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A
Long Island Native, Chris Graff graduated from Oceanside (NY) High
School in 1993 and attended college at nearby St. John's University.
He capped off his college career by finishing 6th in the 5,000 and
10th in the 10,000 at the '98 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
The fact that Graff set PRs in his final college meet (29:12 for
10,000m and 13:46 for 5,000m) indicated that there would be better
things to come -- and there were. Since graduating, he has dropped
those PRs down to 28:07 (10k) and 13:41 (5k). He appeared to have
an outside shot at making the 2000 Olympic team, but after trying
to cover a move by Bob Kennedy in the 5,000m final, both runners
faded with Graff finishing 10th in 13:49.45. Graff had also run
the 10,000m earlier in the week, finishing 22nd in 29:36.12. He's
come back strong in 2001, finishing 10th (1st American) in April's
Cherry Blossom 10-Miler with a 47:22 PR and followed that up with
a 2nd place finish at the USO Defenders 10-Mile Run (48:22) a month
later. Graff is sponsored by the New
York Athletic Club. MensRacing.com caught up with him shortly
after his Cherry Blossom run in April.
Chris, thanks for your time. Last we saw
you, you were going through the mile at the Olympic Trials in 4:10
in the 5000 meters before fading...Suffice it to say the Trials
didn't go as planned. Then, you go back to DC, and you lose you
sponsor. Great. At that point, what were you thinking?
Well,
I was thinking that this isn't so good. The Trials did not go according
to plan due to some little health issues that had been bugging me.
I am not good enough to be 80% at a national championship and do
well. I took some time in New York, relaxed, drank a little booze.
Booze is important when you get your few days off a year. But it
can't last forever, so what do you do? You go for a run, you work
out the injury issues, you do what you gotta do. I am a runner.
Runners run.
Since
then, you've been off the map, hunkering down in DC, and you bust
out last weekend with a big 47:22 10 mile PR. Apparently, you've
been doing something other than eating ramen noodles these last
few months. Tell us about the race...
Well,
ramen is important. I like to mix the oriental and the beef. Some
people are against mixing flavors but I like to press the culinary
limits. Oh yeah, the race was fun. Nobody really started to roll
until after 6 miles, so for the first 4 miles I have half a dozen
13:00/27:00 guys running off of my wing. It is fun getting used
to running with the Africans, and I was able to until about 10k
when Korir and Cheruiyot really started jamming.
Reebok
is out of the picture, but is the training atmosphere the same in
DC? How's the esprit de corps?
Good.
(Ray) Pugsley is getting married Friday, Andre (Williams) and Pete
(Sherry) are doing well, and we have a few new guys to round out
the group. We will be fine. The same guys, same coach, different
shoes.
You're
a coupla years outta St. Johns, and the Johnnies don't even make
the tourney! What the hell is going on over there in Queens? Have
Carneseca and the Johnnies lost their MOJO?
Listen,
two years ago we made the Elite Eight and came out flat against
an Ohio State team, just missing the Final Four. Last year we were
a #2 seed but got a bad match up and lost in the second round. Half
that team is in the NBA now. The Redmen will be fine, don't you
worry.
Let
me change gears here... What changes, if any, have you and your
coach, Matt Centrowitz, made to your training since last year? When
will we see you racing again?
Well, I just had to start taking a more active roll in the training.
I had to start making more day-to-day decisions as to what works
for me and what doesn't. I needed to do my part in tailoring the
program to fit my needs. I'll be racing soon, one more long road
effort, and then back to the track.
Your
former roommate, sub-4 miler Scott Anderson, has left the cozy confines
of D.C. and ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona with Letsrun.com
founder and Mensracing.com contributing writer Weldon Johnson. I
gotta ask, what's the Enclave thinking about his move?
The
running is good for him out there, but Slicko is hot blooded, so
he needs to get in the game. Plus, being a miler he needs to come
down and turn it over a little I think.
You got a new sponsor, The New York Athletic
Club. They're also sponsoring Clint Wells, and your former teammate
John Honerkamp. Seems like they've really stepped to the plate to
help some emerging athletes...
Yeah,
Pete Sherry is with us as well. They really stepped up when some
people needed help. I don't know exactly what I would be doing with
racing if it weren't for them. I like being a New York guy and having
New York on my jersey.
A
couple of former Princeton guys, Erik Kean and Chris Banks, are
getting the Georgetown
Running Company up and running. How are they doing?
They
are doing well. Things are really picking up for them at the store.
Of course Andre didn't go to that fancy-pants school and he's their
boss, so I don't know what that Princeton stuff is good for. (Editor's
Note: Chris Lear is a Princeton grad.)
Alright,
two more questions: You're stuck on a desert island, or the Seton
Hall campus, you pick your poison, and you got one book, one movie,
and one CD. What are they?
I'll go with the island. It is tough to pick just one of each. I
think the answers will change depending on what mood I am in, but
for now I will go with On
the Road, The
Graduate, and Sinatra's
Greatest Hits.
I
got one more word for you: FITNESS!
ATHLETICS!
Keep
rollin'! Thanks for your time!
Chris
Lear is the author of Running
with the Buffaloes and lives in Boulder, Colorado. Lear's roommates
in Boulder in the summer of 1998 included Graff and fellow Johnnies
Chris Fogarazzo and John Honerkamp. Graff would habitually awake
early and yell, "FITNESS!" to which one of the others
would reply, "ATHLETICS!" before ambling out for their
morning run. Lear watched over the ramen…
(April
2001)
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Chris
Graf Photos:
At
the 2001 Cherry Blossom 10-Miler (A
pack shot)
At
the 2001 USO Defenders 10-Mile Run
Finishing
70th in the 12k at the 1999 World XC Championships
With
his 12k teammates
Graff
runs in 2nd during the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials
Chris
Graff Links:
Pre-Olympic
Trials Interview on LetsRun.com including Graff's high
school training
Brief Chats with Chris Graff from Runner's World Online: March
1999 | June
2000
TrackCoach.com
Interview
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