CHARLESTON - Tyler Allen knows what it's like to feel a little puny.

Weighing a buck and change, and not benching much more than that, Allen's 2007 track season wasn't nearly what it could have been.

Sure he got out past 20 feet in the long jump and he hit 42 in the triple, but he knew to make much noise at this year's state meet, a stronger body would be necessary.

So he lived in the weight room, and that's almost not an exaggeration.

"I'd stay in there from after school to 7 or 8 o'clock at night," he said after Friday's preliminaries of the Class AA State Track and Field Meet at Eastern Illinois University, "until the janitors kicked me out."

Now Allen busts a bench press of 285 pounds and can run for days on legs like pines.

Friday, the stocked Eisenhower senior showed what he can do, and he didn't even feel good.

Allen popped a personal best triple jump of 45-10¾ to sit in sixth place entering today's finals. He scratched one jump that coach Greg Collingwood said approached 47 feet.

"That was a good one, but it doesn't count," Collingwood said. "But considering the cool and rainy conditions, that was pretty impressive."

He'll have three more jumps to set another best today and he's sure he can do it.

"I was a little sick, so none of those (jumps) felt good," Allen said. "If I feel good (today), I can go 48."

If he does, he'd likely challenge for a top-three medal.

"I don't want top three," he corrected. "I want to win it."

Tuscola's Tyler Carter continued his assault on the Class A jumps and hurdles, turning in the day's best long jump and second-best 110 hurdles time and triple jump in addition to running a leg of the day's best 800 relay.

He had to jump one of his long jumps (22-9¾) and all of his triple jumps outdoors with the thunderstorms interrupting all day long.

"It's a little distracting, but it is easier to get warmed up inside," he said after busting the long jump. "This is the first time I've sweated today, so it's definitely warmer."

He's got a good shot at four medals today, including two gold, and all four could be top three. Carter will have to set a personal best in the triple to win that after Macomb's Ben Pratt went 47-1¼ on Friday. And he'll likely have to go faster than he has in the 110 hurdles (14.60) with Carlinville's Chris Walker reaching 14.54.

"I think he can do it," coach Steve Spears said. "And I know he thinks he can do it."

Monticello's Steve Regan is a novice to organized running but he's logged some road miles.

He showed Friday that his inexperience is of little consequence, winning his 800 and 1,600 heats and setting the day's best time in the 800 (1:58.56).

"It looks like he's running pretty comfortable and under control out there," coach Jeff Butler said. "He's never been in this situation because it's his first year out really, but he runs with confidence."

"I know I'll have to pick it up (Saturday). I did what I had to do today," Reagan said. "I feel like I can reach down and bring a little more."Today, we'll see if that's enough.

Troy Hayes can be reached at thayes@herald-review.com or 421-6970.