It really doesn't get much better than the afternoon I had Friday before the Rock-n-Roll half marathon. The race organizers, who were putting on their inaugural event in our city brought in two of the top marathon runners in the country, and made them available to the local media.
That's not all that big a deal, you say. The Chicago marathon attracts the best runners in the world every fall, and they are also available for interviews with local media. Well, yes, that's true. I've met dozens of really great runners over the years at the marathon news conferences. But I've never gotten the chance to go on a run with them!
But I did get to run with Ryan Hall, the best marathoner in the country and the only American to break an hour for the half marathon. Ryan was here courtesy of Nissan, his sponsor. He's not running the race, but did make appearances, sign autographs, and do interviews. I did one of those traditional interviews as well, but the conversation during our 20 minute run was even more interesting.
Hall is 26 years old, and is the current shining star and hope for Americans in the marathon. But to meet him, and talk to him, you would never know it. He seemed as interested in my college track background as I was in his Olympic experiences! But I managed to get him to talk a little about his career, and philosophy.
We talked about his experience at the Boston marathon in April, where he finished third. He says he has no regrets about pushing the pace and going to the lead earlier than some expected. He felt like in the somewhat windy conditions that was his best chance, and he gave it a shot. He has no regrets. But he told me he spoke with Bill Rodgers at Boston, and asked how he managed to run so fast there for so many years.
Hall is well aware of the history of some of the top runners in the sport, from Rodgers, to Frank Shorter, to Alberto Salazar. We also talked about the current world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia. Gebrselassie may be the greatest distance runner in history. He has world records at most every distance you can imagine, and he's still going strong at the age of 36. Hall says he looks up to Gebrselassie, and admires the way he hasn't let age slow him down. Much of that is in your mind, Hall believes. In fact, He also believes success in races like the marathon is probably as much due to your mental aspect as your physical conditioning. Oh, and you have to take advantage when you have a good day.
Ryan burst onto the international scene when he ran 59:43 for the half marathon in Houston a few years ago. I asked him whether he thought he was capable of running that time before the race. He said his coach had devised three scenarios for the race: A, B, and C, depending on how it went early on. The A scenario was the best, and it still didn't have him breaking an hour. He says everything just fell into place that day, and he took advantage. Call it an A-plus scenario!
After meeting him, I was really impressed, and expect Ryan Hall to have a long and successful career. He believes he can improve in the marathon, and the American record may be within his reach. One of the highlights of the run was when we passed some kids on the lakefront path who held up their hands for a high five. Ryan and I happily slapped their hands, and I could tell he was enjoying it. And the kids had no idea they were 'high fiving' the best distance runner in the U.S.
My conversation with Kara Goucher didn't include a run, but she was quite engaging and interesting as well. She is running the race, and using it as a tune-up for the World Championships at the end of August. She will run the marathon in Berlin. We got a chance to talk about her disappointment at finishing third in Boston in April. Unlike Hall, she was within just :08 of the leaders as they raced down Boylston for the finish line. She is anxious to get another chance a the 26 mile distance, and she'll get it soon. Below I have links to the finished story that aired, as well as the raw interviews with both Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher. Also, I have a link to a Nissan site where Hall has several videos with tips on training and racing.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6943056
http://www.mastertheshift.com/masters/hall/videos/index.asp?videoID=rh0
Oh, and I know there's a question many of you probably want to ask. Did I manage to keep up with Hall during our run? Well, yes, but only because he pretty much ran my pace (without breaking a sweat), and we only ran a little less than three miles!
See you on the roads....
Comments