BILLINGS — Levi Taylor has made quite the name for himself.
He racked up the accolades at Montana State during the academic year, then finished 7th in the steeplechase at the USA Track and Field Championships in June.
He brought the hometown flavor back for the Montana Mile recently, though, wearing his old purple and gold in homage to another Locomotive great, Patrick Casey.
“There’s been a few great Laurel runners to come out, and I just like repping the school," Taylor told MTN Sports. "(Casey) usually repped a Laurel jersey, so it’s kind of nice repping the hometown. That’s why I do it.”
Taylor and record-breaking teammate Duncan Hamilton attribute much of their success to each other, training together and pushing themselves to the limits. So with their monumental seasons behind them, what’s ahead?
“I’m really looking forward to indoor season. I haven’t broken four (minutes) yet. I think running 4:08 midsummer is pretty ideal to run well under four in the winter, so I’m looking for big things," Taylor said.
Taylor says that as if running under four minutes in the mile is an absolute. It’s only been 68 years since Roger Bannister broke the barrier and it’s never been done outdoors on Montana soil, with Casey hitting the standard indoors in 2011 (3:59.76). But that’s not going to stop the Laurel legend.
“I probably won’t stop running until I do it. The bar just keeps getting higher and higher. I’m just looking forward to see what I can do after I break four," Taylor said.
You can bet Taylor is already gearing up for indoor season in pursuit of that magic mark.
