Interview with Alan Culpepper

By Cecil Harris

Alan Culpepper, a two-time Olympian, will seek his third berth at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in Central Park this Saturday. Culpepper won the 2004 Trials marathon in Birmingham, Alabama, edging Meb Keflezighi in a sprint to the finish line in 2:11:42. He finished 12th in the Olympic Marathon in 2:15:26. In a 10,000-meter race at the 2000 Olympic Trials, Culpepper won by beating Keflezighi in an exciting race to the tape.

Culpepper, a Texas native, starred at the University of Colorado; he won the 1996 NCAA Division I 5000-meter title. He ran a personal-best 2:09:41 at the 2002 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, which tied Alberto Salazar for the fastest-ever debut marathon by an American. (Ryan Hall has since broken the record at the 2007 Flora London Marathon.) Culpepper twice has finished in the top five at the Boston Marathon.

MensRacing.com caught up with Culpepper in Lafayette, Colorado, where he lives with his wife, Shayne, a two-time Olympic middle-distance runner, and their two children. At 35, Culpepper admits that Saturday’s race represents his last chance to compete for an Olympic medal. And nobody expects him to give anything less than his best. As fellow Trials competitor Peter Gilmore said, “He’s definitely not a guy who’s going to show up on race day and give you half an effort.”        

MensRacing.com: It’s just a week before the big race. How has your training gone?

Alan Culpepper: It’s gone great, honestly. You know, the work is pretty much totally done. I did my last significant session today, which still was pretty moderate. Everything has gone well. I haven’t had any complaints. I did everything I wanted to do, everything I felt capable of doing, training-wise. I’m happy with how it’s gone and happy with how I’m feeling now.

MR: You said today was your last significant session. What did you do?

AC: Today was my last harder session. I did 5 x 1 mile. It was definitely faster than race pace, but it was by no means meant to be a hard, hard effort. It was more just to get a nice, moderate effort. So 5 x 1 mile was my last hard workout, per se. I’ll still do one more workout next week, but it will be very easy.

MR: When do you plan to come to New York?

AC: Wednesday [October 31]. I’m scheduled to do a press conference at Tavern on the Green the next day.

MR: Yes, everyone is looking forward to seeing you there. About the race itself, with such a star-studded field, do you expect it to be a very tactical race? Do you have a vision of what type of race you expect it to be?

AC: Honestly, I haven’t really over-thought that aspect of it. I’ve tried to prepare to be in the best shape I can be in. I haven’t really thought too much about the tactical side of things. I’m kind of just treating it as any other championship—racing the athletes there and also the course and also the distance. So I don’t get too hung up on, ‘Well, if someone takes off at this mile, what am I going to do?’ I tend to do better if I just focus on how I’m feeling in the race.

MR: How do you feel about the course itself? Running on such a hilly course in Central Park, do you think that’s a truer test than a flat course?

AC: Oh, gosh, I don’t know if I’d say it’s a truer test. I mean, I think it just adds one more element that we’re going to have to deal with in that we’ll have to negotiate it. I wouldn’t say a hilly course would have been my first choice because I like getting in a rhythm and I like the types of courses where you can just get on pace and try to hammer that out. But in some ways, a hilly course is probably better for me in that it will expose people’s weaknesses and, hopefully, it will allow my experience to come out. I have run the distance quite a bit, and I’m familiar with how it should feel. So in that regard, I like that it’s a challenging course.

MR: Do you find it odd that the 5000-meter and 10,000-meter runners who have met the “B” standard are allowed to compete when they have achieved those times on flat tracks and now here they will be exposed to a very hilly course? It doesn’t seem as if those runners would have much of a chance.

AC: Well, I’d say you never know. I think if someone’s coming in to this as their first opportunity in a marathon, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be interesting to see how it translates. The track guys? I don’t know. One of the things about the Olympic Trials, where the stakes are really high, is that you really never know who’s going to show up ready to make the team. You can never really count anyone out.

