New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory,  January 16, 2015 -- Pablo Solares knew he was in good shape and came all the way across the country to test himself in the mile on Thursday at the NYRR Night at the Races. 

Solares put on a thrilling show for everyone in the building by cranking through eight-plus laps on The Armory oval in 3:56.86. That was under the 3:58 world indoor standard that he was targeting and another encouraging sign that the 30-year-old former Rice University standout's competitive career still has life.

"I said to myself go out there and run as fast as you can, have fun, and basically enjoy the race," Solares said. 

It was the second-fastest mile of Solares' life and about two seconds off his 2009 PR (3:54.52). But Solares believes he is in the best shape of his life. He won Thursday's mile against a mostly recreational group by 24 seconds and finished in lane 4 to avoid the congestion of runners he was on the brink of lapping. 

Solares, who lives in Beaverton, has an April wedding date planned with Shannon Rowbury. The two of them met as members of the same training group under coach John Cook several years ago. Rowbury is now part of the Nike Oregon Project and coached by Alberto Salazar. 

Solares has been injured off and on for the past five years but has been running injury-free for the last eight months or so, and is testing his limits once again. In late November, he represented Mexico at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico and placed second in the 1,500 (3:45.62). 

Solares is also a talented artist who specializes in painting. He is uncertain about whether his career will allow him to continue to pursue his long-held Olympic dream.

"I'm at a point in my life where I have to make a decision whether to continue running or pursue something else," Solares said. "Thinking ahead two years or a year and a half into the future I don't know if I'll be involved or have enough time to train. Would I love to do it? I would love to do it because being an Olympian has always been one of my dreams."

The Night at the Races was the first in a series for adult runners and club members. Mile races included 110 male finishers and 35 women. 

Lauren Sapone looked comfortable while winning the women’s mile in 5:07.73.

“I only ran one other race this year so far. I ran 5:16 during my last race and was hoping for a 5:05 effort today,” said Sapone.

The evening concluded with a unique 5x1000 relay in which the five members of the team run five 200-meter legs. Central Park Track Club sped through the event in 12:05.58. At the end of the season this event will double in size and become a 10,000-meter relay.

By Doug Binder // Photo by Karthik Adimula

Find the meet’s results and photos here:

http://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?do=view_event&event_id=8196&mgroup_id=45586&year=2015