Countdown to world records: Bernard Lagat turned 40 Friday

Bernard figures he can run a 3:55 mile soon.
Here’s the rest of the story:
“Forty is not a barrier,” says Lagat, the only American male distance runner on the track ever to be poised to compete at such a lofty level in his fifth decade. He marvels at the UK’s Jo Pavey, who won European Championships gold this past summer in the 10,000. “Oh my goodness. She’s running like she’s 20-something,” Lagat says.
Still, Runner’s World Newswire had to bring the subject back to his impending assault on masters records. In addition to the mile, there’s the world 3000-meter indoor best of 8:01.44 by by Vyacheslav Shavunin of Russia, a time Lagat labels “not crazy fast,” as well he should, since he ran 7:38.51 in 2014.
He could put the masters marks out of reach for many years to come. “That will be good. I’ll raise the bar,” he says. “But somebody will do it again in the future. That is the trend now. People are not saying, ‘I’m 35 or 36 and I should retire.’ They are looking at like, ‘If I’m still strong and I’m still disciplined and I have that focus, I should keep going.’”
Concessions to Age
There are, nevertheless, some physiological changes for Lagat to cope with. He hasn’t competed in a mile or 1500-meter race on the track since 2012. He runs 3000 meters and the two mile indoors, and the 5000 outdoors.
“We’re operating under the same basic concept and ideas,” says Li, who also coaches at the University of Arizona. But stamina is now a more reliable tool than speed. “He’s better and stronger at doing longer things,” with weekly runs of 13 miles, explains Li. “But he couldn’t easily be doing those 1:20 600s [interval repeats] anymore. And if you ask him he’d say, ‘Man, I can’t keep with those young bucks anymore in the 1500 when they go out really fast. I definitely have noticed from time to time he really would struggle with guys like Lawi [Lalang] and Stephen Sambu,” two recent University of Arizona stars coached by Li.
Still, Lagat says “I’m still hungry” as a runner. Li, who coached Lagat to three NCAA titles at Washington State in 1998, finds that attitude remarkable.
“Life gets to you, right?,” Li says. “You have so much stuff, so much demand, and you get to the point where there are things that are more important. We all know Kip is such a great family man and he’s so committed to his kids.”
Indeed, it was difficult for Lagat to fit in the time to speak with Newswire as his 40th birthday approached. The first block of time he squeezed in was a cell phone call outdoors, just prior to his 8-year-old son Miika’s soccer game, a chat that ended abruptly as the game commenced. Later in the week, he’d have duty for hours as a playground monitor, for one class of kids after another at Miika’s school (Lagat and wife Gladys also have a daughter Gianna, who is 6).
What helps is that Lagat has always been a once-a-day trainer, almost always in the afternoon. Mornings are for family. “We make breakfast for the kids and drive them to school,” he says. “That is the program for every morning. I’m awake anyway and I’m not going to go rush out for a run.”
Compared with a decade ago, Lagat pays more attention to self-preservation measures off the track. He drinks a lot of water and consumes fruit smoothies. He’s dedicated about taking in calories soon after a workout to speed recovery. (He’s partial to chocolate gluten-free protein shakes.)
Success Through Continuity
Kenyan-born American citizen Lagat, owner of the U.S. outdoor records for 1500, 3000, and 5000 meters and the indoor mile best of 3:49.89 (set in 2005), is about five months older than 2014 Boston Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi, his fellow 2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist (Lagat in the 1500, Keflezighi in the marathon).
Continuity is key for both men. They have the same coaches they had as Pac-10 athletes in the late 1990s. Since 1999, Lagat has had the same agent, Australian James Templeton, whom he thinks of as part of the family. (Keflezighi’s agent, his brother Merhawi, is part of the family.)
On top of that, Lagat has had the same shoe sponsor, Nike, since 2002. As Li points out, he’s never had to “worry about a job.”
“This is a blessing,” Lagat says of the consistent backing he’s had throughout his running career. “It’s something that I wish a lot of athletes that work so hard like I do would get. I would love for everyone to get those opportunities.”
