Interview with Lopez Lomong

By Sabrina Tillman

Former "Lost Boy of Sudan" Lopez Lomong, 22, was granted American citizenship earlier this month, and he has also become a world-class athlete. A rising junior at Northern Arizona University, Lomong collected his second NCAA Division I individual title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June when he won the 1500 meters in 3:37.07. Three months earlier at the NCAA Indoor Championships, he upset two-time NCAA 3000-meter champion Chris Solinsky to win that event in 7:49.74. Lomong is rapidly extending his list of running achievements: He set a personal best and an NAU school record of 1:45.79 to take fifth in the 800 meters at the AT&T USA Track and Field Championships in June, and he was named NCAA Mountain Region Male Track Athlete of the year by USTFCCCA.

To say that Lomong has "come a long way" is an understatement. When he was six, his family fled Kimotong, Sudan, on foot to avoid a rebel militia attack. After being separated from his family upon arrival at the Sudan-Kenya border, he lived in a Catholic refugee camp for 10 years. An essay that he wrote in 2001 about what he would strive to accomplish if he lived in America prompted officials to give him that chance, and he moved to the States to live with a foster family in Tully, New York, later that year. Extremely grateful for the opportunity he'd been given, Lomong has long-term goals that focus on using running as a way to provide awareness and to inspire those who have not been as fortunate.

MensRacing.com: Congratulations on recently receiving your American citizenship. This obviously opens many doors--how do you feel about what this will do for you, both competitively and personally?

Lopez Lomong: I have the opportunity to run internationally for this country, and I get benefits now since I'm a citizen. I'm very excited for the summer, the Olympic Trials, and the Olympic year.

Cross country is coming up next, and after that indoor track, and then we'll see how things are going from there. I'm really concentrating on the Trials, and I'm trying to change some things in my training--mainly higher mileage, about 75 to 80 miles a week. I'm not really a high-mileage person. I'm just going to train and try to feel how things go--work with my coach closely and see how I recover. I actually started in January going into the outdoor season, so I ran some higher mileage--75 miles per week was my max then.

When we were in Africa, we didn't know what was there for us as kids--we just ran. God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know. Now I'm using running to get the word out about how horrible things were back in Sudan during the war. Sometimes these things are not on CNN, so if I put out the word, I hope people can get the information. Right now, similar terrible things are going on in Darfur; people are running out of Darfur, and I put myself in their shoes.

I'm looking at running internationally after college. Since I am Sudanese by birth, and now an American, I'm looking forward to standing next to the Sudanese flag and the American flag. I hope that people will ask more questions about my past. I'm looking forward to telling my story. After college, I'll be free, and I may want to start a foundation, and maybe build some tracks and fields back in Sudan so that we can tell people that they can run, and they can achieve success. I can't do it by myself, but I hope to work with others to achieve these goals.

I would like to serve as a role model for people. Nothing is impossible, you just have to believe. I'd like to bring something home and give people the opportunity to improve their talents.

MR: I understand that your first introduction to running was when you and your family fled Sudan to avoid the political turmoil and rebel attacks there. Now that you have accomplished so many things, what do you feel when you reflect on your childhood?

LL: I think a lot about things that happened to me when I was young; it's given me the drive to run more. I view myself as an American now, but I try to put myself into the shoes of the people that didn't have the opportunity to come to America and pursue their dreams. When I talk to other Lost Boys [of Sudan], I tell them it's not too late. God put you here, but you have to find what you should--you have to find it, practice it, and do it well.

MR: You've earned many impressive titles and set many records in such a short time. To what to you attribute this success?

LL: Without Coach Hayes and the resources at Northern Arizona, I couldn't do what I'm doing right now. I put everything into practice. I do each practice like it's the last practice of my life, no matter what the workout is.

I like running and competing with fellow runners across the country. I also like interacting and socializing with people. The more I go out and interact and run with people in different events, the more I learn from them. This motivates me to run more and more.

MR: How did it feel to upset Chris Solinsky at the NCAA Indoor Champs in March? What was your strategy during the race, and how did those final 200 meters feel?

LL: Chris is an awesome runner--he's very talented. I never thought that I would be running with Chris. He won the Foot Locker Nationals and he went to a great school in Wisconsin. It was a blessing for me to run with Chris in March. I thought it would be good to go and experience such a great field. My coach didn't want me to run the mile or 800, but he wanted me to try different distances to see how I would react to longer and shorter competitions. They have a great facility in Arkansas. I felt good when we started, and then I was next to Chris and was amazed that I was running with him. I thought maybe he was just going to sprint in the last 400 to lose me, but as I stayed with him, I was more motivated. When the last 200 came, I knew I was going to have it because nobody will ever beat me in the last 200. It turned out to be my day that day, and Chris came over and congratulated me. That's what I like about the sport of running.

I would also attribute lots of credit to my coach. He's the one who is helping to put me on the map right now.

MR: Is there a distance that you favor? What goals would you like to achieve in your last two years at NAU? Are you harboring any Olympic dreams?

LL: I haven't had the chance to run the 5000 yet, and I would like to try that distance. For a favorite distance, I'm leaning more toward 1500, but I really need an opportunity to race with our greatest runners--Alan Webb, for example--so I can really know how to train to be competitive with those great milers. I consider this a long-term goal right now, a six-month or one-year goal. I know I'll race with them outdoors, at the U.S. Champs and the Trials.

I'm just excited, again, for being welcomed as an American, and for having the opportunity to be here to multiply my talent. I'm really thankful for all the things that being in America has allowed me to achieve.

MR: What do you see yourself doing in terms of running after graduation? What do you hope to do with your degree in hotel management?

LL: I would like to have a professional running career before I pursue another career. Maybe in the middle of my running career, I might like to have a partnership with Marriott or one of the other big hotels. I'd like the experience of managing a restaurant or hotel so that I can go to Africa and build a hotel/restaurant. I would like to bring tourists [to Africa] and create more of a peaceful environment there. I'd like to give people the opportunity to visit the country and interact with the people before prejudging what it may be like there.

MR: Have you ever run in New York City?

LL: I have not had the chance to compete in New York, but I would really like to. When I go home to visit my family and friends back in Syracuse and Tully--they always ask me when I'm going to come to the East Coast to compete. My coach and I have been talking about it--hopefully this year, we'll work it out, and maybe when I go pro.

Interview conducted July 18, 2007, and posted July 24, 2007.