Interview: Scott Larson

by Parker Morse

Scott Larson, 34, a former walk-on at the University of Colorado was a U.S. team member at the World Cross Country Championships and the 2001 USA Marathon Champion. After winning the 2001 Championship at the New York City Marathon, though, Larson has had some tough races, including two less-successful runs in New York. In 2002 he ruptured his plantar facia before he even made it off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; in 2003, the unusually warm day got the better of him.

Larson had better luck in Birmingham, finishing strong in sixth place (2:15:03), seconds away from his 2:14:57 PR. After his fourth-place finish in the 2000 Trials, this might be considered a step back, but in fact, Larson had exactly the same number of people between him and the Olympic team in both races: two.

MensRacing.com: How did the race work out for you?
Scott Larson: I was up there for most of the race. I just couldn't go with that big break at the end.

MR: When Meb Keflezighi, Alan Culpepper, Dan Browne, and Trent Briney went away, you were the last one they left?
SL: Yeah. I was kind of bummed, but I felt all right, so I kept running strong.

MR: Clint Verran was the only one who got by you after that.
SL: Right. He passed me with about two miles to go. He came up on me and went by, and I tried to go with him, but right then I got a cramp. By the time I got rid of it, there was no way I was going to catch him. I wish I could have gone with him.

MR: And after he went by, you were pretty much alone? What were you thinking about then?
SL: Pretty much just getting to the finish, without blowing up or anything. I was pretty sure I was going to get sixth, one way or another, so I focused on getting to the finish, and stopping (laughs).

MR: At least you could take some satisfaction from knowing you weren't going to blow up.
SL: Exactly. You never know. The marathon is such a stressful thing, because throughout the race, little things come up. My hamstring felt a little tight, I started to worry about that. If something else started to cramp... So when you're getting to the finish and you know you're going to actually make it, it's a big relief. Twenty-six miles is a long way to go.

MR: It was chilly out there today, but coming down from Colorado that couldn't have been much of a change for you.
SL: I'd much rather have it cold than have it hot. This summer, one thing after another cropped up. I was racing shorter stuff through the summer, and ended up getting heat stroke, really badly. My temperature was about 108. So when I went to run New York this year, and it was unusually hot... I can't run in the heat anymore, so I didn't run well there. I thought my training was really good this time. In New York the year before, I went to South Africa and I was really fit, but I hurt my plantar. So it's like I've been really, really fit, I just haven't had the results. So this was a good thing, today.

MR: You got your qualifier way back in 2001, at the USA Championships that year. So you've had two and a half years to look at this race as something you're training for.
SL: Well, pretty much. But you have to be careful putting all your eggs in the Olympic basket. First of all, there's so many talented guys. The chances of somebody like me, who's not super-talented but works hard, doesn't have the talent of guys like Alan or Meb... You have to hope for somebody to have a bad day and you to have a good day. You're just going to be disappointed if that's the sole thing you're focusing on. You have to make other little intermediate goals.

MR: Do you think this was a good day for you?
SL: Yeah. I think I ran well. I think if I'd had a little bit better day, I could have been fourth. But it didn't work out. I still ran hard, so I think I did pretty well. You can't be too disappointed, I guess.

(Interview conducted February 7, 2004, and posted February 17, 2004.)