NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 4, 2001

Scott Larson

Chris Lundstrom

Clint Verran

SCOTT LARSON: I was fit. I wanted to go out ideally and (INAUDIBLE). I knew that the top guys were going to go out around 10:43, at least that's what they had planned on doing. The American guys were going to go out at 10:30 so I was kind of caught in between no-mans-land as far as my race strategy was concerned, but I talked with my coach and we thought I should go out in that first pack. What ended up happening, those guys were running quite a bit faster than 10:43. I didn't realize that until about 8 miles into it and I knew I couldn't keep that pace up, try to slow down. And from there on I just started running my own race and hope that it didn't come back to bite me at the end. I was strong enough to hang on.

SCOTT LARSON: I'd think if they were running a five-minute pace, I think I could have run 2:11 - 2:12 today.

CLINT VERRAN: I think I had 2:19:43 was my

P.R. but that was from about two years ago, out of Chicago. I hadn't been training much at that time. I just joined this Hansen's running project in Michigan and sort of on a whim went out and decided to run it and qualified for the Olympic trials. So today was about two and a half minute personal best. About a year and a half ago the Olympic trials, my last Marathon, I ran 2:20 about an 80 degree day, hilly course in Pittsburgh, so I felt like I knew that my personal best was definitely within reach.

CLINT VERRAN: I think it's definitely good enough for now. If it weren't for the training group I probably won't be running right now. And I think Chris Lundstrom who was third today also he runs for the same type of group out of Minnesota, and if I didn't have that support you know, the free housing and health insurance and coaching and gear and travel all these things, I won't be able to compete at this level at all. So today is just like a stepping stone I think to run two 17 on this course today might equate to 2:15 or 2:14 on a faster course and by the Olympic trials I want to be able to run 2:11 or 2:10. I think it's definitely worth it.

SCOTT LARSON: Yes, I definitely think it was like for me going into it, I wasn't thinking of the race as purely a U.S. championship race. I was I wanted to do as well as I could against the big guys, the big boys and that was one of my reasons for going out like I did, maybe a little too fast for where I am right now. But I think everybody kind of looks at it like that is -- as Americans, we just have to continue to get better and knowing we can do that if you want to be the best you have to run with the best.

SCOTT LARSON: I think so, yeah, like a race like New York usually the weather is -- it's not hot and humid usually and it's a good course. The atmosphere was unbelievable, like I couldn't even have imagined what it was like out there. You couldn't hear yourself breath. You hardly could hear yourself think. It was unbelievable and to have like a U.S. olympic trials in a venue like this, I mean, it would be amazing.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: Peoples always talk about coming off at 16 miles, coming off the bridge and the roar that you hear there, I was just amazed at like two, three miles, you know, already you are hearing the fans going crazy and coming up the finish, it was just -- this is my second Marathon, it was an amazing experience.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: It's team U.S.A. minnesota. It's a group of about 6 men and 6 women which just got going. I guess I joined up in June, so, and -- it has been amazing for me, allowed me to train basically -- I still work part-time, but you know, so much support, it has been great and we had another guy here Kirk Kaiser (phonetic) who ran pretty well also.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: By about five minutes, yeah. On the tougher course, too, so I guess if that says anything, yeah, it's working.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: Yes.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: I ran, you know, I was and all-district runner, I ran on our -- I was about our 7th guy on a national championship caliber team, I actually didn't run at the N.C.A.A. meet. I have done a lot since then.

CLINT VERRAN: I think it's good to point out too the two team U.S.A. fellows here both ran personal best in this course and if you ask most of the guys in the field it's not a personal best kind of day. If you look at the rest of the field, you know, I know Scott would say that today was definitely not a personal best course or personal best day, so it definitely shows that training the groups are working.

SCOTT LARSON: It wasn't too bad. The only problem I had was the wind. It felt pretty windy out. I don't know, that's just because you are tired, but it did feel like there was kind of like a head-wind and I was out there by myself.

SCOTT LARSON: Not too bad, no.

CHRIS LUNDSTROM: I mean, I had a five minute P. R. today. This was just my second Marathon, so I am pretty young, 25, so I think I can get down there, but it is a lot of patience and it's just hard work. I was able with this training group to work a lot harder than I had in the past. And just keep doing that and hopefully myself and some others will get down there.

SCOTT LARSON: 2:11 is always kind of the goal, five minute pace for 26.2 miles. But if I had a good day on maybe a flatter course I think I could run 2:10.

CLINT VERRAN: Other thing I think about too, Chris is 25 I am 26, that means I will be 28 in 2004. I am only going to be 32 in 2008. So, I look at this long-term, you know, if you can knock a minute off your personal best each year, you know, do the math, 2008 you might be able to run faster than that.