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Since
the sun finally set a few years ago on the dominant days of Johnny
Gray and Mark Everett, no clear leader has emerged to carry the
torch in the U.S. 800 meter scene. Five different men have laid
claim to the six indoor and outdoor titles since 1999. On March
2nd, with a powerful charge down the final straight, Derrick Peterson
claimed his first U.S. 800 meter crown. In doing so, he muddied
the two-lap waters even further.
For the past three seasons, the 24-year-old Peterson has been in
the mix among the top American two-lappers, and is now hoping, after
his quick PR 1:46.60 win at New York's Armory, that he's breaking
through to the top. A standout at the University of Missouri, Peterson
was a perfect eight-for-eight at the indoor and outdoor Big-12 Championships.
He won the 1999 NCAA indoor and outdoor (1:45.18 PR) titles, and
followed up in 2000 with two runner-up finishes. After a disappointing
showing at the 2000 Olympic trials, where he didn't advance from
the semis, he rebounded in 2001 to finish second at the outdoor
nationals to earn his ticket to Edmonton as part of the U.S. World
Championship squad.
A
native of Jonesboro, Georgia, Peterson is currently based in Columbia,
Missouri, where he trains with his old college teammates. He is
coached by Illinois State head coach Jeff Pigg.
We caught up with Peterson twice: First as he was preparing for
the Adidas Boston Indoor Games, where he ran a PR 2:19.82 in the
1000 meters; and again just after he won his first U.S. National
800 title.
MensRacing.com: That was probably the most
exciting race at the nationals, congratulations. How does it feel
to be a national champion?
Derrick Peterson: (Laughs) It feels pretty good. Anytime you win
a championship, it's always good, and I'm happy that I finally got
one.
That
was a great finish. What were your thoughts entering the final straight?
Coming
off the last curve I was just concentrating on getting to the finish
line. I knew Michael Stember was a pretty strong guy - we raced
each other a lot through college - and I knew it was going to be
a challenge, so I just concentrated on keeping my form and powering
my way to the finish line.
1:46.60.
Are you pleased with that?
I'm
very pleased. 1:46 is a good indoor time, and to get that at the
Armory, and a championship record, is a bonus.
Was
that your kind of race? Did it play out the way you had hoped?
Yeah,
it really did. It was similar to my indoor 1999 NCAA Championship.
I didn't put the two together until I actually watched the race
on tape and saw the correlation between the two. The leaders went
out hard, the pace was almost exactly the same, I made moves at
right about the same places, and the outcome was the same.
Khadevis
Robinson blazed through the first half in under 51 seconds. Did
that have any impact on your race?
Not really, I really ran that race within myself. I went out with
my own expectations. I didn't let what other people were doing in
the race affect how I was going to race that day.
Earlier
this season, you finished third (1:52.77) in the Millrose 800. Was
that a disappointment for you?
That
was my second year running Millrose. I guess I'm still really a
novice at it, still getting used to running the short track. It
was really hard for me to find my rhythm. It's still a track I'm
not familiar with. So, no, third was not ridiculously disappointing,
just another stepping stone to something greater down the road.
What's
your main focus for outdoors in 2002?
It's
going to be a long outdoor season, I hope. Mainly my goal is just
to run fast. I've sort of accomplished a lot of things in my transition
to an elite athlete - now it's time for me to go out and produce
times.
Are
you healthy now?
Yeah,
no problems really. Pretty much, I'm in the best shape I've ever
been in, and am hoping for some great things outdoors this year.
Are
you tossing any times or numbers out there?
Some
of it is superstition, but I don't like to talk about numbers. I'm
the hardest person on myself. If I don't accomplish a goal I've
set for myself, that puts me in a very dull mood, and I'm really
not a good person to be around.
Fair
enough. Where are you planning your outdoor debut? How many races
are you planning to run in the U.S. before the European summer season?
