SportStories, Ep 2.1 | Great Moments In Track & Field Series — Michael Granville

National High School 800 Meter Record-Holder, Michael Granville, Opens Up The Second Season Of Our SportStories Podcast •

After a two-year hiatus, SportStars Magazine is finally bringing back its original podcast — SportStories. The oral history-style show carries a slightly different format in Season 2, but keeps its core goal — to have athletes and coaches tell their stories..

As it’s spring, and the CIF State Track & Field Championships are about six weeks away, we are collaborating with Youth Runner Magazine to begin this new season of SportStories with a six-part series highlighting some of the state’s best track and field moments. And we start it off with an all-timer: Michael Granville, who remains the national high school record-holder in the 800 meters 27 years after setting the mark at 1 minute, 46.45 seconds

Granville is a two-time state champion in the 800 meters, winning the two-lap race in both 1994 and 1996 for Bell Gardenss High School from the Greater East Los Angeles region. In the 1996 event prelims he completed the race in 1 minute, 46.45 seconds. That mark remains the national high school record 27 years later. Granville attended UCLA before moving north where he’s been the high school coach at Palo Alto and Gunn High schools, before stepping aside to focus on being a dad and running his fitness business: G-Fit.

He joined a roundtable discussion with Youth Runner publisher Dan Kesterson, former James Logan High-Union City coach and noted track historian/enthusiast Lee Webb, and SportStars Magazine editor Chace Bryson serving as moderator. They recount his early rise in the 800, his unique training methods with his dad, his state championship races (good and bad), and of course, the day he broke the record.

STORYTELLERS
Michael Granville — Former Palo Alto High & Gunn-Palo Alto Track Coach; Current HS National Record Holder In The 800 Meters
Lee Webb — Retired 30-Plus Year Coach At James Logan High-Union City; Noted Track Historian/Enthusiast

Find and follow/subscribe to the podcast on the following sites: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts and Radio Public. Visit the podcast’s home site at Spotify For Podcasters to leave us a voice message about the episode, or to suggest a topic of your own.

SportStars produces a pair of other podcasts: The high school football-focused, 7 Friday Night, and the ask-the-expert show, Know & GO. Both shows can be found on our Podcasts page.

EPISODE EXTRAS

VIDEOS

Michael Granville’s Record-Breaking Run | CIF State Prelims 1996 (via YouTube)

Aaron Richburg’s Come-From-Behind Defeat Of Michael Granville | CIF State Final 1995 (via YouTube)

STORY

Michael Granville’s Letter To His Younger Self (Published By MileSplit, June 2022)