The KIMbia way

Fasil Bizuneh trains with the Kenyans for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon

By Cecil Harris

He had already met the “A” standard time to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon. But Fasil Bizuneh was not satisfied with his performance in either of his two previous marathons. So the four-time All-American at Arizona State changed his training regimen—dramatically—in the months before the November 3 race in Central Park.

Bizuneh decided to prepare for the Trials the KIMbia way. At the suggestion of journalist and videographer Matt Taylor, Bizuneh moved to Boulder, Colorado, to begin training with the accomplished Kenyan athletes from KIMbia—runners like Stephen “Baba” Kiogora, the runner-up at the ING New York City Marathon 2006.

Bizuneh, 27, has immersed himself in the KIMbia regimen—eating ugali (corn meal) with chicken and kale on most nights, bypassing tune-up events in favor of a strict training schedule on undulating terrain, and gradually increasing his mileage and endurance. He has not run a competitive race since finishing a disappointing 31st in 2:29:30 at the Flora London Marathon in April, which led to his move to KIMbia and Coach Dieter Hogan.

“I decided to come here with an open mind and no preconceived notions about what would be happening and just have total faith in the system,” Bizuneh said. “I think that’s one of the most important parts of any coach-athlete relationship.”

At the 2006 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, Bizuneh debuted in a time of 2:18:14. He expects to do much better at the Trials, thanks to his work with KIMbia. “Before my other two marathons, the highest mileage I got to in a week was 120,” he said, “whereas I’ve been over 140 for a few weeks here. I expected that I would be doing more than I’ve ever done before in terms of volume and intensity.”

Bizuneh said he’s in the best condition of his career. “Rather than tune-up races, the focus is more on getting in the certain key workouts that are necessary to compete well in a marathon and the rest and recovery,” he said. “Everything is planned out—the travel to a race, leaving altitude and the recovery that’s necessary after that. I think that knowing that so many people have gone through this system and run well gives me the confidence to know that if I survive the preparation, then I’ll race well.”

Regular training runs alongside Kiogora, the third-place finisher at this year’s Boston Marathon, have also improved Bizuneh’s mental approach to the sport. “He’s has had great results in big-city marathons,” Bizuneh said. “I have a better understanding of what I have to do if I ever want to be on that level. On our last long run, I finished three minutes behind him. But at the same time, it was my fastest long run. The pace was faster than the runs we had done over shorter distances. It was the fastest long run of my life—and the longest one, too. It was 40K. At the end, I’m three minutes behind Stephen. But that’s also the closest I’ve ever been to him. I’d finished up to seven minutes behind him on runs that were only 30K. It shows that if I want to get to that level, I still have some work to do. But had I been by myself and done that same 40K run, maybe I’d think now I’m ready to compete against the best in the world. Now, I have a better idea of the level I’d like to get to eventually.”

Where Bizuneh wants to go is Beijing, as part of Team USA. He has already beaten many of his Trials competitors in a major half-marathon this year. His time of 1:02:20 was good for second place at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in Houston in January, behind Ryan Hall, who won in a U.S. record 59:43. Bizuneh bested third-place finisher Meb Keflezighi by two seconds. Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist, and Hall, who posted a spectacular 2:08:24 in his marathon debut in London this year, will get much more pre-Trials publicity. But that’s all right with Bizuneh.

“I’m sure I wouldn’t be on too many people’s short list,” he said. “I doubt that Meb was considering me when he said six or seven people are real contenders. I haven’t put together a solid marathon yet in the two I’ve run. But I’m out here working hard, and I just want to get to the line healthy and in the best shape possible.”

Bizuneh will get attention next year with the debut of Born to Run, a documentary in which he’ll star with fellow marathoners Fernando Cabada and Trials competitor Abdi Abdirahman. Born to Run, produced by Bizuneh’s older brother Amsalu, will chronicle the runners’ personal stories, including the Bizuneh family’s dramatic journey to escape political strife in their native Ethiopia in 1978. The family relocated to the Sudan and Germany before arriving in Indianapolis, where they became U.S. citizens.

“My dad was a professor at a college in Ethiopia,” Bizuneh said. “He was one of the people speaking out against the government, and at the time anyone who spoke out got arrested or killed. There was a secret police force called the Derg. Fortunately, my dad had a friend who was in the police force. When my dad came to work one day, his friend said, ‘You have to leave. They’re coming to get you today.’”

Born to Run is scheduled for a springtime release. Footage has been shot in London, Boulder, Atlanta, and Jacksonville. The film will conclude at the Trials in New York, where Bizuneh, who is living an American dream, will try to achieve his Olympic dream and give moviegoers what they love most: a happy ending.