A member of the Mountain Home High School boys’ track team was able to break a 25-year-old school record last week when he took part in a special meet in Boston. JR Free set the mark while competing in the 3200-meter run Thursday at the New Balance Indoor Nationals.
Free was running in the 2-mile distance and finished in a time of 9:15.35, placing 55th overall. The time converted to 9:12.13 for the 3200-meter run, and that passed the Bombers’ previous record of 9:20.4 set by Eric Gross in 2000. Free says he realized he became the school’s new record holder right after the race was over.
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Free also competed in the 1-mile race and ran a personal best time of 4:23.06. He says he was able to qualify for the meet at the facility next to the New Balance headquarters after competing in other events last year.
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Free recently helped Mountain Home win the Class 5A title at the state indoor meet in Fayetteville. The Bomber junior won the 3200-meter run and finished second in the 1600-meter run. He was also a member of last year’s team that captured the Class 5A outdoor state championship.
In addition, Free is also a member of the cross country team that won its third consecutive state titl last fall, and he was crowned the individual champion. He says his time at Mountain Home, being surrounded by his teammates and coaches, has made him a better athlete.
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The Mountain Home High School team’s next meet will be Thursday when they travel to Pocahontas to compete in the PECO Relays.
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