Interview with Desiree Divila

By Pat Goodwin

Desiree Davila, 25, ran high school track and cross country and also played soccer at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, CA, where she placed fifth in the 1600 meters and fourth in the 3200 meters as a senior in the California state meet. During her collegiate career at Arizona State University, the All-American in track and cross country was a 5000-meter specialist with a personal best time of 16:17.45. She was also just the third woman in Sun Devil history to compete in four NCAA Cross Country Championship meets.

Shortly after graduating in 2005, Davila joined the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Rochester Hills, MI, where she has seen steady improvement, especially in the past six months. Last spring she ran her first marathon, at Boston, in 2:44:56. In the fall she posted a personal best in the 10K of 33:22 at Tufts to finish sixth in the USA Women’s 10K Championships. She then had a best in the half-marathon of 1:12:54 at the IAAF World Road Running Championships Half-Marathon in Udine, Italy, and then at the Chiba[, Japan] Ekiden she ran a best of 16:11 in the 5K.

At the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston on January 13, Davila had another breakthrough and finished second in the women’s field in a new best time of 1:12:10. The 5 foot, 2 inch runner is now setting her sites on the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon that will be held in Boston, with the goal of dramatically improving her time.

New York Road Runners: You finished second at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston. Can you describe how the race unfolded for you?
Desiree Davila: The plan was to go out conservatively and then really try and close well over the last four to six miles. That’s pretty much exactly how it went out there. It worked out well that I had runners strung out in front of me to catch along the way.

NYRR: The Hansons’ approach is usually to start out a little conservatively and then to move up rather than to take the lead from the gun.
DD: Yes, it’s pretty much drilled into us in all our workouts and it seems to work pretty well.

NYRR: This is your second half-marathon in the last few months (the other being the World Road Running Championships in Udine, Italy) where you’ve run a personal best. Do these performances give you confidence for the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon in Boston?
DD: Definitely. It’s good to have some momentum and gain a little more experience with the longer races before heading into the Trials.

NYRR: Your marathon time in Boston in 2007 was 2:44:56 and it was a pretty miserable day weather wise. With how you are running, do you expect to be down in the 2:30s (depending on the weather of course) at the Trials?
DD: My goal is to be in the low 2:30s by April. I think that’s what it will take to be competitive in the race and to give myself a chance to compete for a spot on the team.

NYRR: One of the Hanson brothers said in a Flotrack interview recently that you haven’t yet reached your potential. Do you think you are on track to reach your potential and do you feel that your best event is going to be the marathon and other long distance events like the half-marathon, 20K, etc.?
DD: I’m headed in the right direction. This has been the most consistent training I’ve had in a while. It’s just a matter of staying healthy and continuing to put in the work. With the training we do, I think the longer the distance, the stronger I will be.

NYRR: Just to backtrack a bit, you participated in track, cross country and soccer at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista. Did you do all three sports throughout high school or did you start doing cross country later instead of soccer?
DD: I did all three sports throughout high school. Cross country and soccer were different seasons so I was able to compete on the cross country team during the fall and the soccer team during the winter.

NYRR: What were your accomplishments in high school in track and cross country?
DD: Some highlights were second place at the California [state] cross country championships as a freshman and fourth place my senior year in the 3200 California State Track & Field Championships. I also had a runner-up finish in the mile to Alicia Craig [now Alicia Shay] at the Golden West Invitational my senior year.

NYRR: How did you decide to pick Arizona State for your collegiate career? You were an All-American there. What was your best distance and what were your most significant accomplishments in college?
DD: I saw how Coach [Walt] Drenth had developed the current program and athletes and that impressed me and I really wanted to run for him. My focus throughout college was the 5K. I was an All-American at that distance my sophomore year and also earned All-American honors my junior year in cross country.

NYRR: I’ve seen it mentioned that Amy Hastings, who also ran at Arizona State, is a good friend of yours and is currently training in Flagstaff. Have you tried to talk her into joining you at the Hansons?
DD: All the time! She tries to talk me into moving out to Flagstaff and I’m still working on getting her out to Michigan. I was actually her host when she visited ASU and I got her to move out then, so I think it’s only a matter of time.

NYRR: Was moving to Michigan a big adjustment for you with the weather, given that you grew up in California and went to school in Arizona? Does the snow and cold bother you at all?
DD: Yes and no. Running-wise it’s really just a matter of dealing with being uncomfortable whether that means being in 110 degrees or -10 degrees. I’ve learned that complaining about it really doesn’t change how it feels, so you just have to shut up and figure out how to manage it. Driving in the snow is a whole different story, though.

NYRR: You were a psychology major in college. Are you working now? What are your plans for a career after running, or are those plans on hold right now as you see how far you can take your running career?
DD: I work part-time for an Internet retail company, Moosjaw.com. It’s a customer service job so in some ways I feel like I actually do get to use my psychology degree. I also majored in religious studies, and I think when I wrap up the running thing I will be going back to school and looking to study something along the lines of Islamic studies or peace and conflict resolution and see where that takes me.

NYRR: What does your family think about your running? Do they get to see you compete very often? Do they plan to be in Boston for the Trials?
DD: I’m really lucky because my family has always been very supportive of my running. In high school and college they would be at every meet they could possibly make. It’s a little different now, since most of our races are on the east coast or Midwest, but they will definitely be out in Boston. Hi, Mom.

NYRR: What are your hobbies, i.e. what do you like to do when you’re not running?
DD: Reading, live music, yoga, and coffee. I’m always dragging along someone to try out new outdoor activities. Slacklining was a hit in the summer. Rock climbing and fly fishing are on the list for this year.

NYRR: You’ve been to Japan twice as part of Team USA for the Chiba Ekiden. Describe that experience and what you’ve enjoyed about being on a relay team and meeting other American athletes.
DD: The Ekiden races are awesome to be a part of–just to be surrounded by so many top athletes from around the world and to be involved in something that is such a big event in Chiba, Japan. It’s amazing how many people are out there watching the races and supporting the event. Getting to meet and compete with other American athletes is always exciting. You get a chance to hang out with people that you’re normally competing against, and you find out that they aren’t really jerks after all, even if they did kick you down in that one race that one time. Seriously though, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some great people and quiz bowl them on their running and training and all that fun stuff.

NYRR: Also, you’ve been on the U.S. World Road Running team twice, so you’re getting good international experience. How are these types of teams helping your running?
DD: Both times out, the World Road Running team has been a huge confidence boost for me but also a very eye-opening experience about international competition. I’ve really learned how to run my own race and not get caught up with a field that is going out way too quick for me. It’s been nice to walk away knowing that I can compete and mix it up with some of the top American runners. When you get the results back at the end of the day, it’s a good reminder that you are a LONG way from the top of that list and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

NYRR: You seem to have really good training partners at Hansons-Brooks with all of you aiming for the same races. Has this been helpful to your training?
DD: Having the entire group training for the same races has been great. It’s so much easier to train hard when you have good training partners there for workouts and hard efforts.

NYRR: It seems that the Hansons women are fairly close and I believe you all live together at one of the houses—is that correct? And does this work out well?
DD: Everyone is in the house but Dot [McMahan], who lives with her husband. We all get along really well and the house is full of crazy adventures. We recently installed a new water fountain in our kitchen. Someone is always up for causing some kind of trouble.

NYRR: It’s going to be an exciting time leading up to Boston. What other races are you planning to do between now and then? Will you be at the 15K championships in March?
DD: No more races for us, just lots of miles and hard training up to the Trials. Good times.

Interview conducted January 18, 2008, and posted January 26, 2008.