 |
|  U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon Matt McGowan October 2007 RunOhio
The New York Road Runners will host the 2008 U.S. Olympic
Team Trials - Men's Marathon during the New York City Marathon
weekend of November 3. The course will be a criterium-style course in Central Park
that will start in Rockefeller Plaza and finish near Tavern on
the Green. The criterium loop in Central Park will be the
reverse of the loop used when NYRR hosted the USA 8 km
Championships from 2002 to 2004. Athletes will run the loop
five times, with distance added to complete the full 42.195 km
of the marathon. The Men Olympic Trials "A" qualifying standard is 2:20:00
In addition to marathon times, can run qualifying standards by
achieving track performances of 13:40 for 5,000 meters or
28:45 for 10,000 meters. A marathon "B" time of 2:22:00 or
faster also allows a runner to participate in the Trials Sixty-four athletes have the "A" standard, 74 athletes have
the "B" standard and 48 have the 5,000 or 10,000 meter time. Listed below are the ten fastest qualifier and local
runners who have qualified for the Men's Olympic Marathon
Trials and the marathon where they ran their fastest
qualifying time Top 10 2:07:04 Khalid Khannouchi - Flora London Marathon
Ohio
2:14:28 Jim Jurcevich - Freescale Austin Marathon 13:33.24 Brian Olinger 5,000 meter
Michigan 2:10:47 Brian Sell - LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
Indiana 2:18:13 Cecil Franke - Columbus Marathon
PA 2:20:48 Gene Mitchell - LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
Jim Jurcevich, 31, ran at Ayersville High School and
Michigan State University. Jim lives in Columbus where he is
co-owners of the Columbus Running Company, which has stores in
Dublin and Pickerington. He also earns money running road
races. Personal Records How did you first start running? ""When I was
little, if I was just sitting around the house doing nothing
and looking bored my dad would to tell me to go out and get in
a fight. I wasn't much of a fighter so I spent most of my
time walking and running through the woods....Years after that I
met a hippie named Dan that promised me if I ran all winter
instead of playing basketball I would win state in track my
junior year of high school. One of Dan's favorite sayings
was, "Some days there isn't enough time to eat. Some days
there isn't enough time to sleep. Some days there isn't
enough time run. Today is not one of those days." I don't
know if he came up with it but he's the only one I've ever
heard it from. I didn't play basketball and won the state 2
mile that year. I was hooked on running after that." How do you train and what is your favorite workout?
"I run a lot of miles. My training has been going well
for the Olympic Trials. I've got just under 12 weeks to go so
I'm starting to get into the marathon specific part of my
training. Last month I was running about 120 miles per week
and then last week I moved up to 140. My mileage will
increase over the next 10 weeks and then it'll be time to rest
up for the race. It seems easy when I sum it all up in a
couple sentences like that." "I think the long tempo run is going to best prepare me for
the Olympic Trials. I do these on a 2.5 mile loop of bike
path by downtown Columbus starting by the Santa Maria. This
loop simulates Central Park in NY better than any place I can
find in central Ohio. The farthest I've gone so far is 6 laps
or 15 miles. As the weeks pass I'll work my way up to around
20 miles. The heat has been brutal the past couple weekends
and it made the last couple laps of the 15 miler a little
rough. I think my speed will really pick up once we get a
couple cool mornings." "My favorite workouts are fartleks. I can mix it up
depending on how I feel that day. Some days I can only run
hard for 1 minute and other days I run hard for 12 minutes. I
let how I feel that day determine what it is." 1.Place in the top 3. This would put me on the Olympic
team and would defiantly be agreat day.
2. Place in the top 10. Since I've got the 12th fastest
time on the list going in right now I
3.Set a new PR (Personal Record). If I run faster than I've
ever ran before and still don't get either of my other two
goals I'll know I gave it my best and go home happy.
4. Eat at least 6 Gray's Papaya hot dogs, preferably
after the race.
Josh Ordway, 27 lives in Dayton where he is a second year
medical student at Wright State University. Josh graduate
from Holgate High School and Princeton University. Personal Records 1500 meters 3:57 How did you first start running? "In an effort to
get me ready for 7th grade cross country, my mom made me run
with my dad beginning the June before 7th grade started. I ran
with him every day that summer, and he really got me into
shape." How do you train and what is your favorite
workout? "I run a lot of miles, up into the 150s per
week, running my easy days really easy and my hard days really
hard. My favorite workout is probably a fartlek of 9:00,
8:00, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, with 1:00 slow jog in between. If
it's a holiday, I may treat myself to 2:00 on the slow jogs,
but I try not to let myself get carried away." What has been your favorite race so far in your running
career and why? "There are a lot of great races out
there, but my favorite may be the Debbie Green 5km. The race
director can spot me in street clothes from 100 meter away, he
assists some of the more competitive American runners, and
best of all, there's plenty of pizza, cookies, and pop after
the race - a winning combination." What are your goals for the Olympic Trials? "Well,
it's always nice to PR, so I'd like to try that. It's a tough,
hilly course, though, so I'll definitely have my work cut out
for me. I'd also like to hang with Jim (Jurcevich) later than
mile 20 for once. If we can work together late in the race, I
think we'll surprise some people with our finishing places. Any advice for runners who want to improve their
running? "After college, I found that my race times
really started to drop once I slowed down my easy days. I had
always run too fast on my easy days and never really recovered
from hard workouts, resulting in chronic heavy-feeling legs.
Once I slowed those runs down, though, my legs felt fresh.
