|
Villanova's
(and New Zealand's) Adrian Blincoe has made a splash in his first
year of NCAA competition, finishing 9th at the NCAA Cross Country
Championships last fall and, most recently, grabbing second behind
David Kimani in the 3,000m at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Blincoe,
a sophomore, spent two years attending college in New Zealand before
opting to come over to the U.S. He holds PRs of 8:01.6 in the 3,000m,
3:42.78 for 1,500m, and 4:00.80 in the mile and was New Zealand's
1,500m national champion in 2000.
Weldon
Johnson: First off, congratulations
on all of the success you've had this year. It's been a tremendous
year. Tell us what your expectations were coming into the year.
Adrian
Blincoe: I came over here to face better competition
and run fast on the track. Basically in cross country I really had
no expectations. I was thinking I wanted to get top 40 at NCAA cross.
I only raced three cross country races. I ended up 9th which was
a pleasant surprise. And indoors, I had never run indoors before,
so I wanted to adjust for that and prepare myself to run a fast
mile outdoors.
WJ:
Going into indoor nationals what were you
expecting? You were not a favorite heading into the race as you
had run around 8:00 (for 3k) and Jonathon Riley and David Kimani
had run around 7:50, yet you finished 2nd.
AB:
I knew I was in much better form than the 8:00. I had run that early
in the season. I had run a decent mile, 4:01, the week before (nationals)
at Notre Dame, so I knew I was in much better form. I figured the
slower the race (the 3k) went out, the better I would do and it
went out slow, but Kimani was a bit too tough.
WJ:
What are you plans for outdoor season? It
sounds like you view yourself as a miler. Hadn't you almost broken
4 minutes before you came over here?
AB:
I had run 4:00.8 and 3:42 for 1,500, so I was pretty close to (breaking
4 minutes). My focus is on training for the 1,500m. I just took
6 days off because of an inflamed tendon of my knee, but I want
to run a fast time at Mt. Sac (April 22) and then we've got a good
team and can do well at Penn Relays (where Villanova has a tradition
of excelling in the distance relays) the week after that. And then
if I can get in the right races I want to try and run about 3:38,
3:39. I want to qualify for the Commonwealth Games which are next
year. The qualifying standard for that is 3:39. And obviously to
do well at the NCAA Championships. My teammate Ryan Hayden (freshman
from Canada) who got 7th in the mile (at indoor NCAAs in 4:00.3)
is running the 1,500m as well.
WJ:
Tell us a little about running at the World
Cross Country Championships (where Blincoe ran the 4k for the New
Zealand senior team and placed 57th). How was that experience?
AB:
: It was kind of funny because it was a couple of weeks after NCAA
indoors which was the main aim of the last couple of months and
it was a bit of a comedown. I came into the meet not nervous at
all, and it was more of a fun meet. I know it was the World Championships,
but I was probably more nervous my first race of the indoor season.
I went out a little hard around the top 20 with Kevin Sullivan (top
miler from Canada), probably in hindsight a little too quick, but
it was a great experience. We came in 9th only a couple of points
behind Canada, (ahead of Great Britain), and we only had four runners.
WJ:
Does New Zealand send a team every year to
the cross country championships?
AB:
In New
Zealand, we're not like Canada or the States where we send a full
team every year. We don't have a trial (qualifying race). If we
have enough guys who are running fast then we'll send a team.
WJ:
Let's talk about New Zealand a bit. For a pretty small country it
has got a tremendous running heritage with Peter Snell (gold medallist
in 1960 and 1964 at 800m, 1964 at 1500m), John Walker (1976 gold
medal at 1500m, first to run sub 3:50 in the mile, first to run
100 sub 4 minute miles). Tell me a little about running. Is it a
popular sport over there?
AB:
No, It's not popular at all, in fact rugby is the end all be all
of the high school students. If you're a rugby player it's great,
but a runner, well it's not great. It's not popular at all. A lot
of people run on weekends for fitness, but that's it. It's a great
environment for training. I did all my running on grass, and the
temperature is very mild, so it's great in that aspect. The running
environment here (in the States) is good because of the how competitive
and good everyone is. But, in New Zealand, I won the senior men's
1,500 last year, so it was time to possibly find something else.
