Interview With Agent Michael Johnson

Jay Hicks & John W. Davis catch up with Michael Johnson at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Timing is everything in this world. At the U.S. Olympic Trials, John W. Davis and I had the opportunity to speak with Michael Johnson in the "mix zone" about his rising sports agency. The "mix zone" is a holding pen for the media horde comparable to the movie star/paparazzi scene at the Cannes Film Festival

Currently Johnson's roster of athletes includes: Jeremy Wariner, Natasha Hastings, Eboni Floyd, and Jacquelyn Johnson.

Everyone on his crew earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Jeremy Wariner is leading the U.S. efforts to sweep the men's 400-meters in Beijing. Natashing Hastings and Eboni Floyd are members of the relay pool for the women's 4x400-meter relay. Jacqueline Johnson placed a very respectable second place in the women's heptathlon.

I can be seen on the left side of the video and John is filming the question and answer session with 200 and 400-meter world record holder Michael Johnson at the U.S. Olympic Trials. John W. Davis, a talented news personality, is holding down the filming and he edited and published the piece.

By Jay Hicks.

Tyson Gay Update!

-From Eugene, OR

After falling to the track yesterday and shaking up the 200-meter field, so far the news on Tyson Gay is looking good. Gay’s publicist said that he underwent an MRI late Saturday afternoon. The MRI showed a mild strain in the semitendinosus muscle. Which means the hamstring was not pulled.

The nation can release a collective sigh of relief.

The reigning 100 and 200 World champion is expected to engage in "active rest" for up to 12-14 days, with light physical activity increasing through that period, and then resume training. Tyson's only confirmed pre-Olympic competition is the 100-meters at the Aviva London Grand Prix on July 25, and that is still on the schedule.

The London Grand Prix will provide a look at the health of Gay's hamstring and the level of his physical conditioning heading into the Beijing.

Gay has qualified in the 100-meters and is eligible to run on the 4x100 meter relay. His hopes of competing in the Olympics at 200-meters were dashed yesterday. Track and field, unlike gymnastics, does not allow for an appeal. He is in the same position as Sanya Richards a year ago, when she was unable to compete at the World Championships after finishing fourth at the U.S. nationals, even though she had dominated the sport during the season. Regardless of his world rankings, he will not be able to compete in the 200 in Beijing.

"I believe in the system, remember in 2000 [Sydney Olympics] when two of our marquee athletes went down in the 200-meters. You can't say that politics are involved in the process. The athletes made the team. It wasn't someone's opinion or what an athlete did earlier in their careers, they earned the spot. It is what it is," said U.S. Olympic Team head coach Bubba Thorton.

Great. How about instituting a fail safe switch in the process if an athlete is a world champion or comes into the trial ranked #1 in the world, there is a provision in the case of a freak situation that would keep them from making the U.S. Olympic team.

Hopefully, this will spark a new dialogue about whether a modification needs to be made to the U.S Olympic team selection process to ensure the best athletes represent the country at championship events.

By Jay Hicks.

Tyson Gay Injury Troubling!

-From Eugene, OR

Today was definitely a hard day at the office for the athletes, but who would have ever thought that Tyson Gay would not be in the 200-meter final? It was hard to watch a warrior fall, but after the 100s I was wondering how much all of those sub 10 second 100-meter races took out of him.

The injury is reported as a ‘severe cramp', and everyone should hope that is the extent of the injury. Tyson was complaining of soreness in the hamstring during the 100-meter rounds.

The men’s 200-meter is completely wide open. Wallace Spearmon is a likely figure to win the race, but Walter Dix has been running extremely well. And don’t count out the reigning 2000 Olympic champion Shawn Crawford. The winning time will probably be under 20 seconds.

Another warrior, Allen Johnson, did not make it to the finals of the 110- hurdles due to an injury.

Everything seems to be falling into place for Lolo Jones in the women’s 100 hurdles. She told me that she is feeling good and feels that she is in a good place going into the finals. The reigning Olympic champion, Joanna Hayes, is putting together her race through the rounds, so look for a good final tomorrow.

