This past spring on May 24, 2025 Michael Bowker ran a record 4:35 mile, breaking a school record that he set just a month before on April 25.
Way back in the first grade Bowker started running; he went to a couple of running camps during the summer and ended up winning a long distance event. As a kid Michael had a lot to look up to, his 2 sisters both ran track and they were a big reason why he got into it at such a young age. His mom was always a big influence on his life and his running as well.
“My mom’s always been really supportive, she spends a lot of money to get me good shoes, the right supplements, and everything that I need to run.”
Bowker had no idea that he would get this far and end up breaking a record that stood for 15 years originally set by senior Grady McBride back in 2010.
“Honestly, I had no idea that I would come this far with it. I originally just did it for fun, and then, now we’re here,” said Bowker.
Bowker didn’t start taking it seriously until 8th grade. And yet by the end of the season last year he held the mile record for Morgan, the fourth best time among freshmen in the state, and he was around 100th in the state out of all grades, and he still has the competitive spirit to keep improving everyday.
“It takes a lot of work, you know? A lot of training. I have to hit the gym for my legs. Definitely. That’s something that I learned last season.”
Bowker said that Track and Field coach Jamie “Tone” Serrano was a big help to him last year and gave him some great workouts that improved him performance and eventually helped him break the record.
Bowker originally broke McBride’s mile at the Ellington Invitational in Ellington where he ran a 4:45 mile. Bowker went into the season with a lot of pressure on him.
“The team really expected me to break it. So, yeah, there’s definitely a lot of pressure.”
When Bowker arrived at Ellington he was also attempting to qualify for nationals. The race before he was only a couple seconds off of the qualification for nationals, which was 4:57, and he ran a 4:57.2. That was only 6 seconds off of the current record of 4:51. But all of that pressure was taken off when he crossed the line.
“I thought I actually did a few seconds better than I did, but, yeah, I think I kind of knew. It’s hard to tell, you know.
You glance over, and a couple seconds can pass before you actually cross the line.”
Michael’s journey shows how much work goes into being this good at a sport, especially running where there is a lot of
competition.
This year Bowker is running all year around, doing cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. He is hoping to improve and break the record many times again.
“This year, hopefully, I’ll do a little better considering that a lot of seniors graduated, and I’m also older,” said Bowker.
So far this year Michael’s best time in the cross country 5K is a 17:14. A 5K is about 3.1 miles so his pace is a little slower at 5:44 per mile. During this indoor and outdoor track season Bowker plans on running the mile and improving even more on his times from this past spring.
“Honestly, if you want to be good, you have to put in a lot of work. No matter even if you have talent it still requires a lot of effort and a lot of practice.”
