TUESDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2009 13:08

This Saturday, Jon Rankin will compete in the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. The race is considered the premier road mile race in the country, as 15 Olympians will take part in the elite men’s and women’s fields.

For the Monte Vista high school and UCLA grad, the journey from last year’s Olympic Trials to this week’s race has been full of changes and struggles.

Rankin finished sixth at last year’s Olympic Trials in the 1500 meters. He was named an Olympic alternate, but not making the team was disappointing.  It took him several months before making a decision on whether to try again in 2012.

“It’s such a long journey to get to that point and I just fell short of making the team. It forced reflection upon me, it made me step back and reflect upon the journey and  reevaluate if I want to go for it again and make another team four years from now. At that level of sacrifice, I wasn’t too sure if I was going to do that for four more years,” said Rankin.