Born-Again: Duane Solomon by Jon Gugala

Duane Soloman gives the glory after making the
2012 United States Olympic Team at 800 meters
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

As we dawn on the Athletics portion of the 2012 Olympic Games, a new star has emerged in American Middle Distance running; Duane Solomon. Luckily, my friend Jon Gugala was able to catch up with him after his huge run in Monaco. Check out his story below and follow him @JonGugala

Born-Again
Duane Solomon was cute story at the Trials. But after Monaco he’s grown some teeth.

by Jon Gugala

Death by car in France can come at you from any direction. It doesn’t matter that there’s a little green man illuminated, beckoning you across the intersection, or that it’s a one-way street; as soon as you put one foot into the road, the other one had better be following it—and soon—because the squeal of tires is quick from the side you least expect. The French drive like assholes.

After spending an entire month traveling through the country for track meets, I found myself thinking about this, and what a friend said in January as she was training for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She said that the scary thing about an Olympic year is that it doesn’t matter about who’s been hanging around the previous three; athletes crawl out of the woodwork to contend for an Olympic spot, and you never know where they’re going to come from.

So was the case with Duane Solomon.

Solomon, of Los Angeles, Calif., was one of the Cinderella stories from the trials. Holding on for third in the Men’s 800-meters, he simultaneously broke the Olympic “A” standard of 1 minutes, 45.60 seconds (which he did not have) and PR’ed by almost a second. He would collapse on the rain-soaked track in tears, then embraced by his coach and American record-holder Johnny Gray. It was touching as hell.

Solomon and Coach Johnny Gray embrace at the trials
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

But just like all third-place Cinderella stories, you don’t expect much when it comes to the deep end of the pool, aka Olympic rounds, which start on August 6th. Solomon, just like the feel-good stories that came before him, would play his part by quietly bowing out in heats, and on his mantelpiece forever would be the time he was an Olympian.

Well, not so fast.

Because Solomon went to Europe. Solomon got into a Diamond League race. And then Solomon ran fast as hell.

Solomon didn’t just run fast in Monaco; he ran faster than any American in the last 15 years. He ran faster than every current American competitor, including five-time U.S. champ Nick Symmonds. With Solomon’s 1:43.44—almost two seconds faster than his PR set in 2010—he is now the fifth-fastest American ever at the distance. And that changes everything.

“I was talking to my coach the other day [and] we said the same thing,” Solomon says. “We didn’t expect that time, and we didn’t expect it to be now. We were going to be happy with a 1:44-anything. For me to go out there and perform like that, in that type of condition, I think it’s a good sign of what we can do in the Games.”

It was a race that shouldn’t have happened, he says: he’d just got to Europe, and both he and Gray estimated that the jet lag wouldn’t be conducive to a fast time. Monaco was just a rust-buster first race after the trials. But, he says, the feeling between his last race and Monaco was completely different.

“At the trials I was pretty tense because I knew it was all or nothing in that race,” Solomon says. “This race I went in with really no type of pressure. So I went in very relaxed and just basically stayed on the big dogs, on their shoulders, to test myself, [to] see what I could do.

“It’s kind of weird to say that, but running that time felt a lot easier than when I ran a 1:44.”

Solomon knows no one really expected it; he didn’t even expect it of himself. And now that it’s happened, he knows there will be those who consider it a fluke, a random pop off, never to be repeated. They’re the same people that won’t expect him to make it out of rounds, and “definitely not a medal contender,” he says. But that’s not what he and his coach think, and not what they thought even before it happened.

Solomon has won back-to-back
USATF Indoor 800 meter titles
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

“We always thought that we were going to have a chance to make the final, even when I ran my last race in Oregon,” he says. “But for me to do what I did now, and the time that I hit, and just how I looked in the race—how I felt in the race—I feel like that’s a big tell of what I can be."

“After running Monaco I think it solidifies that I’m legit and I can contend for a medal. I can get to the final and make something happen.”