Check out my full coverage on TheFinalSprint.com.

By Jay Hicks.

Sights of the Day!

-From Eugene, Oregon.

One of Sudan's "Lost Boys", Lopez Lomong, talks about how happy he is to be at the U.S. Olympic Trials and in the 1500-meter final.

16-year-old high school junior Jordan Hasay says that it is an honor to break the 1500-meter high school national record (4:14.50) and make the U.S Olympic Trials finals.

Bernard "Kip" Lagat says that he expects a fast beginning, slow middle, and extremely fast end to the 1500-meter final.

Alan Webb says that he can win the 1500-meter final.

All photographs and content by Jay Hicks.

Sights of the Day!

It's great to be queen for a day says Sanya Richards...

Mary Wineberg, runner up in the women's 400, tells NBC she is happy to be on the team.

It was good to be LaShawn Merritt tonight, as the clock reads 44.00.

Making it through the preliminary round was all that Jenn Stuczynski was concerned with tonight.Winner Sanya Richards chatting it up with the press after running 49.89.
Can anyone say "sweep", says LaShawn Merrit (l) and David Neville (r).

All photos and content by Jay Hicks.

Merritt and Richards Win and Qualify for Olympic Team!

A pin drop could have been heard before the gun went off in the men's 400-meters. At this point, everyone knows that LaShawn Merritt (44.00) beat Jeremy Wariner (44.20) in the head-to-head match up. After the race, I had a chance to speak about the race with track legend Michael Johnson, who is also Jeremy Wariner's agent.

MJ said that LaShawn Merritt is a beast and a force to be reckoned with in the 400-meters. He seemed to alude to the fact that being on top means beating challengers as they arise. The current 400-meter world recorder holder also said that at this point and up to this point, Jeremy is the better 400-meter runner. He thought the race strategy in which Jeremy did not get out was the issue in the race tonight.

Simply put: Jeremy has to put his race together in order to win because Merritt did not run a time that Wariner is incapable of running.

After her race, Sanya Richards was estatic about winning and qualifying for the Olympic team. You got the impression that placing fourth at the U.S. nationals last year is something that she has thought a lot about since that race. As we predicted, Mary Wineberg made the team, and veteran Dee Dee Trotter pulled out her mojo, even with an injured knee to make the team.

Tonight was a great night for track and field.

Read my full article as it appears on TheFinalSprint.com.

By Jay Hicks.

Running Film Festival Unlike Anything Else!

The first annual Running Film Festival (RFF) kicked off today, July 3rd and runs until Saturday, July 5th at Columbia Hall (corner of University and 13th Street) in Eugene, OR. The film festival has met with major success from the fans and media alike.

This film festival based on running films is unlike anything else in the United States. A total of 19 movies are to be previewed, and select films have director question and answer sessions afterwards. Today, I was especially taken by Chasing Bolt, a Matt Taylor film chronicling the journey of 100-meter record holder Usain Bolt to Beijing. What is interesting is that the project was put together well before Bolt's run at the 100-meters emerged on the scene.

The Running Film Festival entrance.

Newly minted 800 Olympian Nick Symmonds (r) and RFF co-organizer Adam Jacobs (r) of TheFinalSprint.

Getting out the word on the one-of-a kind Running Film Festival.

Emmy-Award Winning broadcaster & journalist Toni Reavis & Matt Taylor, director of 'Chasing Bolt", discussing Taylor's latest film.

By Jay Hicks.

The Big 400 Meter Show down!

Tonight's show down between challenger LaShawn Merritt and reigning champion Jeremy Wariner is arguably the Olympic Trials' hottest race. The favorite at this point is Wariner, considering how well he has looked in the rounds, coupled with the fact that he has won virtually everything there is to win in the sport. But Merritt has already proved in a win over Wariner to be a formidable opponent. Merritt will probably use his speed to get out quickly the first 200, and Wariner will get out well the first 60-meters and settle into a comfortable pace. Merritt will lead going into the third curve, and Wariner will hit the gas at 250-meters. The homestretch will be about which runner is in the best position and who has the biggest will power to win.

