Interview: Derrick Peterson

by Alison Wade

Derrick Peterson qualified for his first Olympic team by finishing third in a PR 1:45.08 in the 800m at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Sacramento in June. Peterson went on to finish fourth in his opening-round heat in Athens in 1:47.60.

Peterson, 27, is a 2000 graduate of the University of Missouri, where he was the 1999 NCAA indoor and outdoor 800m champion and a six-time All-American. He also earned a bronze medal at the 1999 World University Games. He currently resides in Columbia, Missouri, and is in his fifth year as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater. For more information about Peterson, visit www.derrickpeterson.com.

MensRacing.com: Let's start with your race at the Olympic Trials. What did it feel like to qualify for your first Olympic team?
Derrick Peterson: [It was a] feeling of a lifetime accomplishment. It has always been a goal of mine to qualify for an Olympic team. Having missed making the 2000 team made making the 2004 a mission for me.

MR: How did your training go leading up to Athens? Did you change anything about your training?
DP: My training went well. I trained mostly in Missouri, with my training mates — Timothy Dunne, Neville Miller, Marcus Mayes, and Jimmy Jones. During that time, there were changes that my coach and I made; we focused more on my strength and trained more distance focused throughout the indoor and early outdoor seasons. [This] caused some of my races to suffer time-wise, but the goal was always to perform at my best in July and August.

MR: What was your Olympic experience like?
DP: My Olympic experience was a wonderful one, I had the chance to experience it with my mother, coach, and girlfriend (now fiancée). I choice not to go to Crete, because I wanted to experience all of Athens that I could. I also wanted to enjoy time to myself. Before the team returned to the village, it was very peaceful. Training in Athens was nice and convenient, the track was 400m away from my residence. I did stay in the village — it was a very nice place, but uncomfortable sometimes, because there were times I wanted my own bed, which is three times larger than the one I slept on. Living in the village had its advantages, we had access to food 24 hours a day, along with internet access and cable television whenever we wanted, so the USOC made the village feel like home as much as they could.

MR: What was it like to race in the Olympic Games? Could you take us through the entire day of August 25th, leading up to and including your race?
DP: I awoke and had breakfast as I always do, then went to check e-mail and check in with my family. I mostly stayed to myself, mentally preparing for the evening to come. When I got to the practice track, I hung out in an air-conditioned area until it was time to warm up. I actually started warming up too early and coach Vin Lananna had to sit me down and told me, 'Not yet.' When it was time to go, I took the longest walk from the practice track to the stadium; it seemed like a two-mile walk [by the time I] finally got to the call area. The race you know about. After I walked off the track, I was so elated that I had just competed and walked out with my head held high, because most people didn't think I would make the team.

MR: When you left Athens, how did you feel?
DP: When I left Athens I was more encouraged and inspired to be the best athlete I could be than ever.

MR: Now that you've run in an Olympic Games, do you feel more motivated to continue pursuing your goals?
DP: My goals are to continue to run and chase the things that are eluding me, i.e. American records and championships.

MR: What races do you have planned for this year so far?
DP: As of right now, I will be appearing at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games and the Millrose Games for the indoor season, as well as other indoor races in the Midwest. Outdoors, I will for sure be at the Drake Relays and most of the Visa Championship Series meets.

MR: What kind of training do you do this time of year?
DP: During this time of year I'm a just coming down from a high distance routine and settling into my indoor training phase.

MR: Is Jeff Pigg still your coach?
DP: My current coach is Jared Wilmes, the distance coach at Mizzou. He studied under Coach Pigg, so I felt comfortable staying with him at Missouri, but I still talk to Jeff Pigg and I've been down to Florida to train with him during the winter months.

MR: What type of training program do you follow?
DP: My training is really distance based, following in the ways of the late Arthur Lydiard, which I learned about during my high school days in Atlanta under my coach Richard Westbrook. Most 800m guys train speed, but my choice is to train my strength to help complement my speed.

MR: What kind of supplemental training do you do? Drills? Lifting? Anything else?
DP: My supplemental training involves weight lifting and daily speed drills. After each distance run, I do 4 x 150m strides for speed maintenance.

MR: The news wires reported that you were expected to be sitting in the front row at a runway show during New York Fashion Week. What was that experience like? Have there been many other perks associated with being an Olympian?
DP: It was almost as great as the Olympics. I've always wanted to attend NYC Fashion Week, being the lover of fashion that I am. It was so exciting to sit front row and view the shows and make contacts with celebrities, fashionistas, designers, fashion media, and other fashion lovers. Since the Olympics I've been in parades, made many public appearances, and visited the White House to have an audience with President and Mrs. Bush.

MR: You mentioned that you're engaged. Congratulations! Have you set a date?
DP: Thank you. Yes, as it states on my web site, I am engaged to a wonderful, caring, understandable, and supportive woman. The date has not been confirmed just yet, we are still working on that piece.

MR: We hear that you're currently working on some new projects. Can you elaborate?
DP: Projects that I am presently working on are 1. Working to have a high-level indoor track meet in the Kansas City or St. Louis area, 2. Starting a track club for youth to high school level athletes in the mid-Missouri area, and 3. Establishing a magazine

(Interview conducted December 29, 2004, and posted January 4, 2005.)