What does this mean for the U.S.’s medal chances in the 800 meters? Solomon now has the fifth-fastest time in the world, and while Symmonds has been the medal favorite for so long, Solomon isn’t the heart-warming story any more—he’s just too fast. Solomon is the supplanter, and he could be the contender.

For Solomon, however, the best part is that there’s still no pressure. “It will be the same thing [as Monaco],” he says. “I don’t have to be a hero; I can just hang in there in the front”—just as before—“and then use my strength and my speed."

“Everyone has up and down years, and I definitely had my times, but just to break that barrier was awesome,” he says. “I’m a lot more motivated. I’m disciplined. I’m a changed runner.”

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Talking Trials: So Nick Symmonds walks into a bar...

Nick Symmonds takes his fifth national 800 title in a row, while
 Duane Solomon celebrates making his first Olympic team
(Photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

This is the fifth installment of "Talking Trials." There will be more to come every day during the 2012 USA Olympic Track and Field Trials from Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, OR. Full results for the trials are here.

Sunday at Hayward Field was a distance fan's dream. The day started off with the steeplechase prelims, then would have the 5000 prelims and the 800 finals. It was around 60 degrees, with some light rain, but no one seemed to notice once the first gun went off.

Emma Coburn looked incredible in the first heat of the steeple. She uses so little energy in getting over the 30" barriers that it looks like she's running a different race than the rest of the field. She's a virtual lock to make the team in Friday's final, but the race for second and third will be a dog fight, as there are at least seven other women whose credentials show they've got a shot. The Men's steeple showed how close everyone will be Thursday night's final. The only notable competitor that didn't make it through was Steve Slattery, yet top seeded Billy Nelson was the last one to get into the final on time.

Emma Coburn makes it look easy
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The women's 5000's had some shakeups, as the first heat went out at 17:20 pace through the first 1000 meters (3:28) and then ground it down going 3:10, 3:05, 3:03 and then closing in 2:55 for the lead pack of Abbey D'Agostino, Julie Culley, Julia Lucas, Emily Infeld and Deborah Maier. Expect Thursday's final to have a similar feel. In the second heat Liz Maloy, Molly Huddle and Kim Conley showed their fitness in separating at the end. But the highlight of the prelims was Lauren Fleshman's gutsy last 100 meters to automatically qualify for the finals. She's been running 10 miles a week for months and really put everything on the line to get to this final. I wouldn't say she'll contend, but she's proven to be pretty darn tough, so we'll see.

The men's 5000 heats answered one big question. Was Alan Webb ready to contend? The answer to that was a definitive no. He looked tight the whole race and once he couldn't hang on, really went backwards, finishing last in his heat. He'll now end his run to make the team by scratching the 1500 and will try and get healthy and retool his approach. Who did look good? In the first heat, Galen Rupp and Andrew Bumbalough both did. Bumby made it a little exciting by accelerating down the homestretch to out lean Rupp at the line. I don't think Rupp liked it as he refused the handshake after the race. In the second heat, Bernard Lagat and Lopez Lomong looked like the class of the field with Ben True and NC State's Ryan Hill also looking excellent down the stretch. The easy money would be on Lagat, Lomong and Rupp to make the team, but you never know what's going to happen in an Olympic Trials final.

The 800's were both excellent and the ladies took the stage first. As usual, Alysia Montano took it out. She didn't have quite as much in the tank to dominate the field, but had enough to hold them off and take the national title. With 10 meters to go, it looked like Molly Beckwith would be second. That wouldn't be the case as a hard charging Geena Gall would pass her for second and former Tar Heel Alice Schmidt would nip Beckwith at the line for third. With all the former heels in town, it was great to see Schmidt make the squad.