2015 Plans
Lagat will open his 2015 season with a 4K race at Great Edinburgh Cross Country in Scotland on January 10. He’ll be in a two mile at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix in England on February 21; a shot at the masters 3000 record, en route, could come there.
No one is willing to confirm it yet, but it’s widely assumed that Lagat will be in the mile at the Millrose Games at New York’s Armory Track & Field Center on February 14, and that’s when Coghlan’s masters record, that 3:58.15, could come tumbling down.
He has immense admiration and fondness for Coghlan, who was congratulatory when Lagat achieved his eighth Wanamaker Mile win to better Coghlan’s tally of seven.
“I should ask for his permission first,” laughs Lagat. “I think he’s going to be happy for me, but it might be like, ‘Man, what are you trying to do? I thought you’d want to leave a few for me.’”
For his birthday on Friday, Lagat plans to golf with friends in the morning and have a party at night. Agent Templeton is flying in from Australia to attend.
Before his outdoor track season gets underway, Lagat hopes to get back on March 29 to the Carlsbad 5000, where this year he apparently broke Marc Davis’ 18-year-old American 5K road record, but later learned the course was inches short. He’ll have an altitude training stint at Flagstaff, and he’ll campaign for one more appearance at the World Championships, where he swept the 1500 and 5000 in 2007 and was a silver medalist in the 5000 as recently as 2011.
As for Lagat making it to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics at age 41, Li says, “Oh, I don’t know about that. I wouldn’t rule it out, but we don’t talk too terribly much about it.”
“I don’t want to go too far into it,” Lagat says about long-range planning.” I still have 2015. And then we can come back and do the same routine and training for 2016. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
10 Responses
Dude’s a freakin’ stud!! Period. Wish him many a broken record.
Amazing stuff. Coghlan’s indoor mile mark of 3:58.15 has stood up for many years, and it continues to be overwhelming. At Millrose, however, I believe that Lagat can run 3:58.05 or even slightly faster.
By the way, if he can catch his breath afterwards I hope that Bernard has the presence of mind to walk around the Armory with a record form. He needs the signature of the actual starter, accompanied by the starter’s USATF certification no.
In addition, Bernard will have to hound the FAT people, either that night or later, for a photo of him breaking the plane of the finish line (vertically extended, of course). He will also need the signature and USATF certification no. of the FAT chief or his designate.
Bernard will also require ….. What? He won’t need any of those things? If not, why am I still working on an application from the 2013 Penn Relays? That’s a much bigger meet (in size) than Millrose Games, and I have the signature of the FAT chief, the head starter at Penn, etc.
In addition, the time being submitted is the time listed on the Penn Relays website, there is a video of the team running the time shown on the application, etc.
Just asking.
Bernard will NOT be collecting signatures on records forms. However, I suspect meet management is acutely aware of the process.
Let’s hope so, Ken.
PT
My bigger question was whether the application would be waived; in truth, I do not know.
B Lagat will be so fun to watch in 2015. I was hoping he would run the Club XC meet after hitting 40. Oh well.
Come run in the Dempsey sometime….even though they don’t count.
Wonder if he can break the 1K record along the way?
1000m 2:26.71 Eamonn Coghlan IRL (11/24/52) Gainesville 1/24/94 (indoors)
That would imply 3:55.5 approx. mile pace.
Vyacheslav Shavunin 5:13.41 I think that is the 2000 masters record. Pretty easy for Lagat.
I spoke with Bernard 4 years ago and asked if he would be game to run a Masters Invitational race when he turned 40 and he said that he would. This year is a Men’s 1500 indoor and a 3,000 meter outdoor. I think the Men’s Olympic trials event will be a Mile-would be great to get Lagat in that race- We can only hope !!!
Mark
If it is just a Master’s event, I’d suggest a pacer or two.
Bernard in Boston on Feb. 7:
http://www.letsrun.com/news/2015/01/40-year-old-bernard-lagat-will-race-boston-first-time-since-2010-new-balance-indoor-grand-prix-meet-will-also-meseret-defars-1st-since-giving-birth-june/
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