The woman to beat at 400-meters is definately American record holder Sanya Richards. Look for Wineberg, Trotter, and Hastings to all be in contention the final 60-meters. Don't be surprised to see Wineberg challenge the race from the start, while reigning national champion Trotter has the experience to win the race. Former 400-meter NCAA champion Hastings is also a threat as she's been putting together her race well throughout the rounds.

Women's 400 M Final - Lane Assignments:

1 467 Ebonie Floyd Nike 51.49

2 564 Monica Hargrove unattached 51.88

3 423 Debbie Dunn unattached 51.79

4 1387 Mary Wineberg Nike 50.57

5 1081 Sanya Richards Nike 50.75

6 592 Natasha Hastings Nike 51.04

7 1291 Dee Dee Trotter adidas 50.90

8 610 Monique Henderson Reebok 51.07

Men's 400 M Final - Lane Assignments

1 773 Lionel Larry USC 45.55

2 966 Greg Nixon Asics 45.20

3 1194 Calvin Smith Florida 45.43

4 1382 Darold Williamson Nike 45.16

5 1326 Jeremy Wariner adidas 44.66

6 891 LaShawn Merritt Nike 44.76

7 1390 Reggie Witherspoon Nike 44.99

8 959 David Neville Nike 45.03

By Jay Hicks.

Campbell-Browns Comes Back Hard in 200!

A champion may be momentarily down, but never out for the count. Not only did Veronica Campbell-Brown win the 200, she redeemed herself by running the best 200-meters of her life, dipping under 22-seconds for the first time in her career.

After finishing fourth in the women’s 100-meters, Veronica ran like a star, driven by passion and determination to win (21.94) the women’s 200. It is amazing that an island of roughly 2 million currently has some of the best sprinters in the world.

The rest of the Jamaican sprint crew, Kerron Stewart (21.99) and Sherone Simpson (22.11) were on her heals in the quick race.

Sources at the meet have said that Usain Bolt shut it down with 60-meters and still ran 19.97 to win the men's 200. In what seemed like a practice jog, Usain Bolt completed his double with a strategy to merely qualify for Beijing.

Michael Blackwood won the men's 400 in 45.21.

In the women's 100 hurdles, Brigitte Foster-Hylton won in a very respectable 12.50 seconds.

There is a looming battle brewing between the Jamaican Olympic and U.S. Olympic teams in both the individual events and the 4x100-meter relay.

By Jay Hicks.

Muna Lee Sprints On Oly Team!

Wow! Who would have thought that 10.93 would not get you in the top three slots in the women's 100-meter final?

That is the time put up by Marshevet Hooker, who was slow out of the blocks. The Olympic roster is also without Allyson Felix (10.96), who finished fifth in the smoking hot race.

Fight, determination, grit are all appropriate words to describe Muna Lee's career in the sport. She overturned some of the sport's biggest names. The Kansas City, Missouri native is known as an accomplished sprinter in track circles. Lee, who attended LSU, competed in the 200-meters in the 2004 Olympic Games. We predicted that the 26-year-old sprinter would be a force to reckon with at the trials, and she definitely lived up to those expectations.

Muna Lee, Torri Edwards, and Lauryn Williams are an impressive group of runners to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

By Jay Hicks.

Tyson Gay Rewrites American 100-Meter Record in Eugene!

Tyson Gay put on a sprinting clinic during the quarterfinal heats. He set a new (9.77) American Record in the quarterfinal round heat. I’ve never seen a round of 100 heats that produced six sub-10 second times.

His time beat the previous (9.79 ) American record held by former great Maurice Greene. After the race Gay said, “If I can follow in [Greene’s] footsteps and win an Olympic medal, I’ll go down in history as one of the greatest.”

Tyson said that he nearly cried out of fear that he had not made it through the previous round when he inadvertently slowed up thinking he had reached the finish line. His coach Jon Drummond said that “champions do not do those kind of things, and you need to make up for it in the next round.”

Everyone has been just handing World Record Holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica the Olympic gold medal in Beijing. This race is indication that it will be war on the track in the men’s 100-meters in August. That, of course, is assuming that all goes as planned, and Gay qualifies for the U.S. Olympic Team. After a day like today, let’s just be clear that no assumptions can be made.