Historic Hayward Field would explode for the Men's 800 as Nick Symmonds looked to take his fifth consecutive national title. Similar to 2008, the University of Oregon had some skin in the game, with Elijah Greer lining up and getting the loudest ovation of all the competitors (including Symmonds). The gun would go off and Charles Jock would bolt to the front, running 49.86 for the first 400. After he would slow, Duane Solomon would take over, as he said afterwards "the whole plan was to follow Jock and pick him off." Symmonds bided his time. As they hit the last 100, Symmonds would rocket ahead and take the title, with Khadevis Robinson coming on strong to pass Solomon at the line for second. Solomon would hang on for third and was the most emotional of the bunch as he cried tears of joy on national television.

Afterwards, I asked KD if after getting kicked down (by Christian Smith) in 2008 to miss making the team would lead to his change in race tactics, as he was once a notorious frontrunner, and is now more of a wait and go from 300 out guy. He said it was more that he was hurt in '08, than a matter of tactic. Either way, he's changed; and for the better as his last two seasons have been phenomenal (watch the video of the question and KD's response here).

It was New Balance night at Duck Town and they had
"baseball cards" made of all their athletes (with gum)
(taken with instagram)

The party got started soon after the press conference was over, and man, it was a good one. Shortly after gathering the troops and heading to the Wild Duck Cafe, none other than Duane Solomon would walk in with his coach and hold court at a booth all night. It kept getting better from there. Plenty of athletes that would be done competing would arrive one by one. One thing overlooked today in the Men's 800 final was the fact that Mark Wieczorek would run a big PR and would finish in 1:45.62, just .02 off the Olympic A Standard. Yet, he is sponsor-less. He showed up rocking his signature striped v-neck and headband, along with his two sisters that were wearing virtually the same thing.

Not long after, I was having a conversation with fellow writer, Jon Gugala, when some guy wearing an OTC singlet stormed in and gave him a big bear hug. Who the heck? It was indeed Mr. Nick Symmonds; still in his race gear, ok, he had pants on. This wouldn't be a quick pop in. Symmonds stayed the duration of the night and talked to everyone, took pictures with everyone and then near closing time, watched himself make his second straight Olympic Team with the fans by his side. Track is different like this. Things like this happen because it's a tight knit spot. It was a night for all involved to remember. It was a night I'll never forget.

Check out the video of Symmonds watching Symmonds:

More photos from Day Four at Hayward: 

KD thanks the fans after the 800

Make top three and get your name etched in glass

Wild Duck Cafe aka Duck Town

Nick Symmonds greets the fans

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The Run Down: Jenny Simpson's double at USA's leads a big weekend

Simpson had lots to smile about in Albuquerque
 (photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

It was another incredible weekend to be a Track and Field fan. Whether you were competing or spectating, it was hard to keep up with it all. The USA Indoor Championships were happening in Albuquerque, NM, tons of conference meets were going on all over the country (USTFCCA has an excellent page with links to all results) and the Brooks PR Invite ended the weekend for the top preps the in country.

Jenny Simpson's performances led the way, as she repeated her 1500/3000 double at USA's. On Friday, she bided her time in the 3000 and took the win in a tactical 9:19.15 over Jackie Areson and Sara Hall and Saturday, she held off a hard charging Brenda Martinez and the newly signed to Nike, Sara Vaughn. It looks like she'll be skipping World's in Instanbul, so the above four ladies will be booking their tickets. Also, it should be noted that Erica Moore looked superb in the 800, winning in a very nice 2:01.08, and pulling her teammate, Phoebe Wright, along with her for a trip to Turkey.

Introducing Erica Moore...
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

On the Men's side, Bernard Lagat said it best with the line (to the AP): "I just wanted to show those guys that Daddy can still kick." That may have been the understatement of the night, as he left Lopez Lomong, a 1:45 and 3:32 guy in the blocks with a 25 second last lap in the Men's 3000. Duane Soloman made it look easy in the 800 and pulled Michael Rutt along with him to Worlds, while Leo Manzano outkicked an unknowing Matt Centrowitz in the 1500. Centro may indeed have heard him coming after he went past Galen Rupp, but it sure didn't look like it.

