SEQUIM — After being the top Class 2A boys’ runner at the Salt Creek Invitational to begin this year’s cross-country season, Sequim’s Murray Bingham said he had worked hard all summer and was giving it all for his senior year.
Well, the three-sport athlete is off to a good start with a highly successful cross-country season.
Bingham was fourth overall at the Salt Creek race. He went on to win four races, including the Olympic League 2A championship race, finished third at district and 13th at state.
At the end of the year, he had eight top-5 finishes and is selected as the Peninsula Daily News’ All-Peninsula boys’ cross-country MVP.
That 13th-place finish at state is especially impressive when you consider that Bingham finished 76th at the same meet in 2017.
His coach Harold Huff said Bingham had a rough stretch at the state meet, but he also showed what he is capable of afterward.
“He had a bad second mile, he might have been a top six or eight at state if not for the that mile,” Huff said.
But, then in the third mile, Bingham used a huge kick to “pass at least 13 or 14 people.”
“I could have run a little smarter in that mile, but 13th is nothing to complain about,” Bingham said.
Bingham said he has always had the ability to hit another gear down the stretch.
“I’ve always had that kick doing track. I started it about 400 meters earlier than normal, [but] I held it a little longer than most people. Everyone else was dying,” Bingham said.
Bingham put in more than 500 miles of running in the summer preparing for his senior year, Huff said. The amount of work he put in filtered down to the entire Sequim team.
“They realized how hard he had worked. He’s a team player. He’s not a real vocal guy who might lay into a teammate, [but] he expects teammates to train hard,” Huff said.
Bingham was out of state this past weekend, looking at schools in Virginia that have running and cross-country programs. He is seriously considering attending Southern Virginia University.
Over the winter, Bingham is staying busy wrestling for the Wolves. Though he swam recently for Sequim High School, he’s wrestled in the past. He says wrestling uses many of the same fast-twitch muscles used in running.
Bingham keeps running in the mornings, however, keeping his training up for the spring track season.
Because as good as he was in cross-country, he might be better in track, specializing in the 800 and 1600 meter events. Keep in mind, Bingham improved a lot his senior season in cross-country. If he shows the same kind of improvement in track, the sky is the limit for what he might accomplish this spring.
In track last year, Bingham won the 400 once, the 800 five times, the 1600 eight times and the 3,200 twice. He also helped the Sequim 4×400 relay team win four times. That’s 21 first-place finishes. Bingham finished seventh at state in 800 and 15th in the 1600 while the Sequim 4×400 relay came in fifth.
Bingham said his goal this track season is to be in the top three in the state in the 800 and to crack 1 minute, 56 seconds in the 800, which would be right off the state title time. (His best time last year was 1:59.87).
All-Peninsula Cross Country boys
Nathan Cantrell, Port Townsend
19th at State 1A meet
Second at West Central District 1A
Third at Olympic League 1A
Six first-place finishes, 11 top-10 finishes
Gabe Petrick, Port Townsend
33rd at State 1A meet
Fifth at West Central District 1A meet
Seventh at Olympic League 1A
Five top-5 finishes
Liam Byrne, Sequim
78th at State 2A meet
22nd at West Central District 2A
10th at Olympic League 2A met
Three top-10 finishes
Thomas Shaw, Port Angeles
87th at State 2A meet
19th at West Central District 2A meet
Ninth at Olympic League 2A meet
Five Top-10 finishes