From then on, both workouts and races felt a lot better. For
an added bonus, try higher mileage at the same time. All the
cool kids are doing it, and they're running fast."
David Gramlich, 25 lives in North Canton where he is a
running shoe salesperson at Second Sole in Canton and a
graduate assistant at Malone College. David went to Cuyahoga
Falls High School and Malone College. Personal Records 3km:8:29 How did you first start running? "I started running
in the seventh grade. Like many other middle school boys, I
was sadly awakened to the fact that I was too small and skinny
to play football. I won a couple short races in my gym classes
so I decided to take up cross-country." How do you train and what is your favorite
workout? "The marathon is my overall training focus so I
always have that in mind. I typically train twice a day with
two key sessions a week. Key sessions for me are threshold
runs, 10k pace work, and marathon pace work. My favorite
workout is a long progressive run. I start off slowly and in
30 minute increments I "cut-down" to marathon pace or faster.
Matt Woods of Wooster has been a huge help in coaching me and
writing my workout plan for the last year and a half. Also my
former college coach Jack Hazen at Malone College has always
been my running mentor and has been instrumental in me gaining
some experience at the elite level." What has been your favorite race so far in your running
career and why? "This is such a tough question because
all of my races have shaped my career in profound ways,
including the bad ones! My favorite race was the 2005
National Track Meet in Louisville, KY. I did the
ultimate "double" of the 10k/ Marathon. (Yes the NAIA runs a
marathon as part of their National Track Championships!) I ran
a great 10k finishing 4th on Thursday night and came back with
the marathon on Saturday morning. In the marathon I took the
lead at the 20th mile and won. That was the ultimate
experience for me because it was the perfect way to end my
career as a collegian." What are your goals for the Olympic Trials? "I
want to make the Olympic "A" standard at the trials and break
the 2:15 mark. It's a lofty goal but I feel it is certainly
attainable." Any advice for runners who want to improve their
running? "I used to think their was a right and wrong way
to train, race, and think about running. I once had the very
unique opportunity to have dinner with the legendary coach Joe
Vigil and I remember him saying in a soft voice of
experience, "There are many ways, I just found one that
works." That turned on a light bulb for me as someone who
thought they knew a lot about running. It was a simple
statement that many have said but hearing those words from
such a great coach made me realize that running is such a
sport of creativity. Everyone can take part and try it their
way. Their certainly are proven methods but there are also
those coaches and athletes who step outside the lines and
achieve the unthinkable. My advice to runners is be creative
and learn from every experience and you will find your way. If
something isn't working, change it!"
Matt Folk, 31, lives in Canfield where he works at Second
Sole in Boardman and is an Assistant Coach at Youngstown State
University. Matt graduated from Clay High School Youngstown
State University PRs
How did you first start running? "Going into my
sophomore year in high school I wanted to earn a varsity
letter and we didn't have soccer so I tried cross country.
After How do you train and what is your favorite
workout? "I do moderate to high mileage. I usually do 9
to 10 runs per week averaging about a 100 miles per week.
Ideally with marathon training I'll top out with a couple
weeks at 120+ and a long run of 23-24. I'll do a long run once
a week, 1 or 2 workouts, and the rest is usually moderate to
easy runs." "My favorite workout is a fartlek with surges
varying in time between 1 and 5 minutes. It is nice to go by
feel and effort and not beat myself up over pace or time. Plus
you can do it anywhere."
What are your goals for the Olympic Trials? To
improve my place from
Any advice for runners who want to improve their running?
"Be consistent, one or two super workouts isn't going
to propel you the way weeks and months of consistent training
will."
Nick Cordes, 28, ran at Madison High School and Ashland
University. Nick lives in Ashland where he is the distance
coach at Ashland University. Personal Recrods
1500 meters - 3:48 How did you first start running? "The basketball
coach made me go out for a spring sport or we wouldn't be
allowed to play the next basketball season (junior year). He
was my football coach my freshman year and I guess he saw that
although I was a little puke at the time - 5' 0"/90 lbs - I had
some abnormal endurance. I was going to go out for tennis and
he basically assured me that wouldn't cut it. So to put it
more blunt - I was forced/tricked into running."
How do you train and what is your favorite workout? "I
run everyday. Depending on the season I usually run anywhere
from 8 - 20 miles a day - sometimes running twice a day. I
don't really have a favorite workout but I do enjoy running
repeat 300's and longer tempo runs.
What has been your favorite race so far in your running
career and why? "The state meet 4 x 800 race my senior
year is my favorite race to look back on. Our team went in
with a best time of 7:57 and we walked away runner-up in
7:46.46. It was such a surprising race, with us well in the
lead for the first 2 legs and the last 2 legs being back and
forth until the very last few steps." What are your goals for the Olympic Trials? "I need
to have a good marathon. My main goal is to make sure I
hydrate enough during the race. That has been my biggest
problem of yet. In addition, I want to finish the race with the
feeling I gave it all I could and that I was well prepared for
it. So far I haven't been able to put those two together yet.
If that happens, I feel that I can place extremely high in the
field." Any advice for runners who want to improve their
running? "Train consistently throughout the year, year to
year. In addition, picking up your weekly running mileage 10 -
15 miles each year will lead to less injuries and in-turn,
more improvements." "Real success in distance running takes years to develop.
You have to have the drive and commitment to see it through. I
hope to get back on that wagon soon." -- Check back on the RUNOHIO web site www.runohio.com and look
under National News for The Running
Network coverage of the race.
About Run Ohio | About Running Network | Privacy Policy | Copyright | Contact Us | Advertise With Us |
|
|