In the collegiate world, Southern Utah's Cam Levins quadrupled to help the Thunderbirds take the Summit League Men's title. There was also an 800 round he had to run in there to complete this impressive feat. Here's how his weekend went:

Friday - qualified in 800 semifinal (1:54) then won the 3000 final in 8:19 (meet record).

Saturday - at 1:20 pm, he won the Mile in 4:10. At 2:45 pm, he won the 800 in 1:50 (meet record). Finally, at 3:25 pm, he won the 5000 in 14:35. What a weekend. Hope he's got something left for NCAA's and Outdoor!

Martinez runs out of real estate in the
 1500 (photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Finally, the Brooks PR Invite was back and produced some excellent results. Molly Seidel continued her excellent season by winning a competitive two mile in 10:13.45, while Texas' Daniel Vertiz ran a very strong race from the front and broke the meet record (in the same event) with a nice 8:59.15. He also led North Dakota's Jake Leingang under 9 in the process. Check out Flotrack's Crack Recap here.

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Battle Royale: Rupp/Lagat duel leads USA Indoor Championships

Does Rupp have enough to get by the master?
(Photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships kick off Saturday and the distance race of the meet will certainly be the showdown between Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp. They'll close out Saturday night at 8:05pm Mountain Time in an event in which Lagat owns the American Record (7:32.43); the 3000 meters. Both should qualify for the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey from March 9-11, as the top two in each event will qualify, if they have hit the standards.

Both are fresh off breaking each other's American Records in recent weeks; with Lagat besting Rupp's 5000 Record and Rupp trumping Lagat's 2 Mile Record just hours later. It should be a two man show, but Lopez Lomong could make things interesting, as he makes his first indoor appearance in an event over 800 meters this year (where he ran 1:47).

Right before the Men take the stage, the Women will square off in another duel of sorts for 3000 meters. The favorite has to be Jenny Simpson, but Sara Hall may give her a run for her money, as she beat her to the line in Boston (after Simpson faded from going out hard). Hall also is coming off a national Cross Country title, so her confidence will be high.

On Sunday (at 2:15), the first distance event will be the Men's 800. Last year's winner, Duane Solomon, leads the field in his indoor season debut. The New York New Jersey Track Club has the next three qualifiers in Michael Rutt, Tevan Everett and Christian Gonzalez, while the unattached (sponsors take heed) Mark Wieczorek rounds out the top five. It'd be nice to see Wieczorek take the win and secure some sponsorship before his outdoor bid to make the Olympic Team. He'll have his hands full in doing so!

Sara Hall will know how to lean
this weekend if needed

30 minutes later, the Men's 1500 will go off. Leading the field is Daegu Bronze Medalist, Matt Centrowitz. Centro looked awesome in the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, but will have to execute brilliantly again to hold off Leo Manzano, Garrett Heath, Russell Brown, Jeff See (who won last year) and Galen Rupp, who will look to double up after the 3000 Saturday night.

The Women's 1500 field will hit the track next in a Jenny Simpson/Sara Hall rematch. Also, the sharp Brenda Martinez will look to continue her excellent season by facing these two mainstays. The Women's 800 will follow with Phoebe Wright looking to repeat. Erica Moore and Latavia Thomas look to be her top competition as Maggie Vessey has opted out of the event.

The event will be broadcast (via tape delay) Sunday on ESPN at 7:30pm Eastern. Also, everything that isn't on TV will be streamed live via RunnerSpace.com. Flash Results will have live results starting Saturday and here's a link to the newly re-designed USA Indoor Championships homepage. Oh, and make sure you wear the right uniform.

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Thanks to Splitcaster for sponsoring the blog this week. If you haven't used this app before, it's awesome. I used it during Aisling Cuffe's National 2 Mile Record last year and think anyone who goes to track meets will love it. Also, if you're interested in sponsoring writing about running (and other great sites like TrackFocus, Track Superfan, Paul Merca and the House of Run podcast) in the future, check out The Relay Network.