Two-time Olympian Culpepper looking for 'threepeat'

NEW YORK – It seems as if it would be difficult to overlook someone like Alan Culpepper in any type of running race, let alone one to determine the U.S. Olympic team for the Beijing Games in 2008. Culpepper, after all, has made the past two Olympic teams in two different events. In 2000 he went to Sydney as a 10,000-meter runner and went again in 2004 to Athens as a marathoner. On Saturday in New York City, Culpepper is looking to make it two Olympic marathon teams in a row. Only Frank Shorter has won two consecutive trials marathons.

But the funny thing about that is there aren’t too many pundits or fans giving him a chance. Oh sure, everyone knows Culpepper is talented and as savvy a pro as one can be in distance running. At age 35 he’s been through the wars enough to have forgotten more about running than most people will ever know. Yet despite a garage full of trophies from an NCAA Championship in the 5,000 meters (1996); victories in the Olympic Trials in the 10,000 meters (2000) and marathon (2004), as well as a “surprise” victory” in last February’s National Cross-Country Championship, it’s hard to believe that Culpepper isn’t the pundits pick in this weekend’s big race.

	Trials notes
	According to a report on the Runner’s World Web site, top contender Brian Sell’s will have at least one of his 12 Hansons-Brooks teammates pacing him through the early miles in Central Park. According to the report’s source (“a marathon expert close to the Hansons-Brooks team), the goal is to take Sell out at a sub-5 minute pace. “They want to turn this into a marathon of attrition,” the site reported. … Fans outside of the New York metropolitan area can watch the beginning of the race on NBC’s Today show, or in its entirety online at MediaZone.com. … Saturday’s forecast in New York City looks ideal for running. The temperature should remain in the mid-40s throughout the race with cloudy skies and humidity around 63 percent. There is a chance that windy conditions could be a factor, though.

Why is that?

Good question.

As far as distance runners go, Culpepper isn’t flashy. Sure, the press loves him as evidenced by the lengthy New York Times profile this week featuring Culpepper and his two-time Olympian wife, Shayne. And, yeah, he has some big-time victories and times under his belt (a 2:09:41 in his marathon debut at Chicago in 2002 and back-to-back Top 5 finishes at Boston in 2005 and 2006), but he performs his best when he gets into a rhythm and sets a solid pace for the entire race. To some it might not be the most inspiring style of racing, but it’s smart, solid and professional…

Just like Culpepper.

Nevertheless, when talking to the media less than 48 hours prior to this Saturday’s Olympic Trials Marathon – a race in which the hilly, criterium dash through Manhattan’s Central Park could be beneficial to his rock steady style – Culpepper seems to enjoy the fact that he isn’t the focus of all the attention in the deepest all-American field ever.

Whoever finishes in the top three to make the U.S. Olympic team will be a threat to win a medal in Beijing, says Culpepper.

“I do think now that due to the professionalism of the sport the level, of competition now is raised to a whole new level worldwide, just with the progression of the sport as a whole and I think that's clearly the case now,” he said. “The three that make the team will, in my mind, clearly be ones to look out for in terms of sneaking in there to get a medal at the Olympics, and (silver medalist) Meb (Keflezighi) proved that in the last Olympics. He didn't win our trials, but he went on to win a medal. I would say we're definitely at a new level.”

But just because the media isn’t focusing in on Culpepper – 23-year old Californian Ryan Hall is the favorite, by virtue of his 2:08:24 run at London in April – doesn’t mean that his competition isn’t paying attention. Dark horse contender Peter Gilmore told reporters that Culpepper is, “definitely not a guy who’s going to show up on race day and give you half an effort.” Meanwhile, 10,000-meter specialist (and Millersville University alum) James Carney reportedly says his strategy in his first-ever marathon is quite simple:

Find Culpepper and stay as close as you can.

Finding Culpepper won’t be too difficult. At 6-foot-1 he’s one of the taller runners out there. Besides, chances are Culpepper will be running at the front of the pack with a bunch of others clinging to him like barnacles to a ship. Still, knowing this isn’t going to change the savvy Coloradans’ plans for Saturday.

“We all have run a lot of races for a lot of years and you kind of just know on the day what you need to do. You trust your instincts and you trust your intuition,” Culpepper said during a conference call from New York’s Tavern on the Green restaurant with Hall and co-favorite Abdi Abdirahman. “That's what I'll be focusing on for myself, but also not ruling out the fact that there are some things that I thought about ahead of time that could possibly happen.”

