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On January 20, Alan Webb, 24, of Reston, Virginia, returned to the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory where he broke the U.S. indoor high school record for the mile (3:59.86) exactly six years earlier. He won the New Balance elite men’s invitational mile against good competition in 3:56.70, a personal best. Webb is best known for his U.S. high school record in the outdoor mile (3:53:43).
Webb boasts a plethora of accomplishments in addition to his high school national records (which have yet to be touched), including: USA 1500-meter Outdoor Champion in 2005, 2004 Olympic Trials 1500-meter champion, a personal best of 3:32.52 in the outdoor 1500 meters, a personal best of 13:10.86 in the outdoor 5000 meters, and a 27:34.72 personal best in the outdoor 10,000 meters.
Though Webb had to cut his 2006 racing season short due to low iron levels, he appears completely comfortable and eager for his 2007 racing season. Webb will run the mile again this weekend at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, the following weekend at the 100th Millrose Games, and the next weekend at the Tyson Invitational. After his New Balance win, Webb enthusiastically spoke with reporters about his performance, his upcoming races, and his secrets to success.
On his New Balance win:
We [His coach Scott Raczko and himself] talk about the goals that we have for races and obviously every race is a little bit different and we may have to adjust the goals slightly, but the main goal every time is to run a personal best and win the race.
Well, I won the race today and I never won one in New York City before, so there you go! And I got a PR, which is great for January. It was against good competition too. It wasn’t like I won by 10 seconds or something like that. Eliud [Njubi] was with me right until the end. It’s fun to run in this facility because everybody knows of my history here. Everyone’s excited and pumped up. I feel very welcomed here.
I was happy that I accomplished my goal of a personal best and I was also happy with the way that I finished the race. I was running with somebody so it wasn’t like I was out there time-trial-ing by myself. My last lap was 28.5 and I’m happy with that as well. I feel that I am moving in the right direction. I ran a 3:59 two weeks ago. I’m really, really excited for Boston next week and then Millrose.
On continuing to focus on the mile after running 13:10 in the 5000 meters and 27:34 in the 10,000 meters:
In high school, I was more of a speed guy; I was a closer. Now that I feel comfortable with my level of strength and my ability to run 13:10 in the 5K and 27:34 in the 10K, it’s time to see what speed and strength together can do for me [in the mile].
On his coach Scott Raczko:
He’s a very integral part of my success. The two of us get along so well because we both have the same goals for me. It’s almost like a checks and balance sort of a thing. So, if I ever don’t feel like I don’t want to do something, he’ll remind me that if I want to be the best runner that I can’t slack off or anything. The consistency also helps. If you look at the coaching situations of the best runners in the world, you will see that they have kept the same coach for many years. Take Bernard Lagat for example. Everybody says how the Kenyans are the best. Why though is Bernard better than most of the Kenyan-born athletes? Because Bernard has been coached by the same coach since his freshman year in college at Washington State [James Li]; he’s had that consistency.
On his new training group in Virginia:
Our name is DC Elite. We have two coaches and eight athletes, ranging from Samia Akbar for the marathon to Alyssa Aiken for the 400 hurdles.
A lot of us actually grew up in that area…We only have two athletes who are not from the area. It’s cool; we all get along really well.
There are two other guys, Chris Lukezic and Sam Burley. We work together. Those guys are really fast and push me in workouts. It’s nice to have people around and have that team spirit.
Oh his hopes for earning a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team:
We’ll see about that. We have Chris [Lukezic] and Bernard [Lagat] now and Matt Tegenkamp, so it’s not a given that I will make the team. My goal is to first make the team, second make the semi-finals; and then when I get there, I’ll see.
On his pressure to do well:
This is one of the harder parts. I tell myself sometimes “I don’t care what people think,” but when people say bad things, it hurts and when they say good things, it feels good. I am learning to take the good, and ignore the bad.
On his upcoming competitions:
There’s going to be some stiff competition. I will have no choice but to run fast at Millrose [he will be running against Craig Mottram and Bernard Lagat], so a PR is likely. It would be great to beat the world’s best.
On advice to high school runners:
There are two types of people. There are dreamers and doers. In order to get to the next level, you have to be both, a dreamer and a doer.
Interview conducted January 20, 2007, and posted January 22, 2007.
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