I'll
be traveling with the University of Missouri in the Spring. I'll
probably debut at the Stanford Invitational (March 29-30), but it
hasn't really been determined yet. I'll take pretty much any opportunity
I get to run. I'd like to go back to my collegiate schedule. It
keeps me in shape, keeps my body functioning. But I just have to
not overdo it before July or August.
Who
are you training with?
I train with the University team. There's Timothy Dunn, a 1:48 guy,
and Stewart Kimball, another 1:48 guy. There's really a good group
of people, we keep it simple, and follow the same regimen and regime
everyday pretty much. This is a very comfortable fit for me right
now. Every thing that's good for me is in Columbia, Missouri.
You
were on the U.S. team in Edmonton last year. What was that experience
like for you?
I was so in awe of making my first World Championship team that
I wasn't too depressed about my performance. I knew at the time
that I wasn't ready for a World Championship final in the 800. It
was a blessing that I made it to the meet and able to participate
in the meet. It was definitely more of a learning lesson. It just
showed me what I have to do to make sure that I'm a World Championship
finalist or World Championship medallist. It was an opportunity
for me to see what I have to do. I was kind of disappointed that
I didn't run faster (1:48.56), but that's the way it goes sometimes.
You've
said that 2000 was disappointing for you. In what way?
It
was my first year out of school and my first year running with adidas,
running professionally. I had to change a lot of things within that
small time frame, and just racing in general changed. It's like
going up a flight of stairs: you're at one level for so long and
then all of a sudden you have to quickly jump to this next level.
It was going from the NCAAs, and then trying to maintain my level,
and increase it somewhat to attempt to make the Olympic team.
Did
those adjustments work out better in 2001?
It
went much better last year. After the disappointment of not making
the Olympic team, I took some time off to mope (laughs), and told
myself 2001 was going to be much different. So I went into the USATF
Championship with the goal of making the World Championship team.
And it worked out.
After
Edmonton, you won a silver medal at the World University Games in
Beijing, running much faster (1:45.49). Did you have a different
mindset after Edmonton?
I
think it was a different mindset. For some reason I always run a
better race when I'm disappointed from another race. After the World
Championships, I sat down with my coach, and told him I was going
to Beijing. I was pretty tired after Edmonton, and at first wasn't
going to go, but then changed my mind. I said I wasn't coming back
unless I got a medal. Being the bronze medallist from '99, I told
myself I had to go outdo myself. I didn't get the gold, but I did
get the silver.
How
is your relationship going with adidas?
I
love it. They treat their athletes really well. They're always just
a phone call away. There's usually someone at all the meets to make
sure everything's alright and to make sure everything's fitting
well. No complaints at all.
Over
the last several years, the U.S. hasn't been a major force internationally
in the 800. In 2000 and 2001, there's only been one sub-1:45 runner,
in 1998 and 1999 there have been eight or fewer running under 1:46.
What do runners here need to do to take that extra step to be more
competitive internationally?
That
question has been asked for years and years. I think it's all individual.
Each individual races differently, and I don't think there's any
one thing one person can do to change that. I have noticed something
since I've been running as a professional in the last few years.
The difference between racing here and racing in Europe is that
all throughout our running in high school and college we're all
taught to do tactical stuff: to get used to the team atmosphere,
to get points for the team. That's so instilled in us that even
when we're done with school, we're still racing very tactically.
There's a lot of sit-and-kickers in the U.S. - I'm one of them.
But I've noticed that when I go to Europe, it's pretty much every
man for himself. There's so much involved with races over there
- in the structure and with prize money - that everyone is just
gunning for whatever they can get.
Do
you have any plans to move up to the 1,500/Mile?
No, not right now. Right now America has pretty good milers. My
job is to make sure America has a pretty good half miler.
Bob Ramsak is a Cleveland-based freelance journalist and photographer.
He is assistant editor for Race Results Weekly, a correspondent
for Track & Field News, and frequently writes about track
and running for numerous magazines, newspapers and websites. He
can be reached at www.trackprofile.com.
(Interview
posted 3-7-02)
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