University of Georgia Athletics
LaRon Bennett Journal Entry No. 5
June 26, 2007 | Track & Field
Bennett finished in 49.46 during his an earlier race this season (Meeting International d'Athletisme de la Ville de Dakar) in Dakar, Senegal, on April 28th. Bennett, who owns the Georgia record in the 400 hurdles at 48.74, was the second American to finish the race and crossed the finish line fifth overall.
While wearing red and black, Bennett set the school record in the 400 hurdles at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships for a fifth-place finish. Bennett, who was a three-time outdoor All-American, was also the runner-up in the 2005 SEC Outdoor Championships with a 48.76. Bennett will be providing georgiadogs.com with journal entries about his experiences on the road over the next several months. His fifth entry of the season is below:
"It is Wednesday (June 20) and I am on a plane to Indianapolis, for the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. This meet will be the most important meet this year because it will open doors for other big meets this year, including the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. I also can’t help remembering that this is the same meet that I missed making the finals but one hundredth of a second (in 2006), so I going to redeem myself at this one.
"When we land, I head over to the track to do a warm-up. After my warm-up, I go and check out the heat sheets; well, it gets ugly really quickly. I am in the fourth heat with Kenneth Ferguson and Michael Tinsley so my first round will be fast. I head back to the room to get settled in and prepare for tomorrow’s battle.
"It is Thursday, the first day of battle, and I am a little nervous, but confident. I read my Bible to see which scripture I will use for today. I end up reading the story of David and Goliath. Today, I truly will have to face two Goliaths. After getting ready for the meet, I head over to the track. When I get there, the stands are already starting to fill up. I head to the practice field to begin my warm-up and an hour and a half later we are called to the waiting tent. While under the tent, I see Justin Gaymon (Georgia sophomore hurdler) and I wish him luck; he is in the heat before me. Finally, they call us out to the track. Justin runs first and he makes it to the next round - now it is my turn. We are told to go set our blocks and to do a run out. I am in lane 7, Tinsley is in lane 6 and Ferguson is in lane 5. After setting our blocks, I wait for the starter. Now, comes the commands: On your mark . . .’ I read my scripture that I have written on the inside of my arm, which is first Samuel 17:47 and I get in my blocks. Set . . . click.” The gun doesn’t fire. We all have to stand up. I hate this - I was ready. Now, the commands again, On your mark, set . . . click.’ We have to stand up again - all this pressure is building up. So, we stand behind our blocks for a third time and wait for the commands. 'Runners take your mark.' I get down in my blocks and immediately both of my quad muscles begin to cramp, but I can’t move because I don’t want to get disqualified. I hear the next command: 'Set . . . bang.' I take off and the cramps relax just a little. I then focus back on my hurdles. By the third hurdle, Tinsley and Ferguson have already made up the stagger on me, but I know I have to push them so they use up more energy for the next two rounds. I end up finishing third, but I make it to the next round. One down, two to go. I head back to my room to rest for tomorrow.
"It is Friday. I check the computer to see what heat and lane I am in. When I read the computer, I can’t believe what I see: lane 1 . . . I am in lane one. This is the hardest lane to run out of by far. Then I look and see who I have in my heat; Ferguson, Tinsely, Kerron Clemet, and Joey Woody. I immediately pick up my Bible and pray for strength, because today we only have two heats and only four from each heat make the finals. After a whole morning and afternoon of mental preparation, I head over to the track. My warm-up goes well and whole time I keep thinking about the David and Goliath story. Finally, we are call to the holding tent and once again I see Justin. I wish him good luck and I wait for battle. Justin ends up not making the top four, so he doesn’t get into the final. Now, it is my turn and I am ready. I set my blocks and wait for the commands; 'Runners take your mark.' I read my scripture and get into my blocks, then the gun. I clear my first hurdle fine, but when I finally get to the straightaway, everybody else is almost to the 200-meter mark. When I get to the 200 mark, I am still in last. Then I say to myself that I am not going home. I begin to close ground quickly, but then I see Kerron, Ferguson and Tinsely cross the line. I see Ben Clark struggling to make it to the line. I pump my fist and lean hard at the line. I see a 49.27 pop up on he result board, then my name beside it. I made it to the finals, I got fourth place. I drop to both knees and almost start to cry and thank the Lord, because not many thought I would beat those odds. I head back to the room and prepare for the finals. Wow, I made it. I can’t believe it.
"Today, is Saturday and I am not really nervous. I’m here, I am in the finals. Finally, we are called to the holding tent one last time. I look around and I see the best runners in the country; Kerron Clemet, Kenneth Ferguson, Derrick Williams, Mike Tinsely, James Carter and Ricky Harris. All these guys and I am in lane 2. I set my blocks and wait for the commands. 'Take your mark, set, bang.' My start is good, but I immediately notice that most of the field is going full speed already and as usual, I am in last place. We head into the 200 mark and I am still getting destroyed. I think to myself, is this how it will end, with a last place? No. I begin to kick and I see Ricky, Ben and Mike all struggling. I go for it and lean in. I take knee and wait for the results: fifth place with a 49.93. I can’t believe it; I just finished fifth at the United States Championships, which ranks me No. 5 in the country. After a long celebration on the track, I head back to my room. It feels so good to come out to this meet and do well. This meet is what I prayed and fasted for. It still seems almost unbelievable, but it is soaking in. I know I can’t dwell on it two long, because I am headed off to Europe to run on two USA teams. I am ready."
