Rich Burns on mile rival Bateman: I hope he can get all WRs
Rich Burns says he knew his crossworld distance friend and rival Keith Bateman was going for his M55 world mile record. They exchange notes. “He was good enough to e-mail me from the track that he had run around 34/35 ( hadn’t had the official time at that point),” says Rich of Keith’s WR 4:35.04 Saturday. So what was his reaction when Keith took down his 6-month-old record? Read on for a quickie Q&A. (Photos are courtesy of Simon Butler-White in Aussieland.)
Keith battles the kiddies in weekend race where he's pulled/pushed to mile WR.
Masterstrack.com: What was your reaction to the new mile record?
Rich Burns: I would have been very shocked if he had not broken the record. But since he did, I’m not going to talk to him for at least a week! Seriously, this is just a sport and if you are lucky enough to get any record, you are way ahead. Keith has already run a new WR in the 3K at 8:56 and a 32:28 10,000 a couple weeks back, just missing that WR by about a second, and earlier missed the 1500 WR by less than a half-second. He has a great shot to get all flat records from the 1500 to the 10,000, and I hope he can.
Keith competes as well as goes for WRs.
Can you get the record back?
I hope to run some good times this year, but will have to see how it goes. Last year I had foot problems that still haven’t gone away, and I was surprised to make it through that season only having to miss a couple meets, so the records that I was lucky enough to break are a good feeling even if someone else gets it the next day.
When might you try for the mile record?
Keith also wrote saying that he hoped I would take the record back, to keep the battle going. That is what competition is about. For this season, any mile races would be most likely be early season, at a local college all-comers series, and the two races I did there last year, were very windy, so that would be very iffy.
How is your training going for 2011?
My training is going OK. I think I’m ahead of where I was last year at this time. The first couple of races will be a much better indicator, since my training has always been different/worse than my races.
What distances will you focus on in 2011?
While focusing on the 15, I also hope to get a 3K and 5K race towards the middle of the season. Towards the end of the season I hope to get a couple 8s in as well.
What events will you peak for?
Hope to be in “peak form” in March and part of April, probably taking some time off in late April and May.
Is a sub-4:30 possible for the M55 age group?
This is just my opinion, but I would expect that the mile record will be decently under 4:30 within the next seven years, maybe closer to 4:25. The 1500 record is approximately in the mid-4:32 mile range, and Keith’s 1500 is right there, and he still has 3 more 15s on his schedule this season. Of course, I tell my friends that we are at the pinnacle of the 1500/mile, but I don’t think they quite believe me.
Simon also writes:
Conditions still weren’t ideal — a warm and blustery late afternoon in Sydney. So Keith may well have clipped more from the record if he’d had a cool, still day.
The lanky bloke congratulating Keith (below) post-race is his coach, Sean Williams. Sean, a former top-class runner himself, is becoming something of a supercoach: He trained the winners, male and female, of this year’s 14K City to Surf (from the city centre to Bondi Beach) — the first coach to do so in the iconic Sydney race’s 40-year history.
Keith gets kudos from Sean Williams after lowering M55 mile world record.
3 Responses
Rich Burns is a class act. When he says he’s happy that Keith Bateman broke the record, he means it. Doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be happy to break it back. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t overjoyed to break it in the first place. Just means that he recognizes two things: records are temporary, and it’s the people and competition that are truly important.
Rich Burns and Nolan Shaheed were the first two masters runners I got to know after turning 40 and deciding to give this sport a go. It’s no coincidence that I developed such a positive regard for the sport that I’m still here ten years later.
Congrats to both Rich and Keith! Congrats to two world record runners!
Great commentary Pete. I too am thankful for guys like Rich, Dave Clingan, you, and so many other comrades-in-arms to inspire one another to live life as physically active as possible. What a lucky bunch we are. May we all toe the line in 2011.
KP
Well done Rich & Keith! & Nolan & Pete & John & Jim….keep setting the mark(s) higher for those that follow!
To your health
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