Port Washington's Colin Funk likes his pace in 1,600m victory at Nassau boys track state qualifier

Colin Funk just couldn’t wait to get back on the track. Yes, he had won the 800 meters on the first day of the Nassau state track and field qualifier, but he was just unhappy about it. The time didn’t feel right — not for the first weekend of June, anyway — and he was generally uneasy about the whole thing.

“I was upset with the time in the 800 (1:55.06), even though I won,” Funk said. “I was thinking about that the entire last night. I just didn’t want to lay down another time that I wasn’t happy with . . . The race kind of got me that time. Two kids cut in immediately and just put the breaks on. I wasted a ton of energy trying to get around them, and it made the first lap slow . . . Just how the whole race unfolded made it hard to run fast in the 800.”

Funk said that festered with him all night.

“I knew I could run much faster,” he said. “It kind of made me mad because I work hard in practice every day, then you show up to a race and it doesn’t really give you a chance to do that, it’s kind of annoying. It’s like ‘why am I here?’ But, you do whatever you can with the race, and if you run a fast time, it’s great.”

But, Saturday was better. When it comes to most weeks, Saturday is usually better anyway. Funk emerged from a bunched up front pack and took control of the 1,600 meters, winning it in four minutes, 18.26 seconds on the second and final day of the qualifier at North Shore High School in Glen Head.

“I still think I’m a little bit faster in the mile than that,” Funk said. “I’m not much of a leader. I usually do better when I can sit in the middle of the pack and then kick, but I wasn’t allowed to do that today.”

Funk qualified for the state championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Cicero — North Syracuse High School.

Saturday, Funk ran with a densely populated lead pack, holding onto a two-step lead when the final lap began. He extended that lead on the back straightaway, building a healthy distance between himself and Manhasset’s Brendan Conniff (4:20.34) and Valley Stream North’s Kevin Beltran (4:20.40), who finished second and third, respectively.

“I was running the pace that I wanted to, and people were just going with me,” Funk said, “I guess everyone else kind of wanted a fast time over everything. I was happy that people went with me, at least for the first two laps.”

That was more than Calhoun’s Logan Schaeffler got. Schaeffler won the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 9:45.42, a race that he had won 200 meters in. Schaeffler got off the line quick and never looked back. No one went with him and the sophomore won by over 25 seconds. Schaeffler also won the 3,200 on Friday in 9:24.82.

With the sun beating down on him, Schaeffler was the star of the first boys race of Saturday afternoon. Despite the relatively comfortable temperatures, Schaeffler said running a race of that distance in baking sunlight was a challenge.

“I had a lot of adrenaline for this race,” he said. “The sun definitely didn’t help, but I’m happy with how I ran today . . . It felt very hot. The last time I [ran steeple] at [North Shore High School] it was rainy, so that felt really good. [The sun] was uncomfortable physically, but running is also a mental game. I tried to have stop points to tell my brain that I’ve actually done something in the race and it’s not [going] forever.”

Running alone, while not exactly stressful, is one of the harder things to do in distance running. When there is no one around, it almost seems like there is no race. And, it can be hard to race when the only race is with yourself — state qualifier or not.

“It’s definitely easier to push yourself with someone who is running to your ability,” Schaeffler said. “But, my coach has told me numerous times that I’m going to be by myself in these races.”

Elsewhere, Freeport’s Jordon Quinn won the Division I 110 hurdles in 14.86 seconds, despite a shaky start.

“I was happy with my finish, but my start could have been better,” Quinn said. “I lost my balance [at the start], I have to make sure my body is straight.”