Cibola's Jeremy Barr set a new standard for the 400-meter dash

Just one trip around the track, the 400-meter dash is the sport distilled to its purest essence.

Athletes see the 400 as a premier event. But for its simplicity, training for it isn't. The runner needs speed to take off on a sprint for the first 120 meters, then endurance to keep up a stride through the back stretch and be able to switch back to the sprint on the final curve to increase his speed to go full out until the finish.

Cibola's newest 400-meter record holder, Jeremy Barr didn't realize those complexities last year when he eyed the 51.4 seconds set by Cardell Glover in 2000. The Raiders' distance runner was used to making personal best strides of seconds at a time and thought he could do that in the sprints.

"I found out getting down to the last tenths of a second was a lot harder than I ever imagined," Barr said. "That easy-looking record to grab wasn't so easy."

But Barr, The Sun/Yuma Rotary Club All-Region Boys Track Athlete of the Year, finally beat the record again and again in his senior season to set a new time of 50.24 seconds.

Barr earned the award as team captain and Cibola's MVP (most varsity points) by winning the 5A Gila Valley Region 400 and 800 individual races and 1,600-meter relay races and placing fourth in the 400 at the Class 5A Division II state meet.

Cibola track coach Gordon Mosher said Barr's dedication made him a natural leader for the team. He never missed a practice and took the responsibility of leadership by example when he decided to dedicate his last year to switching from distance running to sprinting.

Barr made the 400 and 800 his focus and since he had proven himself as a junior. Mosher let him even if he had to learn the basics like taking off from the blocks.

Barr said he had encouragement from his mom and sprinter girlfriend Hannah Heredia, but he knew he could be successful as a sprinter and felt the draw of the simple one trip around.

"The 800 is a little longer, but the 400 is the perfect event. 200 is too short and the 400 is an all out sprint," Barr explained. "It's not too long to where you think in it... I really like the quick short race. I liked the competition of it. I like to win."