An aerobic beast.

A one-of-a-kind talent.

The list could go on and on for how to describe Crater High distance runner Tyrone Gorze, but the most recent addition may be the best: National record holder.

The Comets’ senior standout lit the running world on fire Saturday night, surpassing an 11-year-old national record held by Edward Cheserek by winning the 5,000 meters at the New Balance indoor nationals in 13 minutes, 56.82 seconds.

Gorze hammered past the 2012 national record in the final kilometer by breaking away from an elite pack of runners and then chasing down the pace light at the banked indoor track in Boston.

After handling the third and fourth Ks in 2:49 and 2:50, respectively, Gorze seized the stage with a closing effort of 2:34.76 over his final kilometer that left the crowd buzzing at one point, hushed the next as they tracked his path to the record and finally electric with applause once the Washington-bound star crossed the finish line.

“That last K was when I really won that race,” Gorze told MileSplit shortly after his historic win. “That was the goal. Just hit that last K hard.”

Cheserek, who went on to become a 17-time NCAA champion at the University of Oregon, had set the standard in 2012 while competing for Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in New Jersey (13:57.04).

“His name is King Ches for a reason,” Gorze told DyeStat. “It was cool to get that indoor record.”

Helping push Gorze to new heights was a loaded field Saturday that saw the top four runners climb among the top-6 efforts on the event’s all-time list and each set new state indoor 5K records.

Beyond Gorze taking over the No. 1 spot, runner-up Daniel Simmons of American Fork High in Utah also eclipsed the 14-minute mark and now stands third overall at 13:59.96.

Simmons led nearly every lap until Gorze turned on the jets on the final kilometer.

Lex Young of Newbury Park High in California placed third in the race and now stands fourth overall at 14:00.64 as he barely missed surpassing a sub-14 goal. Patrick Koon of Leon High in Florida followed in 14:11.92 to move into the sixth spot overall.

Only one night earlier, Gorze anchored Crater’s distance medley relay that barely missed becoming the eighth school under 10 minutes, settling in at 10:00.20 after Gorze supplied a 4:07 split in 1,600 meters. The effort stands as the eighth-best DMR in history.

Any concerns of him being tired or not having the legs to compete in the 5,000 a day later were wiped away as Gorze tucked into a tight pack for the first few laps and showed no ill effects when he broke loose.

Gorze and Crater head coach Justin Loftus had a goal of him putting the hammer down in the final stretch after recent training proved the senior’s stamina through a series of K repeats and ability to burst over 800 and 400 meters.

On Saturday, with the pace lights in view and history in his sights, Gorze closed the final 800 meters in 2:02.94.

“When he caught the lights with a lap to go,” Loftus told DyeStat, “I was like, ‘Oh gosh. This is something special.’ We didn’t talk about records.”

“It worked out perfectly,” he added.

While a national record wasn’t at the forefront of Gorze’s mind entering the race, the speedy Comet has never been one to back down from a challenge — or not try to seize an opportunity.

“When I started picking up those last few laps and the lights kept getting closer and closer,” Gorze told MileSplit, “I said, ‘Let’s chase it down, you know?’ I caught up to the lights. My ears were buzzing because it got so loud. I’ve got to pass the lights now.”

Saturday’s effort was another in a long line of accomplishments for Gorze, who has dominated the Class 5A level with each increasing season.

He won the 5A cross country individual title and led Crater to the team title for a second straight year this past fall, setting a course record in the process. He went on to set the course record at the NXR Northwest Regional to win going away in 14:51.6 and placed third at the Nike nationals (14:53.8) in frigid conditions.

Gorze was also the state champion in the 3,000 meters and state runner-up in the 1,500 on the track last spring before winning the USATF U20 5K title and placing runner-up in the 3K at the national meet. He went on to place 12th in the 5K for Team USATF at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Colombia.