Rogue's Darren Brown: 1st at Boston Mile
Posted: April 23, 2009
By: Darren Brown, winner of the Inaugural Boston Invitational Mile 2009
There was a lot of surprise yesterday when I got my first big win on the Elite/Professional stage of Track and Field. The race/course wasn’t conventional, the pace wasn’t blistering, but it was still a competition and I walked away with a “W” that I am extremely proud of after having beat a lot of very, very talented athletes. I would also say that, while there was indeed a bit of surprise by myself, I think that should be expected. Anyone who lines up against a field like that and is able to come out victorious should feel blessed on the day. More so than surprise though, the feeling was one of relief. Finally, I’ve competed where I know I can. I was confident in myself and the possibility that I could be as good, or better, than anyone on the day (why else line up?!) and that, combined with the Grace of God, created this Victory.
Among those in the field were multiple-time NCAA Champions, USA National Champions, and Olympians. Then there was “simply” (I put this in quotations because, in comparison to the other honors, it seems meager, but is still something I am incredibly proud of myself) a three-time All-American from Texas who is still known more because of who his father is and what he did than for his own accomplishments. Maybe after yesterday’s win, some of this will begin to change …
As stated before, the pace was not fast, but on a course like this and in the day’s conditions, mental toughness, quick reactions and a strong will/presence was what prevailed. This made it a greater mental victory than it was a physical one. The course was 3-laps of a city block in downtown Boston beginning on Boylston, near the marathon finish line. From there, it headed down Boylston and then took lefts at each of the following streets, Dartmouth, Newbury, and Exeter respectively before taking a final left back onto Boylston. After 3 laps, the course ended at the marathon finish line. Meet directors did a good job setting up the course so as to run us on the far sides of the streets around the block we were circling in an effort to give us a more angled approach to the turns. In doing this, they were able to help keep us from making 90 degree turns that would have most-assuredly produced some tumbles and serious road rash. That being said, the final two turns in each loop were still pretty brutal on the legs and between the unconventional and inconsistent turn angles (not one had the same approach or exit as we moved through the turn) and potholes, manhole covers, grates, etc., the pack-running that ensued off of the slow pace was something to experience! Running tall, strong, and with wide elbows was a must to ensure you kept “your” space. From there, it was simply a matter of telling yourself to stay relaxed and try to run as evenly and effortlessly as possible.
The race itself was interesting and was kind of a learn-as-you-go experience. It started with a very chilly morning that had gusting winds down the starting/finishing street and was not making for a fast race. During pre-race warm-up, I worked a little harder than usual to ensure I was nice and warm and got a good sweat going. I didn’t want to head into those turns cold and lock up from the uneven pace. They took us over to the line 10min before the race and we were able to do a few strides in the sun over the first 100m of the course. Then came the introductions of which, I must say, were pretty intimidating. Finally, they lined us up and, unfortunately (although it ended up working out perfectly!), I was one of three runners to be placed on a second line starting behind the first 7. I looked up and down the line when they told me of this and strategically chose a position behind Rob Myers and Pablo Solares, two guys who I knew were fit and quick, meaning they would get off of the line and out of trouble well, allowing me to settle in behind them. The gun went off and I did just that. It worked perfectly. Over the first 400 meters, there was some jostling around the turns and the pace seemed to be quick, but effortless. I don’t think anyone could have guessed our pace. First 400 … 65. Immediately the brain started rolling over the plan of attack. “It’s going to be lazy and doddle”, I said to myself, “be ready for a kick … save something”. We continued around the course, heading into the second lap, still kind of feeling out the turns and seeming to get more and more packed in as we went along and people continued to jostle for position. I decided at this moment that I was fine tucked into 5th/6th place where I could avoid the wind as long as I ran strong and with a presence. I had to make my space mine and then find a way to relax inside that space, even with the chaos going on around me. The key here was to relax and not waste precious energy on useless tasks, as some of the runners had begun to by swinging out really wide on turns and crashing back in on the group on the straights. Because of the long straights and wide roads, I also knew that I could still mount an attack from this position and the likelihood of being boxed in was very low. Staying consistent with this thought, throughout the second lap, as Pat Tarpy made a move along the inside, in order to push the pace, I decided to follow right behind him and found myself now sitting 3rd/4th right around the time we crossed 800 (2:09). Not too much longer after this, as we crossed the finish line for the completion of a second lap, Steve Sherer made a move as well, on the outside though. With 500 to go, the pace had all of a sudden dropped and Ian Dobson was close in pursuit as they both passed Cragg and a fading Tarpy. I welcomed this push with open arms! I am still in a strength phase of my training and was very excited to see it was going to be a long, wound-up kick instead of a last minute free-for-all. I could also see that Alistair Cragg was not looking to cover this move right away and took the opportunity to slip solidly into 3rd. We crossed 1200 in 3:12, moving at a pretty quick clip now and only seeming to build with each stride. Dobson never halted the move he made to cover Sherer and by 350 to go had overtaken him for the lead. Seeing this move, I decided to jump on Dobsons heals. I know I am a little more of a middle distance runner than he is and was originally planning to sit there until I mounted a last minute kick … but then I began to think of the rest of the pack and the speed it possessed. I could feel that there had been some separation during this series of moves and even though I never took a look, I could sense there was now a little bit of distance. The plan went into revision immediately and, in hopes of keeping the rest of the kickers out of the equation, I reacted by posing my own hard, steadily increasing move right past Dobson and into the lead. From here, aside from almost shitting myself as I waited for the pack’s response, I just told myself to relax and keep pushing, harder and harder, little by little, all the while saving something just in case. As I rounded the second to last turn, I knew I was in the last 150m and that I needed to get around one more turn and spend what I had. I was still waiting for somebody to come up on my shoulder and to have to react, but no one ever did ... As I rounded the last turn I focused on staying tall, running strong and keeping the push going. Luckily, I think the series of moves, the hard final two turns, and the jostling still going on back in the pack (which I had freed myself from) kept anyone from being able to respond to my final move and allowed me to run through the finish without using my final gears. As I neared the tape, I wanted to yell out, I wanted to throw my hands in the air and celebrate, but I withheld until I knew that I had secured the Victory. Then the celebration came; the thanks for the blessed day, the excitement, and the congratulations!
Coming into the race, I know that the prize money was a big attraction for most of the athletes, and even more so for somebody like myself who does not currently have sponsorship, but the funny thing is that when it came down to it, the paycheck never once went through my mind as a motivational factor throughout the race. The doubters, the nay-sayers, the lack of confidence in my abilities, my hatred of losing, and my desire to compete and beat people is all that went through my mind during the race. Saying I was the best on the day in a field like that is more important to me than any paycheck ever could be. This is my reward, this is my payoff, and although I am accepting the 3K and very much appreciative for it, the win is the direct result of my work and so this is what I will relish.
I have to close this post by giving my sincere thanks to everybody involved in this meet, my running and for helping me take yet another step along the way. Thank you to the B.A.A. put on a GREAT event that I am looking forward to competing in for years to come, to my agent, Bobby Gordon, for helping to get my entry into this event accepted, to Rogue and TEAMRogue (who I happily represented during the race!) for their continued support, belief, and cheers, and a HUGE thank you to my family and friends for showing me their unwavering support throughout this transition period in my life. Thank you everybody and God Bless you all!
Read more about Darren and his running experiences here.