That’s the thing about marathoning – anything can happen. A runner could have had months of perfect training and run personal records in his training races leading up to the event, but none of that matters over 26.2 miles. That’s what draws people to the sport – the marathon distance searches for even the tiniest of weaknesses and exploits it. Perfection is impossible.

Knowing all of that and having had the chance to fly in to New York from his home base near Boulder, Colo. for reconnaissance over the course, Culpepper doesn’t believe the rugged terrain in Central Park will dictate the terms of the race.

“I don't think any of us want to lollygag around because that allows guys that maybe shouldn't be up in there to be in there, but we also don't want to sacrifice,” Culpepper explained. “To be honest I don't think it's going to be as slow as we all initially thought. Or like when I first saw the course I thought, ‘Man, I'd be lucky to run 2:15.’ I don't think that's necessarily going to be the case. For me personally, I made that mistake in the (Athens) Olympics in limiting what I felt I could run on the course. You don't want to over think it too much.”

That’s especially the case when so many other runners will be thinking about you.

More: Two-time Olympian Culpepper looking for 'threepeat'

Khannouchi still chasing the Olympic dream

Breaking Down the Trials... Sort Of

Counting Down to the Trials

Believing the hype

Deciphering the reports and the photos from last Saturday's big race in Boulder, Alan Culpepper sat back and allowed pre-race favorites Adam Goucher and Dathan Ritzenhein do all the hard work through the first 10 kilometers. It was then that the race went from Goucher trying to stick with the next great American distance hope Ritzenhein, to the former champ Goucher attempting to keep Culpepper from dominating that final two kilometers.

It didn't happen.

Culpepper, fully under control and surging toward to the tape, won Saturday's cross-country championships in Boulder, Colo. by completing the muddy and snowy 12k course in 37:09 to Goucher's 37:35 and Ritzenhein's 37:47.

Interestingly, upon hearing the results by repeatedly refreshing hurriedly typed reports on a running message board, running geeks (like me) sounded a nationwide, "Wow! What a surprise… what got in to Culpepper?"

Here's the thing about that – Culpepper, 34, has been to the Olympics twice in two different events, won two previous national cross-country titles, as well as a national title in the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon. In 2003 Culpepper ran a 2:09:41 at the Chicago Marathon and finished fifth in 2:11:02 after an aggressive effort at the 2006 Boston Marathon.

Yet with those outstanding credentials Culpepper's victory on Saturday is an upset. Why? Was it the rough day he had at the New York City Marathon last November? Perhaps – after all, Culpepper had to drop out because he couldn't stay hydrated despite drinking throughout the race. Couple that with what I wrote about Culpepper before the New York City race and it's easy to understand why the running geeks (like me) believed Ritz, Goucher or Abdi Abdirahman were the runners to beat in the deep field. To wit:

And of course I'd like to write that American Alan Culpepper is going to let it all hang loose and be risky instead of his typically intelligent tactics. Culpepper is always consistently steady, which produces great times but it isn't exactly inspiring. To steal a phrase from baseball players, Culpepper doesn't like to "get dirty."

Culpepper got dirty, literally, on Saturday. Better yet, those so-called "intelligent" tactics served him well. In the end, when the race was on the line, Culpepper ran the two kids into another muddy ditch. There's definitely something inspiring about a tough race run well.

More: Daily Camera (Boulder) running section

Denver Post: "Boulder's 'Running Town' Reputation Safe"

The results

1. Alan Culpepper, Lafayette CO 37:09
2. Adam Goucher, Portland OR 37:35
3. Dathan Ritzenhein, Boulder CO 37:47
4. Jorge Torres, Boulder CO 38:07
5. Michael Spence, Ogden UT 38:15
6. Zach Sabatino, Morgantown WV 38:16
7. Fasil Bizuneh, Flagstaff AZ 38:24
8. James Carney, Marina CA 38:25
9. Jason Lehmkuhle, Minneapolis 38:26
10. Edwardo Torres, Boulder CO 38:31

What happened?

Abdi Abdirahman, my choice to win the race, finished 21^st in 39:07.

