Velzke surges to All-American status in mile

He was behind. Way behind.

Cedar Grove-Belgium High School graduate Jamison Velzke’s foray into national competition in the mile run started out slowly at the Adidas Track Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., on June 21.

“At the beginning of it, I noticed in the first 100 meters that everyone was getting out really quick for a mile,” Velzke said.

He stuck to his game plan, not letting the 14 competitors suck him in.

“I hung back a little, stayed at the same pace for the first two laps,” he said.

“By the third lap, I was in second-to-last place.”

Velzke hoped to snag a top-six finish and earn a medal and All-American status. That was seriously in jeopardy in the evening race with temperatures still in the mid-90s but with low humidity under partly cloudy skies.

But Velzke finishes strong.

“Then I finally was like, I’ve gotta move a little bit here. I put in a surge and I was passing people on the backstretch. Once we came to the finishing stretch of the third lap, I got into second place going into the fourth lap,” he said.

A tight final 400 meters had Velzke holding off enough of the nation’s fastest runners to take fifth place in 4 minutes, 19.32 seconds, just 22/100ths of a second from fourth and 26th/100ths from third.

The top four runners and their times were, Robbie Annett, 4:15.14; Noah Clancy, 4:18.76; Eric Robinson, 4:19.04; and Keyston Hartford, 4:19.1.

Within an hour, Velzke heard his name announced to the stadium and he had a medal placed around his neck. He was an All-American.

“It was really cool,” he said. “I was kinda thinking maybe I had a chance at it, but I was definitely not expecting to.”

His parents and family friend Matt Ewing and Matt’s son who made the trip south were equally excited.

Cross country coach and track distance coach Brandon Langer was thrilled for his star. This is the first All-American he can remember in school history, and he was impressed with that push during the mile.

“It was a gutsy move, but I would expect nothing less from him,” Langer said.

The mile is 1,609 meters, so it’s nine meters longer than the high school equivalent race. Langer converted Velzke’s time. It was a personal record.

A day later, Velzke ran in the 800. This time, it was even hotter. Velzke finished 16th in 1:57.18.

“I would have liked to have done a little better. You can’t race well every single race. I still raced well for it being the end of the season and having raced so well the day before,” he said.

Langer gave Velzke a two-week training plan for the time after the high school season ended up to the national races.

“That was really nice of him,” Velzke said.

The mile race was a microcosm of Velzke’s senior season before he will run at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa.

He broke his foot right before cross country started and came back to help secure the Rockets’ Division 3 state title.

In track, Velzke aggravated his foot midway through the season, but came back in time for regionals, and he ended up taking second in the mile and third in the 800 at the state meet.

Langer said Velzke is the best he ever coached, at least in one aspect.

“I am extremely proud of JaMo and his accomplishments.  With two school records and five state medals over the last two years, he has had an extremely decorated high school career. This is a testament to his hard work and dedication,” he said. “JaMo is the toughest competitor I have ever coached, and this attitude will serve him well at Dordt. His character and leadership qualities are what really stand out to me. He is a great teammate.”

Velzke didn’t anticipate this kind of success in running, “especially considering my freshman year I was planning on bringing a football player. That took a whole 180 switch there,” he said.

“I never expected to make it this far. But God has been good to me.”

Days after earning a national medal, he visited another part of the nation to help rebuild it and saw the hand of God again.

Velzke went from North Carolina to Greenville, Tenn., for a Hands and Feet mission trip through Cedar Grove’s Faith Reformed Church in Cedar Grove.

Tennessee was hit by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Velzke said a dam broke and a river was up 50 feet in some places.

One couple he met was fully prepared not to make it as flood waters neared.

“They had said their goodbyes to each other. By the grace of God, some help came and they were able to survive,” he said.

The wife was already a Christian; the husband, as a result of the averted tragedy, became one.

“Our youth group was there working on different houses for different families,” Velzke said.

“It definitely makes you think twice about what you have here and how much God has blessed us with good weather and not taking things away.”

Now, Velzke is training to run in college, working for 101 Heating LLC and visiting a family house up north and his 106-year-old great-great-great aunt.

 Velzke will plans to study business finance and accounting at Dordt.