By Jay Hicks

WCSN.com Now Universal Sports Delivers Olympic Trials Video!

Coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials, the pressure-packed competition held every four years to select the U.S. Olympic Team, continues on the networks of NBC Universal, with nearly 20 hours of swimming and track & field trials over the next two weeks including 10 straight nights of live primetime coverage on NBC and USA. Additionally, Universal Sports will present encore presentations of the trials.

U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS – TRACK AND FIELD:

Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix, Jeremy Wariner, Bernard Lagat, Reese Hoffa, Sanya Richards and Lauryn Williams are among the top competitors at the historic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon looking to earn a trip to Beijing to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games. Tom Hammond, Carol Lewis, Lewis Johnson, Ato Boldon, Dwight Stones, Ed Eyestone and Bob Neumeier report from Eugene, Oregon.

Fri., June 27

Track & Field

Midnight-1a.m.ET/PT

USA

Featured events:

Women’s 10,000m Final

Women’s 100m Quarterfinal

Sat., June 28

Track & Field

8-9 p.m. ET

NBC

Featured events:

Women’s 100m Final

Men’s Shot Put

Men’s 100m Quarterfinal

Sun., June 29

Track & Field

7-8 p.m. ET

NBC

Featured events:

Men’s 100m Final

Men’s 400m Hurdle Final

Woman’s 400m Hurdle Final

Men’s 400m Quarterfinal

Men’s Pole Vault

Mon., June 30

Track & Field

11 p.m.-1 a.m. ET/PT

USA

Featured events:

Men’s 5,000m Final

Men’s 400m Semifinal

Men’s and Women’s 800m Final

Women’s 400m Semifinal

Thurs., July 3

Track & Field

11 p.m.-1 a.m. ET/PT

USA

Featured events:

Women’s 400m Final

Men’s 400m Final

Men’s 1,500m Quarterfinal

Women’s Steeplechase Final

Fri., July 4

Track & Field

11 p.m.-1 a.m. ET/PT

USA

Featured events:

Men’s 1,500m Semifinal

Women’s 5000m Final

Men’s 10,000m Final

Sat., July 5

Track & Field

5-6 p.m. ET

NBC

Featured events:

Women’s 200m Semifinal

Men’s 200m Semifinal

Men’s High Jump Final

Sun., July 6

Track & Field

7-9 p.m. ET

NBC

Featured events:

Women’s 1500m Final

Men’s 200m Final

Women’s 200m Final

Women’s Pole Vault Final

Men’s Javelin

Men’s 110m Hurdle Final

Women’s 100m Hurdle Final

Men’s 1,500m Final

UNIVERSAL SPORTS COVERAGE: Universal Sports, a recently announced joint venture between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, and formerly World Championship Sports Network (WCSN), will air encore presentations of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the following events: swimming, track and field, gymnastics, diving, softball (USA vs. China), whitewater canoeing, men's indoor volleyball (USA vs. Argentina), women's indoor volleyball (USA vs. Brazil), men and women's marathon, wrestling, judo, women's weightlifting, rowing, men's BMX, women's water polo (USA vs. Australia), men’s water polo (USA vs. Croatia) and boxing. WCSN has been rebranded as Universal Sports. Go to NBCOlympics.com and UniversalSports.com for up-to-date schedule information.

PreraceJitters.com Interview: Lolo Jones: Looking Back to the Future!

One of the sport’s brightest stars knows that she is needed now more than ever.

The new Oakley ads featuring Lolo Jones hit the stands this spring. The photos of Lolo are crisp black and white, taken as a part of the Oakley ad campaign. In the shots, Lolo stares intently back at the camera, eyes aglow, hot light bouncing off her outfit.

The picture looks like a sports goddess figure, a female superhero. All kidding aside, as far as pro track goes – and the current pro sports world in general right now – Lolo Jones as sports’ guardian angel might not really be all that far off.

