Coaches, officials, fans, other runners, even Nick Holmes' own Limestone High School teammates think he must be crazy. Holmes hears from them every day.

The Illinois state record for 1600 meters could be his for the plucking. The record is 4:07.45, and Holmes ran 4:10.2 in April with nobody pushing him. Yet he will skip the metric equivalent of a mile at the state championships this weekend to focus on the 3200, a race he is unlikely to win and whose record is out of his reach.

Why?

The simplest answer is: Because that's what he wants to do.

Holmes determined early this year that he wanted to test his limits in the 3200. A 9:05.6 on April 18 reinforced the belief he had chosen wisely. As hot as the 1600 field at state might be, the 3200 shapes up even better. Chris Derrick of Naperville Neuqua Valley has run an 8:48.9 and is arguably the nation's premier high school distance runner. Holmes wants to test himself against Derrick.