Nooksack Valley High School senior Oliver Bear Don't Walk knew he had a good shot at breaking the American junior outdoor track and field record in the 50,000 meters when he woke up Thursday, Aug. 12.

But the 17-year-old runner from Everson didn't know he would obliterate the 27-year-old mark by more than 71 minutes.

Bear Don't Walk, who runs for coach Joel Pearson and the Harrier Track Club, covered the 50-kilometer distance in 3 hours, 10 minutes and 7.2 seconds at Bellingham's Civic Stadium. That bettered the old mark of 4:21:09 set May 4, 1984, by 19-year-old Danny Wilcoxson in Greensburg, Ky.