LAKE CHARLES – May 23, 2015 is one for the record's books for the sport of track in the state of Louisiana. That's because early in the evening, former McNeese runner Jarrett LeBlanc became the first Louisiana native to run a sub-4:00 mile on Louisiana soil when he achieved the milestone to cap off the Cowboy Elite Mile event at the McNeese Track Complex.
 
LeBlanc, a native of Hathaway, became crossed the finish line at 3:59.95, just .05 seconds under the elusive mark. The time was made official by Bayou South Timing who timed the event with state of the art equipment.
 
"I thank God and thank all of you Cajuns for coming out tonight," said LeBlanc who currently runs for Team Green Running Club. "That was out of this world. A phenomenal experience. This was one of the best races of my life ever."
 
According to Track & Field News, LeBlanc is just the 18^th individual this year to clock a sub-4:00 mile, the last being Matthew Maton of Oregon High School on May 8.
 
Sir Roger Bannister became the first person to ever run under four minutes when he set the mark at 3 minutes 59.4 seconds back on May 6, 1954.
 
LeBlanc's pace was eerily similar to that of Bannister's trek. LeBlanc clocked a 58 second first 400 meters and was at 1:59 at the halfway point. His pacesetters who are his team members from Team Green, kept LeBlanc ahead of the pace and at the three-quarter mark, was right at 3 minutes.
 
LeBlanc put it in another gear around the 1400-meter mark and made a turn on the final stretch at 3:40. The hundreds in attendance lined the track to cheer him on as he sprinted towards the finish line to cross with the clock showing an unofficial time of 3:59, which minutes later would be verified to be an official time of 3:59.95.
 
LeBlanc's Team Green teammate Adam Goodwin finished just behind at 4:03.40 while Dusan Makevic of UTSA clocked a 4:06.62. Brock Moreaux, who just wrapped up his collegiate career at McNeese and the newest member of Team Green, ran a 4:16.65 while Devyn Keith, running unattached, clocked in at 4:19.69 to round out the Elite run.
 
LeBlanc will now continue to train for the Olympic Trials where he'll make a run at becoming a member of the US marathon team.
 
 
Cowboy Elite Mile Results
Elite Division Mile:
Jarrett LeBlanc, Team Green, 3:59.95
Adam Goodwin, Team Green, 4:03.40
Dusan Makevic, UTSA, 4:06.62
Brock Moreaux, Team Green, 4:16.65
Devyn Keith, Unattached, 4:19.69
 
CoEd Masters Mile:
Gerard Semien, 4:55.83
Joe Conway, 5:03.13
 
CoEd Open Mile:
Ryan Barrow, 4:47.42
Geoff Speelman, 4:49.72
Samantha McClellan, 4:52.87
Ricky Kramer, 5:05.05
Matthew Borrelli, 5:14.43
Stefanie Slekis, 5:19.26
Ryan Soileau, 7:54.05
 
High School Boys Mile:
Austin Brown, 4:37.42
Kolyn Saltzman, 5:06.09
Kendal Royer, 5:06.39
Matthew Griffiths, 5:06.45
Jace Peters, 5:06.62
Hayden Robertson, 5:16.49
Max Elizey, 5:24.11
 
High School Girls Mile:
Izzi Dominguez, 5:24.62
Ciara Gilroy, 5:32.45
Casey Dake, 5:41.92
Haile Gilroy, 6:41.29
 
5 & Under 400m:
Hayden Harbor, 2:04.88
Jeslyn Underwood, 2:58.41