Can't keep up with Houston’s 800-meter track standouts
It's not hyperbole to say that 800meter runners Colin and Keaton Jones have been known to burn things up on the track.
"The Memphis Jaguars (track club) threw a meet here and they had just cut down the trees over here," Keaton said, gesturing to an area behind the Houston High track. "It was like 90 degrees and the sun was just beaming down on the track. I was coming out of the turn and ... the way we run, we kind of strike with the side of our feet, and our track spikes had melted.
"We had holes in our socks and our feet burned pretty bad."
Added Colin: "Our feet got infected and they had to cut the blisters off . ... Basically I ran a 1:55 on blisters."
For a high school runner, that's a darn good time. But it only scratches the surface of what the brothers have done throughout their Houston careers. Heading into this weekend's prestigious Eastern Relays in Louisville, both Colin and Keaton were ranked among the top 800-meter runners in the country.
Despite almost falling in a crowded field, Keaton ran a personal-best 1:54.50 at the Florida Relays at the end of March with Colin right behind at 1:54.55. The brothers went one-two in last week's Houston Classic — the area's top local meet — with Colin winning in 1:55.95.
Colin also won the Class AAA state title last spring, edging out his brother by about three-tenths of a second.
"If you want to go times overall — outdoor and indoor season — they're onetwo in the state (with Colin first)," Houston coach Scott Hamlett said. "If you take only outdoor times — and they've only run outdoors twice (this spring) — the kid at Hardin Valley (Kenton Bachmann) is first. He's run a 1:53.
"He's a really good runner. But he's going to have to run 1:51 to beat them."
It won't be easy.
Wrestler's mentality
Each running event presents its own challenges, but the 800 might be the most daunting of all. It requires both speed and endurance along with a knowledge of proper pacing.
Make your move too early, and you could blow up; too late and you could get left.
Mental makeup is crucial, and the brothers both have what it takes. They developed their warrior mind-set not on the track, but on the wrestling mats.
The twins' father, Henry, himself a former competitive wrestler growing up in Oklahoma, coached his youngsters in that sport from an early age. At first they used swimming to help with conditioning — "They said the water was too cold," Henry said, laughing — before switching to running.
When high school wrestling didn't pan out, they switched to track full time and haven't looked back.
"That (wrestling) mentality came over here," Hamlett said. "That's what makes them the elite level. There are a lot of fast dudes ... (but) all these other runners out here, they're scared of two laps. These boys ask me all the time, 'Can we do the mile?'
"I mean, who does that?"
Colin Jones
Well-conditioned
Wrestling also served a practical purpose, too.
"When we trained for wrestling, we basically use every muscle in our bodies," Keaton said. "All the weight training ... using our arms and legs. When we came out for track, we were already conditioned."
Conditioned maybe. But it took a lot of work to get good.
"Seventh grade, we ran three-flat," Keaton said. "From seventh to eighth we dropped from three minutes to like 2:21. Then from eighth grade to ninth grade ... I don't know what happened. We trained hard all season and I got to 2:01 and he got to 2:03.
"My dad talked to us and said since we're quitting wrestling, we have to take track seriously. We trained that whole year (freshman to sophomore) and I got down to 1:55 in the indoor season. Then he got down to 1:55 outdoors."
Said Colin, "I'm in better shape during the summer season because I actually have more time. We wake up early in the morning and go run five or six miles. And we practice twice a day. Right now, we're up to our necks in interval work, trying to get the mileage in."
Watching the brothers' synchronized strides — and listening to them jump in and out of each other's sentences — it's hard to differentiate one from the other. But Colin and Keaton are actually polar twins, very similar but not quite identical.
Hamlett said it's made for an interesting dynamic.
"Sophomore year, Keaton won all the time," he said. "Junior year, Colin started winning all the time. This year, Colin has typically been winning a little more. But they're both OK with it.
"They're massively competitive. When they come down (the stretch), man, they're not wanting to lose to one another. But when one has success, the other is happy for him."
Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.