Interview with Jon Pierce

By Brooke Edwards

Jon Pierce’s alma mater calls him “One of the best steeplechasers in Stanford history.” Pierce became an All-American after he finished seventh in the steeplechase during the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championship and third in the steeple at the Pac-10 Championships that year.

At Canton Central High School in his hometown of Canton, NY, Pierce was the 2002 state runner of the year and high school champion in the 1600 and 3200 meters. He was also a finalist in the 2001 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships and a runner-up at the state cross-country championships.

Pierce, now 25, has trained with ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, NC, since the fall of 2007 and has set several personal records since his start there. In November he ran a PR in the Ntelos 8K in Richmond, VA, finishing in 22:58 for fifth place. He took third at the USATF Club Cross Country Championships in West Chester, OH, on December 8, running the 10K in 32 flat. And on January 1 he finished fourth and set a PR for the 4-mile distance with an 18:39 at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in New York City, a New York Road Runners event.

After finishing a long morning run as he prepares to run the 12K in the USATF Cross Country nationals in San Diego this weekend, Pierce talked with New York Road Runners about following in Ryan Hall’s footsteps and some Olympic dreams of his own.

New York Road Runners: You have a big race coming up with the Cross Country nationals. How are you feeling leading up to that?
Jon Pierce: Actually good, mostly. I’ve been a little tired in the past couple of weeks just because I’ve been running a lot. But overall I feel good about it. I’m very excited. The preparation has gone pretty well. I’ve been doing a lot of miles and doing some pretty good, steady workouts for the past couple of months.

NYRR: And what does that preparation and training look like for you right now?
JP: We’ve been doing basically a lot of aerobic development. Just running good long runs. I run two-hour-long runs pretty much every week. And I’ve been running up to 105 miles or so, but mostly in the upper 90s or so. And just doing a lot of longer tempo runs and fartlek. And then running in grass a lot and running hills. I think it’s pretty typical training that most post-collegiate people are doing this time of year. I think it’s really good cross county preparation, as well as a good base for the track and the summer stuff.

NYRR: Has that training changed a great deal since you joined ZAP Fitness a few months back?
JP: Yes, somewhat. I mean I was in a pretty high-powered college program at Stanford and we did train really hard. But it wasn’t as emphasized because we were running usually an indoor season on the track that was pretty emphasized and running a really hard cross country season in the fall. So it was more specific race preparation all the time. I didn’t run as much volume and there was less of a long-term focus, I guess. We were focusing on something more immediate. So the training was faster and more intense than now. I’m still doing a lot of the same kind of workouts, but the mileage is a little higher.

NYRR: And how is your relationship developing with coach Pete Rea there? What type of dynamic do you guys have?
JP: It’s really good, actually. A big priority for me running post-collegiately was finding a coach that I was really excited to work with, and he’s been a really good person for me to get to know and be involved with. He’s really good at communicating and he really helps me to think about what we are doing day to day and how that fits into my long-term development. And he’s really good at keeping me excited. He’s really positive and I think that’s really important for me.

NYRR: I’ve been reading about your facility there at Blowing Rock. Did the surroundings influence your decision to join ZAP at all?
JP: Yeah, it definitely affected my decision. I mean, you kind of have everything taken care of, and it’s nice to step into an environment where you can really focus on training. I just live right on the facility and we can run from there. And then there are all these great trails nearby and dirt roads to run on. So I think that was a big factor. And just going someplace that’s comfortable and where all your basic needs as an athlete are met.

NYRR: You ran at Stanford with Ryan Hall for a while, correct?
JP: Yeah, he was a year ahead of me and then he left after his fourth year. So we were together for about three years.

NYRR: I’m from the same hometown as Ryan, Big Bear, California, and I know he’s become a bit of a celebrity there. Do you feel that way, back in your hometown of Canton, NY? Do they still follow your career in the local papers?
JP: Not probably to the degree that Ryan has become a celebrity. But they still like to run some newspaper articles after I have some good results. The people are very excited and supportive of my pursuits. They always like to find out about it and what I’m doing. So in that sense it’s pretty nice and exciting.

NYRR: Has watching Ryan progress to the level he’s at now been an inspiration for you at all, or has it motivated you or changed your goals in any way?
JP: Yeah, I would say definitely it’s really inspiring and really exciting just because I knew him fairly well in college. We trained together a lot and I saw him go though a lot of ups and downs. He’s definitely a different kind of athlete than he was a couple years ago, and I really sensed that last spring. I ran as a pacesetter for a 10,000 that he ran as part of his London tune-up. And it was pretty cool to kind of touch base with him again and hang out for a while. It’s just really exciting to see what he’s done.

