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Anthony Famiglietti: Jack of All Trades Ready to Take on the World in ....
LetsRun.com
June 2, 2007

Full 30 Minute Video Interview
(We'll Hopefully Be Able to Break
it Up into Highlights Soon)


Click To Play
(The interview is in 4 smaller parts
below if you dont' want to watch it all.
We'll break it up into a highlight video later)

Traditionally, the path of a US distance running star is pretty straight forward. Be a national star in high school, develop into an NCAA champion in college, sign a lucrative endorsement contract, move to some idyllic training location, star in the professional ranks. Anthony Famiglietti's path to the top has been far from traditional.

Neither a high school star or an NCAA champion, Fam worked his way up through the collegiate ranks at Appalachian State and Tennessee. Never an NCAA champion, Fam signed a small contract with Adidas out of college and pushed his luck in the professional running ranks. While spending his spare time producing his own music, being a modern artist, and producing his own running DVD, Run like Hell, Fam has managed to reach the top of the US distance ranks while spending the majority of his time training in the very non traditional New York, NY. Now that Fam is at the top of the US ranks, he has another non traditional decision to make, which one of four events (steeplechase, 5k, 10k or the marathon) should he focus on for the Beijing Olympics?

Steeplechase, 5k, 10k? What is His Event?
While first known as a steeplechaser, Fam has never been content to limit himself to one discipline

and in 2006 and 2007 he has shown tremendous success at many distances. He has excelled in a variety of events (mile (3:35 1500m), 3k (7:41), steeplechase (8:17), 5k (13:11), and 10k (27:37)). In 2007 he has stepped things up to a new level. He first turned a few heads by winning the US 8k championships in Central Park. Then in his only 5k this year, Fam ran 13:11 for 5k, the fastest time ever by an American on American soil. He followed that up with a 3000m victory last weekend at the Adidas Track Classic over Juan Barrios who edged Fam into second place at the Mt. Sac 5000m.

Heading into the 5000m race at this weekend's Reebok Grand Prix, Fam is running as well as anyone in America and has many wondering whether he will still focus on what some see is his primary event, the steeplechase. Or will he move up to the 5000m or 10,000m? At the pre race press conference for the Reebok Grand Prix, Fam indicated he would likely focus on the steeplechase this year at the World Championships and next year's Olympics, but that his options are still open.

"How do you know what your event is? Does God come down with a tablet and say you're a steeplechaser? You have to just let yourself race and find out where your strengths really are. Maybe I really am a 5000m runner I don't know. When I ran the 10,000m last year it was the easiest race I've ever ran in my life and I thought for sure I was a 10,000m runner and I still think I probably am. I love running the steeplechase and if I feel like I'm going to perform best in that, that's where I'm going to go. Of any event, I'd love to win a medal in the steeplechase," said Fam when asked what his best event was.

Famiglietti said that his goals are ones most often associated with an American sprinter, a World Championship or Olympic medal. When talking about this year's Worlds he said, "...I'm going to head to Osaka and try and get it done most likely in the steeplechase... And I'm not talking about just making the final. I'm trying to carry this momentum into a World Championship final. How do you do that (is the big question)? Which event would be best to try and get a medal?"

Fam's success at a wide variety of distances gives him the luxury of having many options to choose from, but with choice there is the risk of making the wrong choice. Fam however seems to believe that by running the steeplechase he does not have to focus on it as much specifically. "The hard part is you can run fast times in all these events but to really get to where you are top 10, top 15 in the world you have to focus on a specific event... I can run probably 3:53 right now, or 3:52 pretty easily in a mile but to run 3:49, 3:48 I'd really have to focus on the event. Same thing with the 5k, I could probably get under 13 minutes if all things go well... But to be competitive in the Olympic final I'd have to be focusing on the 10k (editor's note: Fam did say 10k, we're not sure if this was a slip of the tongue or not) all year every day but the steeplechase is different. You can use your strengths from other events to benefit the steeple."

Training the Kenyan Way in the Steeplechase
Fam said he has done no steeplechase training so far this year despite saying he is leaning towards running it at Worlds. No barrier practice, no steeple drills, no steeple stretches. It may seem a bit unorthodox but Fam calls it the "Kenyan" way of training for the steeple (and considering this author has been to Kenya and seen the condition of the steeple pits over there, he may be on to something).

