|
Tim
Broe, 24, of East Peoria, Illinois will be racing the steeplechase
at the adidas Oregon Track Classic on Saturday in Portland, Oregon.
Should he break Henry Marsh's American Record of 8:09.17 he will
win a bonus of $50,000. Broe's current PR of 8:14 was set last June
in Rome, Italy. Earlier this year, he beat Steve Scott's American
Indoor 3,000-meter record that had stood since 1983 with his 7:39.23
at the adidas Boston Indoor Games. Broe lives with his fiancee Vanessa
Bell in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Chris Lear caught up with Broe before
as he finished his preparations for this weekend's attempt at Marsh's
17-year-old record.
MensRacing.com:
You've excelled this year in cross country, where you won the US
4k title, on the roads, where you won the US 8k title, and are now
getting into your outdoor track season. Do you prefer any one discipline?
Tim
Broe:
No, not at all. I like 'em all. It's good to mix things up.
Alan
Webb got most of the press last weekend for getting an NCAA automatic
qualifier for the 1,500, but you won the race and set a 1,500 PR
of 3:40 in the process. What'd you think of that race?
It
was a good home opener. It was a chilly, windy night but the race
was pretty controlled and it felt like if the conditions were right
I could have run a lot quicker. It's good to know you got more in
the well.
There
are some real studs in the steeple on Friday... Is there anyone
in particular you'll have your eye on?
Obviously
the WR holder (Brahim Boulami of Morocco) is the man to beat. I
know he's not here to run a world record, but just to get his season
opener in. So we'll just see how the race plays out, but I'm sure
he's the one to beat.
There
aren't too many occasions where you can race the world's best in
the U.S. Does racing here mean any more to you than running the
European circuit?
I
think it does a little bit, being that you get a little bit more
press and attention being an American and breaking an American record
on American soil. So yeah, it's special to run at home.
You're
talking breaking the American Record here. There's no getting around
it - is that the goal this weekend?
That's
the goal for the weekend, and that's one of the biggest ones for
the year. It's not the end of the world if I don't break it this
weekend, but the 50k bonus makes a lot of extra incentive to do
it here. If I don't it's not the end of the season. As long as I
get in there and mix it up with the best in the world, the times
will fall. And I think for me the competition is more important
than anything. I'm looking forward to getting out there and competing
and sticking my nose in it 'cause I haven't been able to do that
in a while.
If
you break that record and get that bonus, what are you gonna do
with all that money?
I'm
gonna invest it well, pay off any debts - I hate having debts -
and save it for a rainy day. I am gonna treat myself a little bit.
I'd like to take a sports car out for the day. 50k can go quick
though. I can imagine anyway (laughs). I've never spent 50 grand.
And it's about 30 when they're (taxes, agent) done with you anyway.
You
bring up a valid point. You're in this to make a living. You received
some criticism for skipping the World Cross Country Championships.
There was speculation that you skipped it for an easier payday,
running the USA 8k Championships shortly thereafter in New York.
Care to set the record straight as to why you skipped that championship?
I'm
not big on training, training, training for 9 months to race 3 months.
I like to race a lot but it didn't fit into my plans this year.
And in all honesty I don't feel a huge sense of accomplishment being
top 10 in a 4k cross country race as opposed to running under 13:10
and 8:10 on the track.
So
you didn't skip it because you could make more money two weeks later
at the US 8k champs in New York?
I've
never been really motivated to chase money around. The reason I
went to the USA 8k Championship was that I wanted to test myself
in a longer race and it fit into my training plan. Plus I wanted
to see New York and they took great care of us. I didn't skip world
cross to run a road race, though, and I have every intention of
running world cross country in the future. I also had important
personal commitments that I had to take care of at that time.
Last
night a tester from the IAAF dropped by to give you a random drug
test. Are they going far enough?
Yeah,
as long as they're testing everybody. I've been tested six times
in my home in the last 4 months. I don't know what more they can
do. Obviously if they took blood tests at the races they'd really
know, but I've had my fair share of tests that's for sure.
(Interview
posted 5/17/02)
Chris
Lear is the author of Running
With the Buffaloes. He currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI where
he is working on a book on Tim Broe and the Michigan milers.
|
