Interview with Josh McDougal

By Adam Jacobs

On Saturday November 10, Liberty University senior Josh McDougal outkicked Eastern Kentucky's Jacob Korir to win the third regional title of his career and avenged a bitter loss at last year's NCAA Southeast Regional Championship.

After a year of personal struggles and a 2006 cross country season that ended with a 27th-place finish at nationals, 22-year-old McDougal has bounced back with a fury and exhibited new-found levels of self-confidence and resilience.

Riding the momentum of his recent successes, McDougal is now headed to Terre Haute, Indiana, on Monday where he'll square off with the nation's elite collegiate distance runners, including Oregon's Galen Rupp and Northern Arizona's Lopez Lomong, in an epic battle for the NCAA Division I National Championship.

MensRacing.com: Congratulations on last weekend’s SEC Cross Country Championships. How important was it for you to defeat Jacob Korir this year after he pulled away from you in the final stages of last year’s conference champs?

Josh McDougal: It was crucial to me this year. I put a lot of emphasis on taking it and avenging last year’s loss. I knew that we weren’t going to go out that hard, but I knew that I wanted to make a statement to those guys once again that I am fit this year. Last year things were going wrong and training wasn’t going well and it showed at regionals. Getting beaten handily like that really puts a huge damper going into Nationals; thinking that you can win nine days after getting beat by this guy you had beaten every other time you raced him. So, that was a huge disappointment for me last year and really affected me going to nationals. This year I was fit and it really felt like a tempo run going into it this year. It was just really easy. I surged once, making it come down to just Jacob and me. Then I slowly accelerated over the last 800 and I could tell with 300 to go and that when I went it would be over fast. My speed somehow has really improved drastically this year.

MR: Would you attribute that improvement and the strides you have made since last year to better overall health and more effective training?

JM: Yeah, yeah. Doing some strength and core training too, but a lot of it was just unexplained. Last year, even in track, I was killing myself trying 58, 59s for 400 [meters] in the workouts. This year I’ve just been cruising.

MR: Do you think part of your performance at regionals was the result of your mental preparation and a strong desire to avenge last year’s loss?

JM: Yes and no. While I wanted to avenge last year, I also did not want to kill myself. I could have run much faster and really just ran with the pack and didn’t take anything too seriously until the last kilometer. What was most important was to just get into nationals and not kill myself. On the other hand, when the pace went out nice and easy then I really decided at the end I would go make a statement and take off.

MR: At this point with only a few days remaining before the NCAA Championships, what type of training and mental preparation do you have planned?

JM: This year I’m not going to do any of the tapering that I’ve done in the past that hasn’t worked. I am just treating it like it’s another race because that’s all it is to me this year. It’s going to be a high mileage week, but I’ve done well all season at pre-nationals, regionals, etc., after weeks like this. So I am just going to train through nationals like it’s any other race. No reason to change what’s been working for me now.

MR: In your mind, what are the greatest challenges that you’ll face at next weekend’s championships and who will be your toughest opponents?

JM: In my mind, to me it’s Galen Rupp and Lopez Lomong. They are the two most accomplished runners in the field. Then there are obviously guys like Jacob who are tough to beat. I can’t take him for granted. There are so many other great guys. You never know how it’s going to turn out. Last year [Chris] Solinsky and I weren’t even in the top 10 and I don’t think anyone would have predicted that. So you never know how it is going to play out, but Rupp and Lomong are defiantly the guys I will be watching.

MR: If guys like Rupp or Lomong make a move early and try to really break away from the rest of the field, have you decided to stick with them no matter what?

JM: It all depends. I do try to have a loose race plan beforehand, but I also like to play things by ear. In the past I was a guy who was pure aerobic fitness and tried to go out and push and run away from people. Although I haven’t gone away from that [completely] my style itself has changed a lot. I am lot more confident in my kick and I feel like if I enter the homestretch stride-for-stride with anyone that I have just as good of a shot of winning nationals as anyone else. I wouldn’t say I’m going to necessarily give anyone a gap, but I also wouldn’t be scared to come from behind either.

MR: Your brother had great performance at regionals as well and some thought that he might have a chance to receive an at-large bid to nationals. How disappointed were you that he did not receive a bid and that you will be without all of your Liberty teammates in Terre Haute?

JM: That is obviously a disappointment. It is disappointing as well that the team won’t be there either. All of the guys are real bummed, but maybe there is a purpose to all this and I think we will have a really good team next year even though I will be gone.

MR: You mentioned your performance at last year’s nationals when you finished 27th and how upset you were with the outcome. Do you think the improved training and self-confidence that you have benefited from all year will really be the keys to your success in your final NCAA Cross Country Championship?

JM: For me last year was just a hard year and that didn’t have a whole lot to do with running. My faith wasn’t as strong as it should have been. It was just a real struggle. It showed in my running, in every aspect of my life, and I took my frustrations out on my running and it wore me out. It made me grow up a lot and this past year I have grown in my faith, formed some very close friendships, and learned to make greater sacrifices in my running. It is just an overall maturity that has allowed me to improve this year and really my faith in everything and my perspective. This year I’m definitely just a whole lot stronger and hopefully that new perspective and my stronger faith will really be a launching pad for continued success at championships and throughout the year.

MR: As someone who is deeply religious and dedicated to their faith, how inspirational was it for you to see a similarly faithful athlete like Ryan Hall dominate at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in New York City?

JM: It was amazing. I’ve talked with Ryan briefly, even at length sometimes about the struggles we go through. He shared a lot with me and encouraged me so much the day before nationals my freshman year, so I have always really looked up to Ryan. I was so happy for him to go out there and glorify the Lord. He was so fit and determined. I am just really happy to see good things happen to good people.

Interview conducted November 13, 2007, and posted November 17, 2007.