Think about what has gone down in pro track circles in the last twelve months: the Mario Jones drug admission, Tim Montgomery, the Trevor Graham Trial, the Dwain Chambers debacle.

While the world’s greatest sport will always win out in the end, these blights have been made worse by the frenzied media. None of the aforementioned events will ever stop any hardcore track & field fan from watching, loving, and following the sport. However, the media has and will continue to seize upon the sport’s issues, looking to pounce on headlines and blowout stories about arrogant, spoiled, drug using athletes. The antidote? Lolo Jones.

Lolo will tell you straight up that she is a reminder that if people believe in something and in themselves that they can do anything. Look at her. She hit a hurdle in 2004 and in the process failed to make the Olympic Team. But Lolo got back up and has since landed two fab sponsors in Asics and Oakley. The 5 foot, 9 inch regular girl from Des Moines, Iowa made it. And she’s had the opportunity to live out some of her wildest dreams.

Lolo hardly needs us to act as her public relations mouthpiece, but nonetheless, it’s hard to deny her All-American, mom-and-apple pie package. She’s easy to champion. In putting together this interview, she was exceedingly pleasant and cooperative. Even so much as following up to make sure that everything was done in order to hit my deadline.

On top of everything, Lolo can run. She is the reigning World Indoor Champion and currently lays claim to 12.57, the fifth fastest time in the world this season. This time puts her in the discussion of the world’s top hurdler.

We caught up with Lolo to talk about her place in the sports world, the Olympic Trials, and one of the most difficult times in her life….

PRJ: Win or lose, what’s the best race you’ve run so far?

LJ: The best race this yearwould have to be when I ran 7.77 indoors. That’s when people began to associate my name with the all-time great Gail Devers. So far outdoors, I've hit my personal best three times now! So I can’t really say a race outdoors. Hopefully the Olympics!

PRJ: Do you think you’ve run as well as you are capable of?

LJ: No. What athlete does though? The moment I think that is the moment, I will cease progress. I honestly can see 12.4, but the moment I hit that, I know I will say to myself I can hit 12.3 and etc.

PRJ: Is there any other hurdler that you’ve been particularly impressed with this season?

LJ: World indoor record holder Susanna Kauller. Her technique is very impressive and she has just good clean hurdling.

PRJ: Grading your own racing from A to F, what would you give yourself and why?

LJ: I would give myself a C plus to B minus. I say this because sometimes my lead leg kicks out to the side and my arm will get long on occasion.

PRJ: I’ve heard you bring up the rough times in ’04 and ’05. How do you think it has affected you and the way you look at track and field?

LJ: Well coming out of college, I wasn’t like the Jeremey Wariners or Sanya Richards who signed a six figure contract. After I didn’t make the team in '04, I was broke and essentially without a job. I had my fresh degree in Economics and Spanish, but I knew if I would’ve gone out and got a 9 to 5, that would have been the end of track. So instead, I choose to work two flexible part-time jobs and train. It was hard. I had to live off of credit cards and sometimes it was embarrassing. Now I look back and I am just humble and thankful for those times. I can ride in my car to practice and not have to worry about how I am going to get to practice. I can help provide for my family and others and not worry about if someone can help me. The biggest thing is I see is a lot of the rookies coming out of college every year. Some of them look just like I did four years ago. Confused. Not knowing if they should pursue their dreams or get a job. I just can relate and tell them about my own past experiences.

PRJ: A lot of success has come to you after weathering some storms in the sport?

LJ: A lot of the times I complained and was very depressed while weathering the storms in the sport. But what I have learned is that the storm is what helps give you victory. I would compare it to lifting weights. When you lift weights it is hard and heavy. The weights break your body down, but in the end they make you strong. So storms seem to break you down when you are in them, but they make you strong when you come out.

PRJ: Who is your biggest competition going into the Olympic Trials and what can we expect to see from you performance wise in Eugene?

LJ: Well, normally this is an easy question. This year is quite different as World Outdoor champ Michelle Perry and U.S. Outdoor champ Ginnie Powell have both been hurt and not competing. So, I have no clue where they are in their training. So I would just say that I am my biggest competitor. As that is the case for most athletes anyways. Getting not only over the physical hurdles but the mental ones as well.

