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Thursday, August 1, 2002
The finish isn't his end
Copyright © 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||
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Also on this page: THE RACE DRAWS NEAR | |||||||||
YARMOUTH — Smooth and rhythmic, the solitary figure emerged from the forest and onto the new burnt orange-colored track. The runner circled the track steady and hard until the sun nearly reached its noon height. Forty-five minutes of laps and straightaway bursts in 90-degree heat later, Matt Lane stretched, soaked the sweat from his brow, traded spikes for running shoes and jogged to his mother's house, thinking today, training gets serious. Lane is home this week to run in his first competitive Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K. The former Yarmouth High star and All-American from William & Mary is now an elite runner competing against the world's best on a regular basis. On Saturday he'll compete against a talented Beach to Beacon field. "I haven't been training for a 10K, so it will feel a little long to me. But being up in the top 5 isn't unreasonable," Lane said. "I'd like to be competitive. It's been a long time since I've been in Maine in this kind of shape." Lane, a seven-time All-American, joined the elite runners following graduation last spring. He missed qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics when he placed fourth in the 5,000 meters at the trials, one spot from an Olympic berth. He's been running on the European track circuit this summer, but came home when a gap in the schedule allowed him to compete in the Beach to Beacon. While he ran non-competitively in the inaugural Beach to Beacon, this will be the first time he'll go all-out. "It's become one of the major road races of the year," Lane said. "And any time you see a race where Khalid Khannouchi wins, it attracts attention. It's a good opportunity." Organizers have been wooing Lane for years. "We're very excited about the fact Matt Lane's in town," said the race founder, Joan Benoit Samuelson. "It's really going to make that quite a race. "I'd like to think we'll have at least three Americans in among the Kenyans, certainly in the top 10." A talented musician, performer and student who happened to be awfully fast on his feet, Lane didn't daydream at his Yarmouth High desk of one day getting paid to run. "When I was in high school, I didn't take it all that seriously," Lane said. "It really didn't hit me until I went to the regionals in New York (as a high school junior) and finished 18th." By Lane's senior year, his goal was to return to the regional cross country championships. That year he won the regional meet and placed fourth at the Foot Locker national meet. While Lane spent considerable time on the track, he also acted in plays, played the piano and participated in various other interests. When he's not competing in Europe, Lane lives in Palo Alto, Calif., and trains with American runners Brad Hauser, Chris Graff and Peter Julian, all under the tutelage of Vin Lananna, the Stanford track coach. Lane remembers when he was looking at colleges, including Stanford, Lananna questioned where Lane envisioned his running career going. "He was doing lots of different things," Lananna said, "and he and I weren't sure where he wanted to go with his running. It has a long way to come. "His commitment (to running) was more than dabbling, but he wasn't sure himself what he wanted to do." Lane could see why. "His concern was that I would get there and decide I didn't want to run," Lane said. "But there was something in me and I wanted to do well." Now Lananna is convinced of what Lane wants. "Everything we're doing this first year after his collegiate career is a steppingstone," said Lananna. "It will establish what direction he's going with his international career." When Lane's success mounted at William & Mary, he started envisioning a running career. Success in big meets over the last four years also has helped build his confidence. At the U.S outdoor championships, Lane has progressed from a 12th-place finish in the 5,000 meters in 1998 to a fourth-place finish last year. Another big boost came when he finished second in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA outdoor championships in 2000. And after just missing an Olympic berth in the 2000 trials, Lane's Olympic dream became clearer. "I realized the Olympics was not something you watched on TV, that I could really be there," said Lane. While Lananna isn't sure where Lane will finish Saturday in the Beach to Beacon, he is sure Lane will run a competitive and smart race. "Matt is clearly a tenacious athlete. He's determined. He's a good strategist. That will serve him well," said Lananna. "I don't think he'll go and do something outrageous. He'll follow an intelligent race plan. He knows his body well enough. I think he'll be a good competitor." After Saturday, Lane is working toward landing a spot on the 2004 Olympic team. It's a realistic goal. "Matt's at a perfect place in his running career," Lananna said. "There's a misconception that you can wait a really long time to compete at the international level. You really have a limited window. "In 2004, he'll be 26. That's really the time when you need to be competing at that level. That's what the rest of the world is doing. We need to stand up and start to get in line with that." CONFIRMED RUNNERS for Saturday's race may pick up packets that include their bib numbers and timing chips between 4 and 8 p.m. today or between noon and 8 p.m. Friday at Cape Elizabeth Middle School. The event also features an exposition of products and services for runners. Staff Writer Jenn Menendez can be contacted at 791-6426 or at: jmenendez@pressherald.com
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