WJ:
So you went to college over there for a year
and then came here?
AB:
Two years, actually.
WJ:
What was your reason for coming over here? Did you talk to a lot
of schools?
AB:
When I qualified for the world junior championships in 1998, I talked
to a lot of colleges over here, but none of them were really that
interested. I figured if I trained for a year and got my times down,
I'd have a lot more options. After running 4:00 for the mile, I
had a lot more options.
I've got two
more years (of eligibility) after this year, and then I'll probably
stay for another year to train and get my times down.
WJ:
And what made you chose Villanova? Was having
Marcus O'Sullivan (101 sub 4 minute miles, former indoor world record
holder and champion at 1500m, and Villanova grad) as the coach important?
AB:
Basically, that was the only factor. He was a great runner himself,
and knows about the long-term development of athletes in the American
system. Plus, the program at Villanova, although down somewhat recently,
has a great tradition.
WJ:
Do you think Marcus, since he was one of the
best runners in the world, might have more of a long term focus
than other college coaches? Do you think that is the case? I noticed
you didn't run Big East cross country or indoors.
AB:
Exactly, that was the main thing (in choosing a college). I had
to pick a program where I wouldn't be overraced. That is the main
fear of most people, especially in New Zealand. A lot of kids don't
want to come here because they think they'll get overraced and I
guess they've got facts to prove it. A lot of guys come over here
and effectively they don't come out (with their careers intact).
But I think if you can choose the right school, it is a good choice.
Hamish Thorpe (also of New Zealand) at Providence is running well.
As for Big
East, in cross country, I was hurt but I could have run, but not
up to my potential, so Marcus didn't have me race. And in indoors,
I wanted to run, but I had had a bad one the week before and was
a bit sick, so Marcus just had me focus on training again.
WJ:
So is that the general view of the American
college system in New Zealand, that you will get raced to death?
AB:
Pretty much. Now, we've got Nick Willis (in high school) at the
moment who has run 4:01 and is a 17 year old and he's got a lot
of pressure to stay at home. They believe if he comes here, he'll
never make it out. In the past, I would agree with them as that
was my fear coming over, but if you choose the right school things
will turn out better. Marcus, for example, he's great. He wants
us to do well at NCAAs, but there is not the pressure to race every
week.
WJ:
Would your advice to Nick be to come over?
AB:
Yeah, if he can pick the right to school, to come on over. Or maybe
to wait a year or two. I mean if he can make it (by staying) back
home and run 3:38 in a year or two, then maybe he should stay. But
it is really hard to do. Australia has a lot of good guys who are
training together, but not New Zealand. Our whole team from World
Cross is training abroad (Hamish Thorpe 45th place - Providence
College, 11th NCAAs, Martin Blair 36th place - Australia, Maunder
Simon 58th place - Europe). A lot of top runners in New Zealand
have realized that back home there are not the same competitive
opportunities. I think ideally, now or maybe in one or two years,
it makes a lot of sense for Nick to come over here.
WJ:
Tell us a little about your training in high
school. Is all of the training with a club or is there a school
system as well?
AB:
There are two nationals in high school. You have the club nationals
and the school nationals, but once get out of high school it's all
through the club.
WJ:
What was your training like in high school?
Was there a big influence from Arthur Lydiard (the great New Zealand
coach)?
AB:
I was trained by my father and he runs marathons and is a big follower
of Lydiard and runs 120 miles a week. But he was training me and
I did no Lydiard style training at all. In high school I did 35-40
miles a week, but I did it fast, faster than people training 100
miles a week, and now that I'm over here, the most I've ever done
is 70 miles a week, but I keep it around 50 to 60 miles a week.
In the summertime, I try to do a lot of speedwork and drills to
keep my form going. And in the fall, Marcus had us doing everything
on heart rate, which was new to me because I've never done heart
rate training before, but basically it was geared to us doing well
on the track.
And back home
I was doing 50 miles a week, but I'd like to do more, but I've had
an unlucky string of injuries, perhaps from running on the roads
here. I'm going to try and get my training up to 60 miles a week
when I get back home in the summer, but any more than that I might
get injured.
WJ:
It sounds like what you're doing is working
well. Obviously, more mileage might help, but not if you're injured.