Hyped just right

Meanwhile, the press covering the event in The Running Republic of Boulder gave the race rave reviews. The town, the event, the course and the fans all lived up to the pre-race hype, which is saying something. In this distance running Super Bowl only the finishing times seemed lopsided with an estimated 10,000 fans lining the course two-to-three people deep to watch a cross-country race. According to the dispatches from Boulder, New York City has a high hurdle to leap for November's marathon Olympic Trials.

We'll definitely have to see that one first hand.

DOMINATION

While the men's national championship was an upset with the old man knocking off the young bucks, the women's race was a coronation. And it wasn't just a new thing, as in Deena Kastor is the best American runner of her era. Nope, that's not good enough.

On Saturday Deena Kastor proved that she is the best woman American runner ever.

Yeah, she's even better than Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Nevermind that Kastor owns three of the top four marathon times in U.S. history, or that Samuleson won the Olympic gold in 1984, the Sullivan Award in 1985, and at 50, Joanie can still run an Olympic Trials-qualifying time for the marathon, what Kastor did to the field on Saturday is ridiculous.

Kastor won her eighth cross-country championship by covering the 8k course in 26:47. That's 61 seconds better than second-place finisher Shalane Flanagan, which is almost unheard of in a national championship race. A five-second victory is significant, but 61 seconds is more than domination if there is such a thing.

Here's the crazy part. Just two weeks ago Flanagan set the American indoor record in the 3,000 meters, and actually led the race after two kilometers. But according to the race recap from Letsrun.com, Flanagan said, "I think it was a little naïve to think that I could run with her."

From Letsrun.com:

Kastor and Flanagan were well clear of the rest of the field not even 2k in, and in third was Kara Goucher who had a big gap over the rest of the field. Kastor however wasted no time in destroying the young upstart Flanagan. She pulled away from Flanagan and soon the lead was 10 seconds, 20 seconds, and then 30 seconds. Flanagan was not faltering, however, as she had 30 seconds up on the third place Goucher. Kastor was just putting on one of the most dominating performances in the history of American women's distance running.

It's going to be really interesting to see what Kastor does in Boston in April.

More: Watch the races and check out the entire day in Boulder on Flocast

New York state of mind

I can still remember the first time I saw the World Trade Center, Empire State Building and the rest of the Manhattan skyline. From the back seat of the family car it loomed there in the distance like the North Star. My sister and I pressed or faces close to the window as we traveled up the New Jersey Turnpike and stared as hard as we could like we were trying solve some sort of puzzle while the building come in and out of view through the smoke stacks, rusty bridges and industrial landscape that makes up the Meadowlands. We had lived in Washington and grown used to the muted and stately skyline where the only the Washington Monument rose above the Capitol dome, so seeing New York City and its anything-goes architecture crammed as tightly as possible onto that thin slip of land was mesmerizing. How did that do that? Where did all of those buildings come from?

It’s just so amazing.

Twenty-three years later I stare the same way whenever I make the trip to New York City. The feeling has not changed though I still can’t get used to the current view of the skyline. Manhattan looks unanchored without those twin towers at the southern end of the island.

Nevertheless, the reason for that very first trip to New York City was for the marathon. My dad was going to run in the race that late October of 1983 and my mom, sister and me were going to do the touristy stuff all weekend and catch part of the race, too. We did it all – Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s, the Empire State Building, Macy’s, the Staten Island Ferry, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Tavern on the Green, breakfast in a non-tourist coffee shop…

We were just a few rubes in the big city for the weekend.

The draw, of course, was the marathon. Just the year prior, I watched rapt as Alberto Salazar won the ’82 marathon for the third straight year in 2:09:29. Little did we know then that the victory was the beginning of the end for Salazar’s running career. Still, his times – three under 2:09:41 on the difficult NYC course and a 2:08:52 in Boston in ’82 – still hold up.

The 1983 NYC Marathon (Manufactures Hanover was the title sponsor back then, but that stuff is really insignificant) was most remembered for the rainy and damp conditions, and Rod Dixon’s incredible comeback to beat Geoff Smith. Dixon, one of the most versatile runners ever – as well as one of the most interesting and fun based on interviews – overtook Smith in Central Park with less than a mile to go to win in 2:08:59.

Then, in the rain, came the celebration.

The Oct. 24, 1983 edition of The New York Times described the bliss thusly:

In an ebullient display of emotion after surging across the line, the lanky, mustachioed Dixon dropped to his knees, lifted his arms, kissed the wet pavement, again raised his arms and put his hands to his head. "I did want it very much," he said after extending his string of road-racing victories to 20 over the last 14 months. "And somehow you just express how you feel. I had tears."