PRJ: Right now the sport world is going through a series of negative story lines—NBA ref Tim Donaghy, Marion Jones, Michael Vick, the Trevor Graham trial, and track and field is dealing with some of its own issues. You seem to be the natural antithesis of those things.

LJ: It’s crazy. I really never thought their decision to cheat would effect me, until one day I introduced myself to someone at a track meet. The person looked at me weird for awhile and fnally said, "your not that one that cheated are you?" I got associated with a drug cheat, because I have of one of the worlds most common last names in Jones.

Also, it’s an Olympic year and track is always in the prime time viewing. I just found out that the prime time Olympic sports will be Swimming and Gymnastics, not Track. Those are just little things, but the reality is that there are athletes sitting at home who got second to Marion or other drugs cheats. It's frustrating and heart breaking to know that they will never receive that moment in their life . No one wants to receive their medal via fedex.

PRJ: After missing the ’04 Olympic squad, what would making the ’08 Olympic Team mean to you and your family? You danced in Boston after winning the Visa Indoor Championship series title.

LJ: It's universal. Even a person who has never competed in athletics before, can understand what a great honor it is to have a chance to represent your country and fellow Americans. So it would just be a huge honor to represent my country. A huge honor.

Thank you for making this interview happen and we wish you the best at the Olympic Trials and with the rest of your season.

By Jay Hicks.

PreraceJitters.com Interview—Matt Scherer: Living By the Moment!

Since he came on the pro scene in 2007, Matt Scherer has been making a name for himself on the U.S. 800-meter scene. The former 400, now 800 runner is currently the fourth-ranked American and is taking it moment by moment as he is poised to contend to make the U.S Olympic Team. In this exclusive Q & A with PreraceJitters.com, Scherer reveals what it is like to live and train in Eugene with the Olympic Trials coming to his home town in less than one week.

PRJ: What is the best thing about living and training in Eugene, Oregon, a.k.a. Tracktown, USA? Is it as interesting as it seems?

The best thing is by far the people. It may be because I went to college here but it is really cool to be recognized at the grocery store or at the mall by real track fans. I don’t know of anywhere else where track athletes are recognized out in public. The fans in Eugene make track seem like a big-time sport.

PRJ: Who did you look up to while running track as a youth? And is there anyone that you pattern your race after?

Through high school and college I always seemed to look up to my peers/competitors. I didn’t follow the pro circuit much. I would look up to a runner until I beat them and then found someone else to take their place as my ‘idol’. I think that’s where my competitiveness on the track comes from; I like to beat people. Some names that come to mind are Adam Steele, Craig Everhart, Christian Smith, and Marc Sylvester.

PRJ: You had a stellar career at the University of Oregon that included a personal best of 45.19 in the 400. Why did you decide to move up from the 400 to the 800?

To me it seemed like a logical move to have my best chance at Beijing. Even though I’d had success at the 400, I really wasn’t that fast in terms of speed. I was always the last out of the blocks but finished well. My 200 time wasn’t anything special either. My best workouts were always the longer, harder ones. It’s also been a new challenge for me. I love taking on new things and this has been one of the biggest, but it may also have the biggest reward in the end.

PRJ: Take us back to the decision making process to move up to the 800. Who did you consult during this process and what pushed you over the top to make the move?

I talked to my coaches Dan Steele and Vin Lannana quite a bit about the decision. Dan was supportive of whatever decision I made and Vin (being on the distance side) was excited about the possibility of moving up because not many people at my level had done so. But what tipped the scales was Frank Gagliano and the opportunity of the Oregon Track Club. I had talked to several pro athletes while in college and the theme seemed to be that it was very difficult to transition to the pro athlete life because so many things change. So the opportunity to stay in Eugene and keep training at my home track with a coach that I was very comfortable with actually made the decision to change events very easy.

PRJ: What time are you shooting for at the U.S. Olympic Trials and how difficult to you anticipate the rounds to be?

