Running in the Family, Millrose Redux
Forty years ago Marty Ludwikowski, then a senior at Cherry Hill West High School in South Jersey, toed the line at the 1975 Millrose Games. It was the 68th iteration of the meet, but only the second year it would feature a high school mile. Delegates from three states - New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania - had earned their berths through regional qualifier races, and were poised to make their mark before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Marty would take home the title before a raucous crowd of over 17,000, barely edging a diving Kevin Byrne of Paramus Catholic, 4:15.5 to 4:15.6, in what remains one of the greatest finishes in the Meet's illustrious history.
On Saturday night Marty will have the chance to relive that experience.
No, there will not be an old-timer's race.
Instead, Rachel Ludwikowski, Marty's daughter, will take the baton as a second leg in the high school 4x800-meter relay during the 2015 Millrose Games. The Suffern sophomore will be removed by space and time from her father's historical effort -the meet site having moved uptown to the Armory- but for Marty, the vicarious thrill will be undeniable.
“I make a concerted effort not to hover," said Marty about his role in his daughter's running career. “I will offer occasional racing tips, but I really try to be as 'hands-off' as I can."
This show of restraint is no small feat: Marty, a retired high school guidance counselor who has coached at the prep and collegiate level, never truly disengaging from the sport, claims to be a better coach than he was ever a runner. But according to the '75 Millrose champ, all Rachel needed was a gentle push away from team sports. The inborn talent has taken care of the rest.
“I was a pounder," said Marty about the frontrunner mentality that carried him to an undefeated 26-0 cross-country record his senior year. “My mentality was to run as fast as I could for as long as I could. My whole plan was to take the lead and if you could beat me, you were going to have to beat me from behind."
Comparing his running form - which he describes as jerky and mechanistic - to his daughter's graceful stride, Marty is convinced Rachel will be better than he ever was. And that says a lot.
“She's a lot smoother of a runner than I ever was - much lighter on her feet," said Marty. “I've coached women at all levels, and based on my experiences as a runner and coach, I can already tell she is top-notch."
Three weeks ago Suffern's distance medley relay team notched a US #1 mark of 12:01.1 at an unlikely meet: The Ridgewood Frosh/Soph Games. Rachel ran the anchor 1,600-meter leg, splitting 5:06. Thanks to her relay-mates who preceded her and separated Suffern from the competition, Rachel was able to take the baton home with leisure.
“We were really just looking to win at first," said Rachel. “By the time I got the baton though, I was running all alone and I just tried to get a good time for the team."
It was a wire-to-wire run for Rachel, reminiscent of her father's old ways.
Of course, Rachel will not enjoy this benefit on Saturday when her 4x800 relay team faces some of the top teams in the Northeast. Suffern is seeded third in 9:18.0, but with six teams between 9:18.0 and 9:20.63, the handoff zone might get congested - especially for a second leg. Benjamin Cardozo and Western Branch High of Virginia lay claim to the first two seeds at 9:11.38 and 9:12.47, respectively.
“I think running Millrose is going to be a big thing for her," said Marty, who has watched the Armory evolve from a homeless shelter with a wooden track in the late-1970s to the state-of-the-art facility it is today. “Her confidence is better now than it ever was in cross-country, and she is getting stronger - both mentally and physically."
This will not be the first time Marty will witness his daughter run on his old stomping grounds. At the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortland Park this past October, Rachel won her division handily, forty years to the day after her father took home the crown for Cherry Hill.
“I don't think she realizes the gift she has," said Marty.
Rachel's conversion to running is a familiar story, largely paralleling her father's transition from team sports one generation earlier. Disenchanted with the politics of playing time, Marty substituted his football helmet and pads for a pair of running spikes. Unlike the sideline, the start-line did not discriminate, and Marty became one of the most dominant prep distance runners the Tri-State Area has ever seen.
Rachel tried soccer and basketball, but admits she struggled at them.
“When I was younger my dad would take me to track meets, and I would see other sports playing," said Rachel. “I found the track meets to be boring, so my attention was always turned to the team sports."
Growing up a Ludwikowski, however, it was just a matter of time before Rachel made the switch. Rachel's mother, Linda, was also an accomplished local high school runner, competing for Pearl River in the the late '80's.
“We never really pushed her," assured Marty. “In elementary school she ran an annual mile race as a fourth and fifth-grader, and she ran one of the fastest times ever run. We always knew at one point or another she would be a runner."The track meets which once bored her as a spectator, now enthrall her as a participant. Only a sophomore, this season Rachel has lowered her 800-meter and 1,500-meter personal records to 2:17 and 4:45, respectively. Rachel attributes her progress to both her bloodline and a culture of success at perennial powerhouse Suffern.
“There are high standards at Suffern," said Rachel, who cites the program's long line of achievement as a motivating force. “You want to be a part of it all."
Rachel's 4x800 relay team can add itself to Suffern track lore with a solid performance at Millrose. This marks the 108th running of the prestigious event, which features some of the best track and field athletes in the nation at prep, collegiate and professional levels.
The Millrose Games - which has been dubbed the most famous indoor track meet in the world - left Madison Square Garden for the more intimate confines of the Armory in 2012. But for Marty, its change in venue does nothing to diminish its magnitude.
“Millrose has always been one of the premier indoor meets in this country," said Marty. “I remember training at the Armory when I was in college, and it was basically a wooden floor with some cots. It really is phenomenal what they've done with that place."
But for just over two minutes on Saturday evening, Marty will be back at the Garden: “It means a lot to just sit there and watch her run. I don't even root for her - I just watch her run."
