in your lane. You jockey for space, hit elbows and jostle in a way similar to what he has experienced on the soccer field. He'll learn to like the event."
Valencia has only run the 800 once, and that was in the anchor leg of a medley relay last year. He beat Pac-Five's Matt Stevens, now at Harvard, with a time of 1:56.
That was no minor coup as Stevens, who won the 3,200, 1,600 and 800 state titles last spring, dominated prep distance running in Hawaii for three years.
"I barfed for about two hours afterwards," Valencia said with a chuckle. "I'm used to running around the track only once."
Bowen calls Valencia the pivotal member of his state championship track and field team who will run the 200 and 400 meters and supply the anchor legs in both relays (4x400 and 4x100) at the state meet. And offer motivation as the team captain.
"He's one of the most well-balanced human beings I know," Bowen said. "He's great with kids, great with adults. Just a quiet leader, and the backbone of our team."