My first goal is to run under 1:45.50 and past that I’m shooting for the 1:44’s. I’ve typically done well with rounds, especially mentally, and so am not very concerned about running 3 rounds. And having a day off before the final is awesome. Typically in meets like this (in college) I would be running 6 or 7 races in 4 days. Now I only have to run 3 (hopefully!).

PRJ: Your seasons best time of 1:46.11 puts you in the mix going into the Trials, what would making the Olympic Team mean to you?

First, I’m just excited to be in the mix; to have my name mentioned in people’s discussions about who has a chance to sneak into that 3rd spot. At this point I really don’t think I can even comprehend what making the team would mean to me or even feel like. I guess with the Trials next week I should start visualizing that… haha. But the only experience I’ve ever had with the Olympics is watching on TV. I don’t have anything that I can compare what the feeling might be. But at the same time that just means I have less to worry about. If I make the team I’ll be ‘that guy’ that people say, “He should act like he’s been there before.” I’ll be out there on tv acting like a fool.

PRJ: Do you feel there is additional pressure to make the U.S. Olympic Team squad because you live and train where the Olympic Trials are to be held?

No, not at all. The only pressure I have is what I’m putting on myself. Everyone around me (teammates, family, and the community) are just happy that I’m doing so well after changing events. That’s been nice to not feel any pressure from them. I’ll leave that to the Nick Symmonds’ of the group. I feel much more comfortable being a dark horse than being the one that is expected to make the team. Now, I will say that eventually I’d like to be in that position but for now, and in this situation, I’m perfectly fine where I am.

PRJ: What has been the biggest difference you have noticed in the training regimen for the 800?

Hands down – tempo runs. Those were a new concept for me. It seems like I start out running hard and keep getting faster until I die. Over the past 2 years I’ve gotten better at them almost every time, literally. Most everything else I can compare in some way to something I did as a 400 runner, but tempo runs were something else. Note: and I usually only do 3 mile tempo runs so you know it must be hard for me. Meanwhile, other OTC guys are doing like 8 mile tempo’s. I don’t envy those guys!

PRJ: You recently ran 1:46.11, and ran the “A” standard for the Olympic Trials. How did that feel?

That race felt really good actually. I finally got a chance to try something I’d been wanting to for a long time, which was going out in 49 in a fast race. My last 100 wasn’t very good but after a 49 most people’s aren’t. But I was glad to have felt how that pace feels and learned a lot about what my optimal race is. As for the time I was very confident that I would run a 1:45 that day. And even though I PR’d by half a second I was actually a little disappointed that I wasn’t .11 faster. And on the positive side of that it is still keeping me very hungry to get that first 1:45.

PRJ: Have you had a welcome to the professional circuit moment? A situation or moment when you realized “wow, I am running with pros?” If so, can you share with fans how that went down?

The first time that feeling hit me was shortly after graduating from Oregon. I was in Europe to run a couple races that summer and at my first meet I had to start from the blocks with a starter that wasn’t speaking English. In fact, I didn’t even know what language he was speaking. And I remember being in the set position before the gun thinking, “This is pretty cool, I can’t believe I’m racing in Europe…hmmm…I hope that last word meant set (I then look at the guy behind me to see where he was in the blocks).”

PRJ: Your times have been incredible this year, how have you been able to drop your times so effectively in the relatively short amount of time of running the 800-meters?

I’ve always been a big fan of the “naive” mentality. By that I mean having a mentality that is oblivious to the typical limitations that people have. As far as I am concerned, it shouldn’t be a big deal to go run 1:43 at the trials. It’s only a couple seconds off my PR. Most people would say that is impossible for me right now to me its in the realm of possibilities because in my mind I don’t even know how good that is. Andrew Wheating of Oregon is a perfect example of that. The kid just goes out and runs and has no idea of what his current times mean. He just shrugs it off and says, “That was fun.” I love that attitude and have been using it since high school. As a freshman I ran 49.4 and had no idea why people were amazed. I was actually disappointed because I lost. Now I at least realize that 49 is good for a 9th grader but I still carry the same idea into my mental training now.

PRJ: As you are maturing in the 800-meters, are you relying less on your speed and more on race strategy?

