Posted: November 21, 2005

Athletics: Alan Webb On Track To Greatness

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Paul Gains

(c) International Association of Athletics Federations; reprinted with permission

After beating Jim Ryun’s age old American high school mile record, four years ago, Alan Webb was feted, celebrated and touted as the next great American athlete.

Appearances on ‘Late Night With David Letterman’ and the ‘Today Show’ served only to push the then 18 year old further into the spotlight. But then his progress came to an abrupt halt.

Last season though, Webb, was a consistent performer on the European circuit improving his best mile time to 3:48.92 finishing 4th in the prestigious Oslo Golden League mile and recording several podium finishes. Then he went on to the World Championships in Helsinki and puzzled many observers with a reckless surge on the third lap which strung out the field but left him struggling, eventually finishing 9th.

“Despite what some people might say about my run in Helsinki I was actually happy with the way Helsinki went,” Webb says now. “Obviously I set very high goals for myself so I am not going to be happy until I cross the finish line with nobody in front of me. That being said, I felt I learned a lot in Athens (the Olympics) and I made a lot of progress in just one year. To get from 9th in an Olympic prelim to 9th in the World Championships final is a pretty good improvement. You can’t say I didn’t try to win.”

Webb, now 22, admits that he was relieved to have shown improvement after spending a couple of years trying to reach the standards he had shown in high school. The fear that he had peaked too young was real.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I could use the word peaked, I thought maybe I had made the wrong decision going to (the University of) Michigan,” he explains. “I didn’t know what was best to get back in that groove. I didn’t know where I was and what I needed to do to get better. It took me a little while to sort of figure things out. There were a lot of changes in my life. I went to college. I came back, I turned professional, I moved out of my parents’ house, I was on my own. There were all these things outside running that were going on that I didn’t think would affect me as they did. It put my running on hold for a little bit. I am better, stronger now.”

Now training with long time coach Scott Raczko in Reston, Virginia where he owns a home a mile and a half from his parents, Webb is looking forward not back. He has his mind set on winning the USATF short course cross country race next February and to that end is logging 80 to 85 quality miles a week. A year ago he was 7th in the race.

“I have run it the last two years,” Webb recalls. “Even in high school and college I ran cross country. I feel like, for me, it’s a really good way to have something else to focus on besides track. It’s something else, a different way to train hard without having to hammer out quarters all the time.”

“Over my career it has been part of the routine of the year to have that period of strength building and obviously after that the track feels short and fast. You get stronger and one of the reasons why I have done so well on the track is that my coach is really good at making sure I don’t get too far away from the speed stuff. But I think I am going to be able to compete at that race. I think I can be at the front of the race, I want to win it.”

With no plans to travel anywhere he takes a couple of courses each fall at George Mason University which count towards his degree in economics.

“I am studying economics but it is going to be a while before I graduate,” he says laughing. “It’s something to keep the doors open. It doesn’t interfere with my training too much. Other than that I am a musician. I play guitar. I have an acoustic Takamine and a gold Fender Stratocaster. It’s really pretty.”

“I am a rock and folk kind of guy; I play Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page - when I am feeling ambitious. I am also a Dave Matthews fan - nothing too complicated, it’s definitely been neglected though I play almost every day. I played at my senior talent show when I was in high school. I played Jim Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower.” I did it acoustically.”

Having run his 3:48.92 mile Webb knows that Steve Scott’s twenty three year old American record of 3:47.69 is within reach. And he is also aware that he is not the only one eyeing the standard.

Bernard Lagat became an American citizen last year and immediately broke the American 1,500m record with a time of 3:29.30. As a Kenyan citizen Lagat also ran the mile in 3:47.28 so there is a rivalry in the works and a race to see who will achieve the goal. Scott himself is full of praise for Webb - although the pair has yet to meet - and believes him capable of beating his long standing record.

“Either he or Lagat,” Scott declares. “I thought Lagat was on the way out but this year he showed he has still got it. (For Alan) it’s just a matter of being in the right race with the right pace and competition and hoping Lagat is not in the race. With another year under his belt - Lagat has already run that fast - but Alan, I think, should be capable of running that fast next year.”

“I think eventually Alan will be the best American distance runner ever. I still believe that and I am getting a lot of converts especially after what Alan ran this summer especially finalizing the season with that 5,000m (13:10.86). He has got range. Where he needs to work is on his 800m. If he can get his 800m time down to 1:44 - 1:45 - he certainly should, he has plenty of speed - then he will be that world beater.”

Webb’s dominance of the US National championships will also be challenged - he has won the past two years - because of Lagat’s presence. Regardless, he is delighted that he and Lagat will be dueling throughout the coming year.

“Its going to help a lot right now because we’re sort of throwing records out the window,” he affirms with enthusiasm. “We have myself, even with Bernard aside, and there are a lot of good milers in this country. It’s really just about me going to try and beat all these young guys who are trying to beat me and trying to beat my times. If I am going to beat Lagat I have to run faster than ever before. I just have to beat these guys and if I do then I am pretty sure to run close to that US record.”

“Having Bernard around I think it really changes perspective on things. We are not just trying to be the best in the US anymore; we are trying to be the best in the world.”