MR: Do you like the idea of someone who has never completed a marathon having a chance at the Trials to make the Olympic team in the marathon??

AC: I do, yeah. I like the format. I like the way it’s set up. I embrace the fact that we’re trying to get our best athletes to run this. I think it has given a few guys the opportunity to run that maybe wouldn’t have. We want the best athletes to represent our country, so I like that aspect of it. I do like the fact that you have to qualify, though. You can’t just sign up. You have to have shown some level of fitness.

MR: As you know, other countries name their Olympic marathon participants based on past results. Here, we have the Trials system. Do you like the Trials system?

AC: Well, it’s a tough question. In some years, you’d rather just be named as a participant. Maybe I would have been named in 2004. But in other years, I like the fact that we have the Trials. Like this year, I doubt I would have been on that list. As stressful as it is…I mean, it can be incredibly stressful [laughs]. It all boils down to one day. But it leaves no question there. There’s no argument. There’s no committee involved. I like that it’s cut-and-dry. You know, when you get to the Olympics, you have to have a certain level of maturity and a certain championship-type mindset. And if you’ve never faced that before, you’re not going to fare very well. So I think it’s no coincidence that our athletes tend to do well at the Olympics, because we’re used to that level of intensity.

MR: Given your Olympic experience and the fact that you won the last Olympic Trials marathon, do you see that as any sort of advantage?

AC: No I don’t, not so much, other than the fact that I know that I’m capable of winning. I think each race is different, and this one is definitely a different scenario than Birmingham. I look at it more from an experience standpoint. Not necessarily that I won the last Trials, but that I’ve competed in marathons at the highest level—from Boston to New York to the Olympics. I guess I look at that as more of an advantage than winning the last Trials.

MR: I’ve spoken to quite a few of your competitors in the Trials. They all mention you as one of the favorites. They all mention you as one of the mentally tough competitors. How did you get to be such a mentally tough competitor?

AC: Oh, I don’t know. That’s one of those questions—I don’t know if mental toughness is something you learn. I think you just have it in you. You have it at an early age, where you’re just able to harness that nervous energy and use it in a positive way. You’re able to rise to the occasion. All the way back in the ninth grade, I was able to win the races I wanted to win, the important races. It’s that in combination with knowing myself, knowing what motivates me and what doesn’t motivate me, and knowing how much I can withstand over the course of a year, or over the course of 10 years. When I was very young my first coach, who was my coach throughout high school, always instilled in me to be ready. Be ready when it counts. So I’ve just always had that mindset.

MR: One of your competitors, James Carney, said that for someone competing in his first marathon, you would be a good guy to tail. Just stay close to Culpepper.

AC: (Laughs). Yeah, well, you know, I’ve been fortunate not to have a lot of bad races other than New York City a year ago [Culpepper dropped out of the race just after mile 20]. But when you’re dealing with the marathon, there are a lot of variables that go into it. It had nothing to do with my preparation. It had nothing to do with my mindset. It had to do with me physically. I had a stomach issue. So, all but one of my experiences in the marathon has been positive, and I’m going to try to use that to my advantage and try to propel myself to have another positive experience.

MR: It seems like New York City is a supporting player in this marathon drama, having the Trials in the media capital of the world. Is having the race in New York something that will add another layer of pressure to the event, because it’s going to be so widely followed as a big New York event?

AC: Oh, yeah, certainly. I felt that leading up to this race it feels more like a big-city marathon than an Olympic Trials. The Olympic Trials inherently has its own level of stress and burden, and now you couple that with putting the race on a much larger stage. I’d say, yeah, I think that’s one more element that’s going to play into this. Again, I’ve been able to manage a lot of those outside elements and handle the buildup appropriately. Hopefully, in those areas my experience will again come into play.

MR: How many runners do you give a realistic chance to when it comes to getting those three Olympic berths?

AC: Honestly, I would say 10 to 12 guys. That’s not to say there won’t be someone who comes out of the woodwork. But I’d say 10 to 12 guys legitimately have a very good shot, and it would not be a surprise if they made the team.

