What better thing to do on your “day off” than to take in a high school track meet ? That’s exactly what Sterling Virginia injury lawyer Doug Landau did while resting up for the USAT National Duathlon Festival. Landau attended the Elite Track Classic at Sports Backers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. This sports event appeared to be the largest track meet in the Commonwealth of Virginia this season with a total of 1,400 athletes entered to compete representing over 70 different schools.

Sports injury lawyer Landau hoped to catch the running of the 800. His friend David Allen, a senior at Collegiate, had a seed time of 2:02.09. Allen is a talented distance runner who had injuries after visiting with Landau at the 2009 Duathlon Nationals. This was David’s last track meet, as he is headed off to Duke University in the Fall, and his goal was to break 2:00.

As usual, lawyer Landau was working in between appointments in downtown Richmond, catching up on e-mail at Virginia Commonwealth University, when Allen’s parents called and told the Triathlon Trial Lawyer toy get his butt down to SportsBackers Stadium, as the half mile race was set to go off earlier than had been anticipated. It was an overcast, sometimes rainy day, but Landau got to the venue in 10 minutes, at exactly the same time as Allen’s parents, and they cheered lustily as the racers lined up. When the gun went off, the rain held, the wind was not too severe, and a good, clean race ensued. Cheering, “Run like you stole something,” and “Make your Momma proud,” and “Use your arms and lean into the turn,” the high schooler’s multi-sport fan kept up the noise for both laps around the track. David Allen was in the middle of the pack in the fastest heat, and was moving up at the end of the race. His time ? UNDER TWO MINUTES. His parents, coaches, fans and friends were thrilled. What impressed fellow runner Landau was the fact that David Allen could run a sub-2 minute half and then stop at the finish line without keeling over or having to continue running. When Landau finishes any hard race of any distance, he has to keep jogging. Stopping “on a dime” is something he finds impossible to do. Congratulations to David Allen on his superb race in Richmond and good luck at college.