The Exit Interview: Chris Derrick Retires From Professional Running

Sounds like the same issue Josh Mcdougal had with his leg.

Dystonia.

Great interview,

thank you for getting this.

Out with a whimper

What is his new occupation?

"analyst at an investment company."

And the “Miracle on Dirt” was fantastic.

Fantastic interview.

Had the talent, but wasn't able to take it to the next level. I blame Jerry and BTC along with training in lefty liberal Portlandia. Most likely his nerve issue was a result of the damp air and persistent fungus in environment.

He should have moved to Flag eight years ago and started training with Jim Walmsley and given ultras a try. He had good success on the dirt and should have pursued this over the pavement.

It's too bad he's going to be stuck in a boring soul-crushing job for the next few years. Maybe after giving his body a rest and after too much domestic bliss he'll try some trail runs.

Lastly, I wish him well, in whatever his pursuits, but we had high hopes for him and he let us down here on LRC. If only he'd tried running on "Pure Hate" he might have accomplished more.

What does the politics of Portlandia have to do with Derrick's training?

Virtue-signalling of any flavor is pathetic and juvenile. Surely you of all people are bigger than this.

When you said on the podcast that a retirement announcement was coming I suspected it was Derrick's. Nice to have this retrospective on his career - he's always insightful and witty so enjoyed hearing his perspective on his career.

He was always easy to root for over the years. Below are a few memories that stick out to me - I was around his age so a lot of them are from the early years in HS/college.

- Running 13:55 at Arcadia. I wasn't there and watched on video, but you could tell the crowd was going absolutely bananas during the race. I think this is the race that really gave Arcadia a reputation as THE place to run fast. It's no coincidence that 2 years later there was a record set for most sub-9's in a single race

- Following his high school class and seeing them set so many all-time performances. That class was stacked - Derrick, German, Puskedra, Colby Lowe, Ryan Hill, and the guy that somehow beat them all at Footlocker - Mike Fout

- Going toe-to-toe with Lawi at NCAA indoors. I remember being at a house party with a bunch of runners and the whole house breaking into a USA chant rooting for Chris to beat Lawi

- Watching him get 2nd at the 2011 NCAA XC champs and listening to his interview afterwards where he said he perfectly executed the plan he had in mind for the past 6 months, and he just didn't realize Lawi Lalang would pop out of nowhere to destroy everyone. I felt for him after listening to that

- He is one of the main reasons I believe Jerry and don't think Bowerman is systematically doping after the Shelby case. It's still possible she could go rogue, but I don't believe Chris would stay with the group and support them if there was consistent doping happening

Very few reach the pinnacle of their given sport. To do so requires a dedication that is beyond more than what us mere mortals are capable of, i.e., Kipchoge, Bekele, Ingebrigtsen.

Eliminating the amount of distractions that prevent one from pursuing this 100% dedication would seem important.

Portland with its less than ideal weather along with a climate of radical and false ideoligies are not condusive to a good training environment in my opinion.

Arcadia had been THE place to run fast long before Derrick.

...and throwing up the 666 hand sign covering one eye while crossing the finish line?

Tell me about it. If Portland wasn't such a bad place to be based near, Mo Farah would've won twice as many gold medals, Grant Fisher and Mo Ahmed would be the two fastest 10,000 runners of all time, Karissa Schweitzer would be sub 14 in the 5k instead of just the14:20s. I reckon Galen Rupp would be at least a five time world champ too.

Is he completely soft on Shelby like I expect?