MR: Is it safe to say those 10 to 12 guys have all run marathons before and have all fared well in marathons before?

AC: Yeah. You know, Dathan [Ritzenhein] ran his first one in New York a year ago and did very well [he was the second American finisher, behind Peter Gilmore and was 11th place overall with a time of 2:14:01]. He would obviously be on that list. The people who have run one certainly have an advantage over those who have not.

MR: Ryan Hall did extremely well in his marathon debut in London. He’s someone that many people are mentioning as a favorite at the Trials. This clearly will be the biggest race he’ll be in. Do you have any thoughts on how you think he’ll do with the national spotlight really on him in an American marathon for the first time?

AC: You know, Ryan’s been good for a long time. He was a very accomplished high school runner and college runner and now beyond. The attention is not something that I would be worried about affecting him negatively. I certainly would look to him as one of those people that is going to rise to the occasion.

MR: Do you see this Trials race, with all the media and public attention it will get in New York, as something that will take running to a higher level?

AC: I hope so. That’s really the hope. I’ve been a big advocate of raising the level of professionalism of what we’re trying to do here. In no way should we try to dumb it down for people, but we should make it more accessible and show people what we’re trying to do and the level of seriousness with which we take this. I think that’s New York Road Runners’ goal: to take running to a higher level. That’s why they wanted to host this. It will help the promotion of the sport as a whole. That’s why from the very beginning I was in favor of having the Trials in New York, on a large stage, because the more we have people talking about it, the more we have people seeing it, it’s a positive all around for everybody.

MR: None of the professional American men can compete in the ING New York City Marathon this year because of the scheduling. Do you wish the two races were scheduled in a sort of different way?

AC: Not necessarily. You know that’s part of the deal in an Olympic year. You have to make that necessary sacrifice. Actually, I wouldn’t even call it a sacrifice. Not this year. There’s a substantial amount of prize money and a substantial amount of exposure at the Olympic Trials, so I think it’s ok.

MR: Do you see this at your last opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal, or do you expect to still be going after it in 2012?

AC: Well, I certainly feel like this is my last opportunity. I don’t necessarily feel like I’m on the downward end. I don’t feel like I’m going to end on a bad note. But I know just emotionally what I have in me, and it’s not four more years. It’s two more years. I’ve been at this for a while. Physically and emotionally, it takes a lot. I’m trying to use that as fuel to do my best.

MR: How much has it helped you over the years to be married to a professional runner, someone who knows exactly what you’re going through?

AC: Certainly, yeah, definitely. I’ve said numerous times that if it wasn’t for Shayne, then I wouldn’t have been able to coach myself. There have been a lot of scenarios where, without her input, I would have made a lot more mistakes. Just from a training and support aspect, she has been invaluable. And just from the level of us both enjoying what we do and having an understanding of what each other does, it’s been great. The things we’ve been able to share together, like the experience of walking into the Olympic stadium together for opening ceremonies, and us both winning the Olympic Trials in 2004. Things like that are just incredible memories.

MR: Have you both allowed yourselves to think about what it would be like to walk into the Olympic stadium together in Beijing next year?

AC: No, not really. We’re both pretty good about taking it one step at a time. I’ve put all my focus on November 3 and that’s it. Beyond that, I haven’t really thought anything out. And Shayne also has been supportive of that and helped me do that.

MR: What have you heard about the Olympic Marathon course in Beijing, if anything?

AC:Well, I heard from some folks at the U.S. Olympic Committee that I dealt with back in 2004. They sent me a video of the course. But, honestly, I just put it on the shelf [laughs]. In my mind, let’s make the team first and then we can worry about all the things that are going to go into Beijing. I’ll have plenty of time to prepare myself for that.

MR: Well, I wish you well next week and beyond. Thank you for your time.

AC: My pleasure. I’ll see you in New York.

Interview conducted October 26, 2007, and posted October 30, 2007.