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Just a Second—Too Late

Distance runners usually don't deal in fractions of a second. That's for sprinters. For a 5,000-meter guy such as Arlington's Ronnie Harris, the difference between a good run and an even better one can be 20 to 30 seconds. Case in point: Harris made the U.S. Olympic team by placing third at the trials last month with a time of 13 minutes 57 seconds, and three weeks later in Belgium he ran what he called a great race, finishing in 13:29.

Actually, make that 13:29.25. Though that fraction of a second usually is meaningless in the 5,000, it meant the world to Harris—or more appropriately, it meant Atlanta. It's the difference between meeting the time necessary to qualify to compete in the Games (13:29.00) and running just another good race. Although he made the U.S. team at the trials June 21, along with Matt Giusto and trials winner Bob Kennedy, Harris still had to run 13:29.00 by July 16—a tall order, since his personal best then was 13:40.

Harris could come no closer to the standard than 13:29.25, and thus, he'll come no closer to the Games than a seat in the Olympic Stadium stands. The 5,000 meters is run Friday.

"This is just a case of my best not being good enough," Harris said Tuesday after returning from Atlanta the night before. He was there with his family watching the 800-meter qualifying heats and his friend, Charles Austin, win the gold medal in the high jump.

Seeing the Olympics as a spectator has been tough for Harris, after having come so close to qualifying for the Games himself. Since he couldn't do it at the trials, he went to Europe to try to qualify.

"It's tough to go to Europe, get off a plane and run 10 seconds faster than you've ever run before," said Rich Kenah, a friend of Harris's on the local Reebok Enclave track team. "But to run that time, you need competition that'll run that fast and a crowd. There just aren't enough races like that in this country to run that time. Track and field is dying as a sport in this country."

Harris agreed that competing against other top runners is crucial to improving your time. He had that competition in a meet in Germany, but it was lacking in Harris's last-chance meet in Montreal July 15. At that event, Harris ran the last six laps by himself en route to a 13:59.

And with that, the Games were over for Harris before they started. Since then, Harris has returned to his job at the Bureau of Naval Personnel and has been working out, trying to get back into his routine. Harris, 31, says there's "a lot of running left in me," but he doesn't know what's next for him and his track career. He won't decide on anything until he recovers from the disappointment of missing the Olympics.

When it comes to dealing with that kind of setback, Harris has several people with whom to commiserate. Three of his Enclave teammates also barely missed the Games. At the trials, where a top-three finish in an event final gets you on the team, Tom Nohilly and Kenah placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 800, respectively. Meanwhile, 1,500-meter favorite Steve Holman finished 13th.

"We're watching the Olympics with a lot of pain, but we're keeping our ill feelings within ourselves," said Harris, who was replaced on the U.S. Olympic team by Jim Spivey.

While each of those athletes came close to participating in the Olympics, none went from having a spot on the team one day to losing it weeks later, like Harris.

"I just tried to explain to him that missing the standard wasn't a reflection on him or his ability," Kenah said. "Twenty-five hundredths of a second over 5,000 meters—it's an absurdly small number. It's a lean [into the finish line]."

It's such a small number that it hasn't affected Harris's belief in his ability.

"The only people that have no trouble beating me are Bob Kennedy and the clock. Everyone else can bring it on," Harris said. "By the definition of the trials, I was an Olympian."