Former EOU alumnus, now a qualifier in the 3,000 meter
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – (Information Provided by the EOU Athletics Department) Isaac Updike’s run at making the USA Olympic Team is still within reach as the former Eastern Oregon University Track & Field alumnus qualified for finals in the 3,000 meter steeplechase on Monday afternoon.
Updike ran in the first of two heats on Monday and walked away the winner in the first heat with a time of 8:21.01. His time was not only the fastest in the first heat but was the top overall time for the race and will have him seeded No. 1 going into finals. He will now run again on Friday, June 25 at 4:43 p.m. PT.
Updike was smooth through the entirety of the race as he was the leader for all but 100 meters. He wasted little time from the moment the gun went off and jumped out to the front of the pack thanks to solid positioning on the inside. Updike’s quick push at the start paved the way for him to secure the first heat win and punch his ticket to finals on Friday afternoon.
No stranger to racing at the big stage, Updike placed eighth at the 2019 Toyota USATF Outdoors and his time in late April was a then world leading time. Updike’s time back in April is also the fastest since the beginning of the New Year. In the EOU record books, Updike’s name is in the No. 1 spot in multiple races.
He still owns the fastest steeplechase time set in 2015 at 8:47 flat and he is the record holder in the 5,000-meter run at 14:17.28, a time he also ran in the 2015 season. For the indoor season, Updike is the record holder in the 3,000 at 8:23.70, which he ran in 2014. He is fourth all-time in the Mile at 4:17.28 and is 10th in the 1,000-meter run at 2:30.85.
Updike’s name is also no stranger to the professional track & field world as earlier this season he ran a then world leading time at the new Hayfield Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in late. In what was the first ever professional meet at the new Hayward Field, Updike was one of three athletes to post a world leading time/mark in the USATF Gran Prix kicked off the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Series.
Updike was the event winner in the steeplechase back in April running a final time of 8:17.74. The former Mountaineer had never broken 8:20 in his career, but he smashed that mark as he took down the field of competition and surpassed his previous best time by nearly eight seconds. His time from the race back in late April is still the fastest since the start of the New Year.
Up next for Updike is the finals on Friday and he will need to finish in the top three to earn a spot on the coveted USA Olympic Team.
