Interview with James Koskei

By Matt Taylor

James Koskei has had incredible success as a road racer—he won eight international 10K races in 2001 alone. When he decided to try his legs at the marathon distance in the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, he managed to run with the leaders through the first half before falling off pace and finishing 16th. But that didn't stop him from trying the marathon again. At the 2007 Boston Marathon, the 38-year-old Koskei not only ran with the leaders, but he also out-sprinted Ethiopian Teferi Wodajo down the final stretch of Boylston Street to earn a fourth-place finish. With his newfound respect in the elite marathon community and his experience with the intensity of marathon training, Koskei is gearing up for his second chance at the Chicago course.

MensRacing.com: James, I see you have a blister on your foot. How bad is it?

James Koskei: It's not so bad. I just got back from the doctor. He gave me a cream to put on it, so I hope it heals quickly.

MR: Yes, let's hope it heals quickly and doesn't cause any problems next weekend in Chicago.

JK: [Laughs] Ha, yes, let's hope.

MR: When you toed the starting line in Boston last April, very few people expected you to finish in fourth place. It was a great race. Did you expect to run so well?

JK: My training was going very well. The long, hard runs—like 30K and 15K—were very strong. That was good training and gave me confidence. I knew I could finish very well.

MR: And even at your age you were able to out-kick a much younger Ethiopian athlete at the finish line.

JK: [smiling] I still have speed, Matt.

MR: You definitely do. Let's talk about that. In the beginning of your career, you dominated the road racing circuit here in the U.S. It looked easy for you. How did it feel to have so much success on the roads?

JK: At the time, I was very strong in my training. It was not easy, but it did feel that I could win any race I entered. Each race gave me more confidence to push even harder the next race. It was a great year.

MR: And you've since moved up to the marathon. Do you like the marathon more?

JK: I like racing any distance. The marathon is a hard event. The training is longer. Not faster, but longer. It takes more focus. Athletes can not make mistakes in training for a marathon.

MR: In training and racing, you always seem to be smiling and enjoying yourself. What goes through your head during that hour before the race?

JK: It is very tense. We all sit in room waiting to race. Everyone may act different in person, but inside, we are all nervous. Every athlete must get nervous.

MR: Does that nervousness build as you get closer to the race?

JK: Of course. Two days before, kidogo [Swahili for "a little"]. One day before, nervous. One hour before, it starts to get stronger and stronger, and then, boom, it's gone.

MR: When the gun goes off?

JK: Yes, when the race starts, it's gone.

MR: In one week you'll be in the hotel in Chicago, apparently nervous, thinking about the race. What are your expectations for the race?

JK: I cannot say how my...

MR: You guys all say that! You all say, "I cannot say..."

JK: [Laughs] You know Kenyans well, Matt. If I say I will win the race, and I don't, that is not good.

MR: Okay, so what are your expectations for next Sunday?

JK: My training has been very strong.

MR: As strong as it was before Boston?

JK: Yes, I am stronger than before Boston. But that doesn't mean fourth place. The marathon is a hard event. All I can say is that I feel very strong and I am very excited to run a fast time. Chicago is a fast course so I need to run my fastest time there.

MR: Good luck, James. I know a lot of people will be cheering for you.

JK: Thanks Matt.

Interview conducted September 29, 2007, and posted October 5, 2007.