Dixon's time, despite a series of hamstring problems during the race, was the second fastest ever in New York, behind Alberto Salazar's world-best 2:08:13 two years ago. Only seven other marathoners have run faster than Dixon did yesterday, and his time was 10th best over all.

Man, did those old-timers ever run some good races.

Years later, what I found the most interesting was that Dixon, a New Zealander who trained with greats John Walker and Dick Quax from the long line of Arthur Lydiard’s storied stable and won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters in the 1972 Olympics, did his build up for NYC in Reading, Pa.

New Zealand or Reading, Pa.? Yeah, how about Reading? The most versatile runner ever trained for the biggest marathon in the world just off route 222?

Amazing.

Search as I might, I have not had much success in gleaning stories, articles or folk tales from Dixon’s days of training in Reading. However, I heard Dixon describe Reading as a place he felt comfortable training because of all of hills and anonymity. There are very few distractions in Reading, though we’re sure Dixon made a few stops in the Peanut Bar during down time in his training.

If Dixon were coming up these days I’m sure Central Pennsylvania would have never been a blip on his radar. Chances are he would have secluded himself in Colorado with all of the other anti-social running groups.

Anyway, if anyone has any stories or information regarding Rod Dixon from his days in Reading, I’d love to hear them.

Deep in 2006 As I’ve written many times on these pages, the 2006 New York City Marathon could be the deepest one assembled since those halcyon days. The names in both the men and women’s fields read like an all-star team or a who’s who of distance running.

Want to see the world-record holder, Olympic champ and runner up and all of the top American runners in one race? Try the streets of New York this Sunday morning.

Ubiquitous running site Letsrun.com offers a pretty good breakdown of the field, so I’ll just try to think of good reasons why Paul Tergat (the world-record holder), Stefano Baldini (the Olympic champ), and Hendrick Ramaala (the 2004 NYC champ) won’t finish as the trifecta.

I can’t.

I’d love to write that like Salazar in 1980, American Dathan Ritzenhein, just 23, would break through to win in his marathon debut. Certainly his 61:26 in the Great North Run half marathon, where he smoked Baldini, by more than a minute shows that Ritzenhein is fit.

I’d also like to write that American Meb Keflezighi, the Olympic silver medallist and NYC runner-up in 2004, is going to win his first major race this weekend, too. After all, Keflezighi ran a gutsy race and finished third in Boston in April. Despite his hamstring trouble last month, Keflezighi is definitely battle tested.

And of course I’d like to write that American Alan Culpepper is going to let it all hang loose and be risky instead of his typically intelligent tactics. Culpepper is always consistently steady, which produces great times but it isn’t exactly inspiring. To steal a phrase from baseball players, Culpepper doesn’t like to “get dirty.”

But then again, Juma Ikangaa is retired so don’t expect any wild man tactics at the always tactical NYC. For the top Americans, a smartly run race could be beneficial, though, as Baldini expressed in an interview this week, the race is on as soon as the runners cross over the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan and First Avenue around the 16th mile.

How much fun would it be to see the American trio throw in a surge as soon as they make the turn onto First Avenue?

Nevertheless, here’s my predicted order of finish: Ramaala beats Tergat in a less dramatic finish than the diving and sprawling duel to the end in 2005.

Two Americans will finish in the top seven. Maybe even three in the top 10.

On the women’s side I like Catherine Ndereba to win. American record holder Deena Kastor is definitely a top contender, but for some reason I don’t think she will finish in the top three.

Just a hunch. Nothing more.

Other predictions * One of the announcers calling the race will make a reference to Simon & Garfunkel when the runners cross the 59th Street Bridge. The announcer will utter the line, “… feelin’ groovy… ” before laughing like a jackal or a typical TV stuffed shirt.

* During the past two races, there were six times better than 2:10. This year there will be at least five runners who break 2:10. Why? The weather. The forecast is calling for temperatures in the high 40s. With all of the tall buildings as a buffer, the 8-m.p.h. wind probably won’t be a factor.

Then again, weather, wind and water don’t really matter so much according to a story in The Times.

* Lance Armstrong will get more camera time than the women’s race. With Salazar, and Joan Samuelson pacing him, he should run well despite his downplaying his training. I think he’s sandbagging.

* The web cast of the race will be far more interesting than the network’s packaged and sanitized “program.”