Who's the best running interviewer out there?

Mike Foley

Jeff Kilgore

David Halberstam

The Rock.

Kenny Moore, Joe Henderson, Larry Rawson, John Rickenbaugh

Kenny Moore, Dick Patrick, Brien Lenton,David Monti, Bob Fitzgerald of New England Runner. Let's Runs own Jim Gerweck has done a few pretty good ones.

Scott Douglas and Kevin Beck

Chad Austin at Running Minnesota does a good job for local MN runners.

This might be 'old hat' by now, but here's an interview I did with Geb when 'Endurance' came out.

ECKMANN: What is it like to be 26 years old

and have a movie made of you life story?

GEBRSELASSIE: I think it’s too early. It’s better to have

this done when I’m 40 or 50 years old.

There is a lot of spirituality in the movie.

Bible readings, prayers, and religious cere­

monies. Does this play a part in both your

running and non-running life?

It is very important to have beliefs. It

came from our family. I followed what the

family followed and I’m still a spiritual man.

“Endurance” shows you growing up in

Ethiopia, living in a mud hut. When you were a

boy, were you aware that you were poor?

No, I didn’t think like that. I thought we

were the best, but what I thought before is

wrong because when you compare the past

to now, there’s a big difference. When we

were in the countryside, I always said, “We

have everything!” I thought we had a very

good life [laughs], but it was not. We were

very similar to the people who lived around

us.

Was it difficult for you not to laugh when, in

the movie, your father tells you to be a clerk

because the running will never amount to

anything.

(Laughs) I wasn’t thinking like that.

When we did the film I had to remember

what had happened before. This was a very

difficult moment between my father and

myself. I can say it was a bad moment. But

when I think about it, father was right

because at that moment,we didn’t know

exactly the profit of athletics. He was right.

But now he’s happy with your choice? You

must be the wealthiest man in Ethiopia.

He’s happy now. Oh yeah! The happiest

man in athletics is my father.

Off the track, you’re known as a gentleman

and a goodwill ambassador for both Ethiopia

and athletics. However, on the track you’ve

been involved arguments and a rival Kenyan

runner actually hit you on the head at the fin­

ish of a race.

Athletes fight very, very hard during

competition but on the outside, when we

finish competition, we always eat together,

play together and talk together. These are

very nice things to do outside the competi­

tion. Inside the competition, we are fighting

and fighting. During the competition, I’m

serious. I don’t want to fight with anyone

but sometimes it happens. I remember in

1992 when I ran in the World Jr.

Championships, (Kenyan) Joseph Machuka

hit me. It happens. He was really very upset

at that moment. Maybe he understands why

he did that. He did not tell me why, but now

we are good friends and even have the same

manager.

A lot of people accuse African runners of

taking performance enhancing drugs. What

do you think fuels these accusations?

Ethiopians and Kenyans are natural run­

ners. People might think that runners take

something, but I don’t believe it myself. I

never, never take medicine. Sometimes, if I

have something happen, I take some natural

things. I’ve never been in a hospital...I was

in a hospital once, for my ear, because my

right ear does not work. When I was a boy, a

big insect went inside my ear and bit me. I

went to the hospital and had to take a tablet.

I had to take something. Since that time my

ear is not very good. If somebody does take

drugs. I think the (International Amateur

Athletic Federation) rule is not very good.

They just lowered the suspension from four

years to two years. It’s not fair. They have to

put drug users out for ever.

Getting back to ‘Endurance’, There are

flashbacks in the movie to Ethiopian running

greats Miruts Yifter and Abebe Bikila. You’ve

said that Yifter was an influence, but did you

father tell you stories about Bikila when you

were young?

No. My father didn’t know about any­

body. He didn’t care about any athlete. He

didn’t know that Abebe Bikila was an ath­

lete and he didn’t care. He just hoped that I

would become a secratary or something

else. Again, he didn’t care that I was a run­

ner. He didn’t tell me anything.

Did he think you were crazy to be running?

Yes he did! Let me give you an example.

A friend of his, who is also a farmer, always

asked ‘Has your son become mad or crazy’?

‘I see him running and I think he’s going

somewhere’. ‘I’m sure he’s mad’. He always

had that kind of conversation with my

father. My father would always ask me

‘Where were you this morning, where were

you this afternoon’? I heard you’re starting

to become crazy.’

When you won an automobile for winning

the World Championships 10,000 meters in

1995, there was a big fuss made over the fact

that you did not know how to drive. Have you

learned how to drive a car?

Yes, I drive now.

How many cars do you have

Only two.

Who do you consider your toughest com­petitors?

Paul Tergat from Kenya is very good

mentally and physically. Daniel Komen is

very good but it seems as though his perfor­

mances are going down instead of up. I

think most of the Kenyans are good.

What are your goals for this coming track

season?

I have a plan to break Komen’s world

records in the two miles at Hengelo and

also the 3,000 meters in Helsinki. That’s a

hard one.

Are you friendly with Komen?

Oh Yeah! As I told you, we are all very

good friends. Especially Paul Tergat and the

other Kenyans.

Are you disappointed that people criticize

your tactic of following the leaders until near

the end of the race and then sprinting away?

You know, some people are happy with

my tactics and some are not happy.

Sometimes even I’m not too happy if I wait

behind the other athletes, but it’s...you

know, what can I do? The only chance I

have is to follow the other runners. If I used

another tactic, I’d have to be careful.

How many miles a week do you run?

Right now I’m running 120 miles a week

Someone mentioned Scott Douglas and Kevin Beck. Beck does a good job, Scott Douglas mostly just sucks up to the person he is interviewing.

Paul McMullen does awesome audio interviews, although he hasn't done any in a while:

http://trackandfieldradio.com/home.aspx

I really wish the Flocast guys would simply air the ENTIRE interview rather than 1-3 min. clips of the same people over and over again at different times (although some people may prefer the short clips). They are definitely doing an amazing job/service for the track community, but I always want to hear more about the interviewee's! With Paul's interviews, you actually get to know the person he's interviewing-- kinda makes them seem more real.

I've always liked reading the interviews by Alison Wade. Her questions flow.

Check out this interview Paul did with Tom Chamney (Notre Dame).... classic!

http://trackandfieldradio.com/show_details.aspx?sid=77

who has Paul McMullen interviewed? Didn't know he worked as a journalist.

I agree. Chad does great interviews since he asks thoughtful questions and doesn't put words in the mouth of the runners he interviews.