To be honest, I still have no clue about what I’m doing in an 800. I learn so much about the race every single time out. My speed is my greatest asset though so I have to utilize that to my advantage. The big difference between this year and last is that I have a lot more strength now which only allows me to use my speed in the first half of the race. It is a misconception (at least for me) that people have that since I have speed they think I should be able to close the last 200m. But it is really the opposite, at least for now. I use my speed to go out in 50-point and feel more relaxed than everyone else even though they are 51 or 52. That gives me a head start for the strength portion of the race: the last 200. That’s why people like Nick Symmonds are so good with 100 to go. Nick has the most strength out of anyone I know.

PRJ: What is your go-to music to get you in the groove before you hit the track for meets?

I actually don’t listen to any music. I usually am on my computer working on websites or sending emails right up until I leave for the track. I am one of those people that has to keep busy. I don’t like to have a lot of time to think. Even warming up I often stop to talk to people or am joking around. Thinking too much about the race is a negative for me. I step up to the line just trusting that my body is ready and am focused on hitting those couple of key objective points of my race. But if I did listen to any music it would be Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw.

PRJ: I know you are an integral part of Runnerspace.com, how often do you post and update your profile?

Definitely not as often as I should. I am usually busy with other parts of the site, making sure content is getting up or helping plan coverage for events. Oh and I play the arcade games quite a bit. I may actually be more competitive in those little flash games than on the track. Haha. We’ve all played those games before – pacman, frogger, kick-ups – but RunnerSpace keeps track of your scores and ranks them against other members. Its one of those things that you get addicted to because you want to get one of those trophies the top 3 people get. Oh, and I’m pretty good at them and challenge anyone to my best game: F/A-18 Hornet. (and the overall winner of the arcade each month wins $100).

PRJ: You have your own company FastRunnerZ.com and Emerald Valley Marketing. Between that and Runnerspace.com, do you think you’ll go into that stuff full-time when you retire from running track?

I hope to. I’ve taken the last few years to learn as much as I can about the internet business and web design. All that “mumbo jumbo” code seems to make a lot of sense to me and I absorb it very easily. Right now web design is one of my side jobs that I hope to develop into a career when I’m done running. And I’ll always be involved in RunnerSpace in some capacity. Its just too good of an idea to fail and has the back end site operations that hasn’t been seen in the track world.

PRJ: Thank you for taking the time out to sit down with us. Good luck at the Olympic Trials and the rest of your season.

By Jay Hicks.

Surprise! Chryste Gaines Comeback!

At first I thought it was a misprint or error. Chryste Gaines ran 11.23 in the 100 at the meet last Saturday in Clermont, Florida?

For real?

But the real news is that the 37-year-old runner is back to the sport to regain her name and career.

Gaines is trying to repair damage from her association with the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). You may recall that Kelli White admitted to U.S. Anti-Doping Association officials that she had used several banned substances, mainly undetectable steroids such as “the clear” or THG. White then fingered Gaines as a drug user and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) utilized the testimony of White to eventually ban Gaines from the sport two years. Gaines maintained her innocence throughout that entire ordeal.

Chryste is a determined individual who is slated to take the track in Eugene in order to attempt to make another Olympic Team. The world will get to see her compete for yet another spot on a U.S. Olympic relay team.

By Jay Hicks.

Oregon Track Club Meet: Nick Symmonds vs. Matt Scherer!

The Oregon Track Club is hosting a last ditch meet in Eugene on Sunday. This is the last day to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials being held in less than three weeks. Some athletes are also using the meet as tune up to the Olympic Trials which are taking place June 27 at the Hayward Field Track & Field Complex on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Right now PreraceJitters.com can confirm that the Oregon Track Club meet will feature a 600-meter race pitting 800-meter runners Nick Symmonds (1:45.01.) vs. Matt Scherer (1:46.11) in a head-to-head match featuring just the two runners in the race.

This will be the first 600-meters of Scherer’s career, while Symmonds has quite a few of 600s during his career.

The meet list has not been released but we can also confirm the event list will be determined by entrants.

By Jay Hicks.