Ellery Lincoln Returns from Illness to Run 4:39 Mile

When Ellery Lincoln lined up at the Jesuit Twilight meet, she had only raced twice this outdoor season: a conservative 800m effort and a relay leg. But with just one lap to go, she sat poised on the leader's shoulder, waiting to strike. At the perfect moment, Ellery surged. She closed with a dominant final 300m to take the win in 4:39 for the full mile.

A Disrupted Start

Ellery, a high school sophomore from Oregon, came into the outdoor season on the rebound. She came down with pneumonia the day she landed in New York for Nike Indoor Nationals. "I didn’t race there," she said. "I was tracking my data pretty closely when I was sick, and I was obsessed with my heart rate and HRV during that time."

Photo by Jordan Beckett

After five days off completely, her recovery was careful and calculated. She gradually rebuilt her training load, leaning on the foundation built over winter. "I’m surprised that my base fitness didn’t dip down more than that because it felt really bad," she said. "But all the work was already done from the winter."

Her coach echoed that sentiment. "The biggest thing was not panicking and recognizing that we're still shooting for May. This season has been a bit of a blessing because our state meet is two weeks later."

Indicators of Readiness

Leading into Jesuit Twilight, Ellery completed two staple workouts: a set of 4x400m and 4x200m at mile pace, and a "broken K" workout (500m, 300m, 200m). These sessions, tracked with her COROS watch, showed her fitness was returning.

Photo by Jordan Beckett

Ellery does the 4x400/4x200 session before many of her biggest races. She was at her best on March 11th, just days before getting sick. After a patient rebuild, she was finally ready to tackle it again on April 22nd.

"Before Twilight, we did that workout again, and I ran the best splits I had, and the most even," she said. "I felt super, super good about that going into Twilight."

The 5-3-2 workout came six days before her race. It started with 2x1000m at 2:29 and 2:26, followed by two sets of the "Broken K", and finished with a final 1000m in 2:24. After feeling strong on the first 5-3-2, she cut loose on the second set, running 1:21, 43, and 28.

"I was going through in the second set in, like, 64 through the 400," she said. "If I can do that in a mile pace workout, I think I’m ready to run."

The strong final 1000m rep also gave a boost to her confidence. "I have those faster gears, but I'm strong, too. That 43 doesn't take everything out of me."

The Race

Ellery was familiar with the competition at Jesuit Twilight, as she had competed in high-level races with them before. She knew the race would have an honest pace, and she'd need to make her move late.

She executed the plan to perfection. She climbed into 2nd heading into the final lap, and waited for her moment. "At 300 to go, I was like, okay. I can run a 43. I have this kick in my back pocket that I'm ready to use."

In the final stretch, Ellery was unmatched. She unleashed her kick with precision and confidence, closing in 66 seconds for the final lap to take the win. Her coach summed it up best: “Her ability to get to the finish line is unlike anything I’ve ever coached. If we can get to a certain point, it's pretty much game over. She’s not gonna lose.”

What's Next

Photo by Jordan Beckett

Ellery closed out her sophomore track season on steady footing and now shifts focus to cross country. With a healthy base and a full summer ahead, she’s well-positioned for the fall.

Expect more big moments from Ellery Lincoln. The numbers say she's ready, and the clock agrees.