AB:
Exactly, I try and do all my runs fairly quick and Marcus actually
had some words with me (to slow things down) as I was training a
little too fast when I came over and had a few injuries. Now I'm
training a lot smarter, but still try and keep my runs around 6
minutes a mile pace. I'm trying to find out the right mileage that
works.
WJ:
What would say the biggest difference is between
running over here and in New Zealand?
AB:
Basically, back home if you have a bad race, you can still often
win the race, or pull off a 2nd or 3rd. Here if you have a bad race
you're going to get really embarrassed. Because there are so many
competitive guys who are all so close, if you have an off day you're
going to get beat and if you have a really off day it's going to
be pretty embarrassing for you. I'm just happy I just haven't had
that shocker yet (where he gets really embarrassed). (Laughs)
WJ:
Do you think Americans approach running the
same way as people in New Zealand?
AB:
I haven't been in touch with a lot of pro guys once they get out
of college. As for the college guys, I've been in touch with a lot
of foreign guys, but with the Americans there seem to be so many
guys so close together. You guys are improving and improving so
well. (For example) At World Cross, I was really, really impressed
with those junior guys (Ritzenhein and Tegenkamp) going out and
running with the Kenyans and taking them on. Things are improving
over here and I'm glad I'm over here.
WJ:
What advice would you give to someone who
is in high school who is pretty successful?
AB:
How successful? Like Webb or Ritzenhein or someone not quite as
successful?
WJ:
I guess both.
AB:
I don't know what advice I should be giving someone like Webb or
Ritzenhein other than keep doing what you're doing because you're
running great, but just be weary of not burning yourself out. As
for the other guys, don't do too much too early. You don't want
to be running your best times in high school or college.
WJ:
Is Nick Willis receiving the same amount of
attention and hype back home that Alan Webb is here?
AB:
He's getting a lot of hype back home apparently from what I hear.
Webb is getting a lot here as well. Either way, both countries have
such good miling traditions with (Peter) Snell , (John) Walker,
(Jim) Ryun (US -silver medal 1968, former world record holder),
guys like that, that they're going to be always looking to tag the
next Walker or the next Ryun.
WJ:
Is there a good support system for runners
in New Zealand?
AB:
No, not really basically you're on your own. We got no money for
World Cross country.
WJ:
(Interrupting) You paid for your ticket?
AB:
Yes.
WJ:
That's hard to believe. Americans are always
complaining how we get no support. But if we had to pay for our
own tickets that would be the end of the world.
AB:
We had to pay for our own tickets, our own accommodations, all of
that. It is hard. If you're a rugby player, the local club teams
are getting all of their trips funded. But for us (runners), the
Commonwealth Games, World Championships, we have to fund ourselves.
A little bit crazy, but that's how it is.
WJ:
I'm impressed with your attitude. Americans
seem very spoiled in comparison.
AB:
I talk to people here and they talk about getting a sponsorship
and running full time and I can't even comprehend that. That would
be great. Basically, I'm here at Villanova running full time. I
study, but that only takes a couple hours a day. When I get out
of here I fully believe I'm going to working a part-time job, 30
hours a week, and running at the same time. I don't think it's too
bad. If you get everything handed to you, you take it for granted.
WJ:
Too many guys here seem to think if they have
to work they can't run. But up until about 10 years ago (actually
20) everyone was working who was running.
AB:
No doubt. Most guys get an easy office job, but take John Walker,
he worked in a quarry, a stone quarry, hard manual labor.
WJ:
(Laughing) I don't know how he did that.
AB:
Neither do I. I can't even comprehend how he did that. I want an
office job where I can sit down. But those guys, they worked hard,
and Walker ran 3:49 for the mile. You can definitely do it (work
and run).
WJ:
Well that about covers it. Thank you very
much for your time, and good luck this season and in the future.
AB:
Thank you.
(April 2001)
Weldon
Johnson is the co-founder and co-webmaster of LetsRun.com
as well as an elite runner, holding a 10,000m personal best of 28:27.
|
Above:
Adrian Blincoe competes in the 3,000m at the 2001 NCAA Indoor Track
& Field Championships. Below: Blincoe at the 2000 NCAA Cross
Country Championships.