"I've done no technique training. I'm using the Kenyan method right now. Just run hard, run fast between the hurdles and get it done...I think what it is is really building strength and endurance to be able go over the hurdles fast for a long period of time and gradually working on your hurdle ability," Fam said of his plans to run a fast steeple.

And if Fam does go the direction he seems to be leaning and run the steeplechase at the US champs he should have a great match up with Dan Lincoln, who broke the American record in the steeplechase last year. "It will be an awesome race. If you don't like me and you like Dan Lincoln, you can come out and cheer for me to fall which I might. But if you do like me you can come out and cheer as hard as you can for me to win and not fall and get a US championship again in the steeple," Fam, the 2002 national champion in the steeplechase, said of possibly opening up in the steeple versus Lincoln at nationals.

Plans for Reebok Race: Run Hard and "Kill It" at the End of Races
When asked about the 5000m at this weekend's Reebok Grand Prix, Fam explained his approach to running does not focus on trying to run a specific time but on running balls out and hopefully for the win.

"You got... to go out and run hard. That's what I've learned. Stop thinking about what time you're going to run, what place you're going to get in the race. Have a game plan, go out there and try and execute, hang on and kill it the last couple miles, (or the) last mile of the race. That's my game plan. It's about trying to win now." Fam said.

Fam, before his recent running accolades, was perhaps as well known for his mohawk hairstyle and tattoos in addition to his unique personality. When asked to explain his current straight laced hair style, he said "I'm getting married this October. I'm getting older." Every aging runner understands their chances to shine on the world stage at the Olympics and World Champs are very precious. Fam's ultimate goal is on the big daddy of them all, the Olympics in Beijing: "As a distance runner you plan for the short term, the workouts you are doing that day, you live in the moment. Then you plan for your short term races you want to achieve, but there is always a bigger picture and you are doing specific races year in year out to prepare yourself for the Olympic Games, that's the ultimate race. One of the reasons I'm doing the steeplechase this year is to prepare for Beijing... Maybe I want to know what it takes to get to the awards stand at a world championship event and try and do it now so I'm better prepared and possibly get a gold medal."

Despite talking about medalling in the steeple in the Olympics, Fam ultimately is driven by the need to challenge himself in whatever endeavor it is in order to stay motivated. Fam said of just running one event all the time, "If I ran a mile every race, I'd get so bored I'd probably quit track and field... For me it's about motivation..."

Marathon Trials?
Seeking out the challenge perhaps  explains why the native New Yorker indicated he had been seriously considering doing the unthinkable, skipping the World Championship part of this track season to focus on the Olympic Marathon Trials in New York this November (even though he has never run a race over 15k). "So come July (after US nationals) when I go back to altitude, I'm either going to start training for (the World Champs in) Osaka or the marathon trials in New York... That goal (the steeplechase) has just come about in the last few weeks after my 13:11. To open up a season with a 13:11 feeling as good as I did, I kind of recognized there is a lot more left for me on the track," said Famiglietti.

Fam will face his first truly world class field of the year Saturday in New York. Track fans will definitely get a chance to see how much he has left on the track.

Random notes:
The full 30 minutes of video is posted above (Fam is one of the most interesting people to interview, but we bet a lot of you like us don't have time to listen to a thirty minute video interview, so we'll have highlights up soon (sorry for the delay but we're traveling)). Fam also talks about the disappointment of the Athens Olympics where he fell in the prelims of the steeple. He said he believed he was in better shape for the Olympics than he is in now. We'll have highlights later, but some other interesting things Fam said:

On training groups: He said he thinks someone should start a training group totally centered around the top notch athletes who are already US Champs. He seemed to think the money was better spent on trying to give those guys the resources to medal and that medals are what bring attention to the sport. Fam said he would have no problem joining such a group, "If you ask to take a year six months to go train with a great group to get ready for the Olympics of course I would."

Marti Liquori: Fam indicated he talked to Marti Liquori after the Kip Keino mile and they discuss Fam breaking Liquori's "Italian-American US records." Liquori asked Fam why he would push through the strong wind at the Kip Keino mile with Nick Willis, the better miler able to just sit on him. Fam said knowing how fit Nick is now, it didn't make a difference what he did that race he wasn't going to beat him in the mile, and he wanted to run as fast as possible even if that meant leading in the wind.

Marathon Trials: Fam enjoys running in New York and even indicated he had toyed with the idea of doubling in the marathon and steeplechase in the Olympics like George Young of the US did.

 

Fam Interview in 4 Parts
(Full Interview Up Top):


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