Despite a cliche to the contrary, some records were not made to be broken.

Some of Hawaii’s best prep athletes will gather at Mililani on May 10-11 for the Island Movers Track and Field State Championships, testing themselves against their peers in a collection of the simplest sports there are. Their competition won’t be limited to the athletes flanking them — they will be running against the standards set by athletes all the way back to statehood.

Comparing eras is a popular pastime for sports fans, pitting Shohei Ohtani against Babe Ruth, Tyson Fury vs. Muhammad Ali and Wilt Chamberlain vs. Joel Embiid. What makes it fun is that there is no right answer and the argument can stretch the time limits of Kanoa Leahey’s lunchtime radio show. One thing the debate always hinges on is the advantages enjoyed by today’s bigger and stronger athletes.

But when everything is equal, like being the fastest to run twice around a football field, sometimes the old guard wins and it is not even close.

The most celebrated ancient mark on the HHSAA’s books — and probably the most memorable moment in the history of the state meet — occurred at Punahou more than 40 years ago when Radford’s Joey Bunch hit the back stretch at Alexander Field and zoomed to a time of 1 minute, 51.1 seconds in the 800 meters in 1983 to capture gold in the event for a third time and erase Olympian Duncan Macdonald of Punahou’s converted time of 1:52.7 way back in 1967. The event was 880 yards in Macdonald’s day.

Bunch benefited from a newly renovated track, a gentle breeze and an hour’s rest after running the mile, but he still beat Academy of the Pacific’s Eric Philippart by more than six seconds. Nobody had been within five seconds of him in the final until Michael Chin of Christian Academy clocked a 1:53 at Mililani in 2013.

The top time so far this year is 1:56.81 by ‘Iolani’s Keon Preusser, and two of the past three state champions haven’t broken two minutes, so it is easy to say that Bunch’s record is safe for another year.

The Radford Rocket’s record is the oldest in a running race but isn’t the oldest one on the books. That honor goes to Shari Fox of Leilehua, who took off and landed 19 feet, 2 1/2 inches away in the long jump at Kaiser in 1979 and tore her hamstring in the process. Yes, they had hamstrings in those ancient times.

Despite otherworldly talents like Tatum Moku of Kamehameha, Kamehameha-Hawaii’s Chanoa Frederick and Kahuku’s Zhane Santiago and Natasha Kai trying to dethrone Fox since the close of the 1970s, only ‘Iolani’s Erin Stovall in 1997 has cleared 19 feet.

The top distance this season is nearly a foot behind, an 18-0.5 by Mid-Pacific’s Destiny Look.

As unbreakable as Fox’s record is, an even more unassailable standard was set in 1982 at Kaiser.

Campbell senior Joan Gago was supposed to be fighting for second in the discus behind Dedi Kavanaugh of Radford. Kavanaugh was a two-time champion in the event and fourth in the nation ALL TIME, but Gago unleashed a powerful heave and spun the disc 160 feet, 3 inches, topping Kavanaugh by a full 8 inches.

The stars aligned for Gago so much that the next year’s champion won with a mark of 122-8 and only two girls, Hannah Sherrill of Le Jardin in 2012 and Word of Life’s Careena Onosai in 2006, have come within 10 feet of Gago’s heave. Maui’s Kiera Sam Fong is the top thrower this year, but her longest fling is 137-01.

One ancient record could be in trouble in Mililani in two weeks, though.

Bennett Valencia of Punahou has held the mark in the boys 400 meters since 1997, when he rocketed to a time of 48.66 thanks to being pushed by Mondelle Warren of Radford, and only two boys have broken 49 seconds since, one of them Shane Kawakami-Williams of Hawaii Baptist last year. This year’s challenge might be even tougher for Valencia, as Kaiser’s Sean Connell has been within two hundredths of a second of the Buffanblu legend’s time this year and can be sure to be pushed by Moanalua’s Rahieum Lee.

Enjoy the state meet in two weeks, there are sure to be new stars. But you might have to wait another half century to see another Bunch, Fox or Gago.

OLDEST HHSAA TRACK AND FIELD RECORDS

Event Athlete School Year Record

Girls long jump Shari Fox Leilehua 1979 19-2.5

Girls discus Joan Gago Campbell 1982 160-03

Boys 800 Joey Bunch Radford 1983 1.51.1

Boys 200 Casey Flores Konawaena 1996 21.2

Boys 400 Bennett Valencia Punahou 1997 48.66

Boys shot put Kaione Crabbe Punahou 1997 59-8.75

Girls 400 Endia Abrante Kaiser 1998 54.41

Boys high jump Kris Cuaresma-Primm Mid-Pacific 1998 6-9

Girls 3,000 Victoria Chang Punahou 1999 9:38.03