Going the Distance ... Brandon Rogers

He is known simply by "BR,BR ... Beeee Aaaaar" It goes to the tune of an old song by P.O.D. which goes "We are, we are, the youth of the nation." I'm not sure why or how he was given such a moniker, but I'll admit I've joined in the refrain a time or two.

Brandon Rogers is a likable guy, he's got a very even temperment, I don't think I've ever seen him lose his cool. His facial expression, his emotions, his effort level could all be traced with a flat line. One might call him stoic and not be too far off.

But the story line of Brandon's running career is anything but flat. It's a span of four years that has steadily risen. Go back to 2006 and you'll see a freshman who was firmly planted near the bottom of the freshmen ranks. He was still that quiet and unassuming guy he is today, but he was a lot slower. His times rattled around in the 22-23 minute range and he toiled in a fair amount of anonymity.

Since that beginning, he has written a song similar to the Cars' Let the Good Times Roll. He's been knocking on the door of top-10, and his times today are a vast improvement from the old days. It's a whole new Brandon. Recently at the Clovis invitational, he notched his fastest time ever with a 3-mile mark of right around 17:00. Yea, a full 5 minutes ahead of his 9th grade times! Sweet music indeed.

So sing loudly the praise of BR's four years of running. Unlike some tunes, this one you won't mind having stuck in your head!