Signing Lukas Verzbicas, which New Balance did yesterday (terms not known), is sort of like Nike signing Alan Webb back when he was at the University of Michigan and decided to turn pro. Prior to their contracts, they were struggling with: injuries, to meet the hype they'd established through historical high school careers, and to handle their own high expectations. Both were/are representative of a medium risk (because this is running, and not a higher profile sport)/high reward scenario.

Webb ran more than fairly well during his one year at Michigan (11th at cross country nationals; 4th in the 1,500 at the outdoor championships), but he was never truly satisfied, as documented in the Chris Lear book, "Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest Mile." None of his 1,500 times converted to the same pace he ran when he set the national high school mile record of 3:53 during his senior year.

Verzbicas' college career spanned just a few disappointing races for someone who'd run a sub 4:00 mile, a sub 8:30 two-mile (a national high school record), and a sub 14:00 5k in high school. He was even more dissatisfied with his college experience than Webb. As the junior world champion in the triathlon before enrolling at Oregon, he blamed over-running for his failure.

"My running was 'going backwards' through dead legs caused by increased training instead of the cross training I was used to," Verzbicas told Patch of his Oregon experience. "As a full time runner I actually got slower and that's when I realized I needed to swim and bike to be at my best as a runner."

With odd beliefs like that, one has to wonder whether Verzbicas will suffer from the same inconsistencies that plagued Webb -- inconsistencies that either caused his mental angst or were a product of them.

In November, the 21 year-old Verzbicas, who's been recovering from a career-threatening bike injury since 2012 (he hasn't yet fully recovered performance-wise, adding more risk to his signing), announced he intended to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in the triathlon and either the 5,000 or the 10,000 meters, despite dedicating his time to tri-training. Of course, under his mantra, keeping biking and swimming on his schedule is the truest way to reach that goal.

Unlike Webb, perhaps Verzbicas realized at an early age that he'd nearly peaked as a runner, and that continuing to improve would be a struggle like it was for Webb (who did improve, setting the american record in the mile at 3:46, but not enough to consistently compete at the highest level). Or he simply realized he preferred the triathlon, while understanding the greater prestige associated with distance running. Thus, the convenient training rationalization that less running would help his running, satisfying both his desires.

Or Verzbicas is made just a little different from the rest of us, as evidenced by his recovery from his spinal injury.

"The surgeon told my family I wouldn't walk again, but thankfully no one told me that," Verzbicas said in November. "After I had a little twitch in my legs, I decided if my legs can move that much, then I will not just run but I will be better than I was before."

Whatever the case, there aren't many big names in distance running, and exactly no big names in the triathlon. That New Balance may have captured both fields (depending on how Verzbicas' running progresses) is a strong move by them, but not without its risks. Verzbicas must do something greater or at least close to as great as what he did in high school, or else he may go out the same quiet way Alan Webb did this past weekend at the Millrose Games.

"After meeting with and talking to Team New Balance athletes I look forward to achieving my athletic goals with a brand that feels like an extension of my own family," Verzbicas said in the press release.