For me personally, I think it just really goes to show that when you get into the right environment and you really believe in what you’re doing and you really go for it, big things can happen. And I think that’s what happened for him. So I’m hoping I’ll have some successes of my own following in his footsteps.

NYRR: You’ve been setting PRs left and right since you’ve been there at ZAP. And I hear you’re considering moving up to the marathon sometime yourself as well.
JP: Pete and I both feel that that’s probably where my greatest potential is. I really like running on the roads. I think that’s one of the best things about being out of college. So I’m excited about doing that more. But I think I also need to run on the track for a couple more years to just maximize what I can do there first. But all the while I’ll be starting to race more on the roads and race longer distances. I’m definitely excited to see what can happen in the longer events because I’ve only run one 10,000 and that went very well.

NYRR: You’ve run several different events lately, and I know you’re going for the 2008 Olympic Trials this summer. Do you know which event you’re going for yet?
JP: I’ll plan to run a 10,000 in the spring on the track—probably the first Stanford invitational [the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational]. So I’ll try to qualify for that. But I’m also planning to run steeplechase. That’s actually the event where I’ve had the most success. So we are going to have to reevaluate part way through the spring to see how everything’s coming together. If I qualify in both then we’ll have to make a decision, and hopefully that will be the case. I’m leaning toward running the steeple, but it could go either way.

NYRR: I’m guessing you’re all recovered then from the foot injuries you struggled with in the last couple of years?
JP: I feel pretty good about it. I had a pretty tough year last year. But I saw a really good podiatrist in Connecticut this winter and he diagnosed the condition that I have. It’s not really a big deal now that I know what it is and what to do about it. I basically have a structural condition that I’ve had since I was born, apparently. My big toe doesn’t quite move normally. So I got some orthodics and I can wear those some to help it. And I can also just make little changes in my shoes and it seems to be doing fine since I changed, so that’s encouraging.

NYRR: And getting off the track for a bit…I read that you like to read. Do you ever read books about running?
JP: I read a lot of running literature. I read a lot of different stuff. Right now I’m reading Barack Obama’s book. I’ve been kind of working my way through all of Hemingway. I really like Kurt Vonnegut. But I’m reading a lot of nonfiction, too, that I really like. It gives me something that feels a little academic, so it keeps my mind occupied while I’m resting from training.

NYRR: And I read, too, that you’re going out soon with your ZAP team to Ireland?
JP: Yeah, Thomas Morgan and Ryan Warrenburg and I are going pretty much right after the world cross trials in San Diego. We’ll be there for like a week and we’ll do a couple little races over there that should be pretty good races. They’re bringing a different array of people from different countries and it should be pretty competitive. There’s a 5K in Armagh, Ireland, and then there’s a 6K in Dublin. And that’ll be actually my first trip to Europe, so it’ll be a good experience.

NYRR: Have you raced at all out of the United States?
JP: I raced in Canada in high school, but Canada is pretty close to my house. But other than that, I guess I have not. So I’m pretty excited about it. It’ll be fun to see a different culture and get a couple good races in.

NYRR: You got your degree in human biology. Was that mainly to understand the physiology with running, or do you hope to one day have a career in a medical field?
JP: I’m definitely really interested in it, I guess just because it’s pretty applicable to running. I really like science. I did really well in biology in high school. I’m more of science guy. I wasn’t into philosophy or anything like that, although I’m getting more into it. But I am interested in going into some sort of kinesiology field and I’ll definitely do more schooling. I don’t think I’ll go to med school ever, but I definitely want to at least get a masters in something. Maybe even to do something with sports medicine, whether it’s physical therapy or maybe sports massage.

NYRR: What are some of the main goals you still have for yourself, either on or off the track?
JP: Well, on the track I’m just trying to make steady improvements in the next couple of years. The long-term goal is to make the Olympic team in 2012, if not sooner. I’m just basically trying to maximize what I can do in running. I want to find my potential and reach it. So that’s my main goal, whether it would be in the marathon or on the track or both.

Outside of running, I’m really excited to travel and see more things and meet more people and get more educated about what’s out there. I feel like it’s a big world and there’s a lot to do in it. I think running is a good start. And I’ll find other things in life that are as exciting to do as running when I’m done running.

Interview conducted February 7, 2008, and posted February 15, 2008.