Conor Holt More Than Marathon Champ
It goes without saying that 2003 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon winner Conor Holt is in the elite class of long-distance runners regionally, with a future earmarked for only bigger and better things. His course mark of 2 hours 26 minutes last April was a springboard to what would be a 2:21 qualifying time for the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon which he ran in Birmingham last month. What is not widely known about the 31-year old native of Ireland is his passion for helping others discover the sport, and in the process, get the word out that anyone can avoid the pitfalls of a sedentary lifestyle, and in fact, that most can even aspire to a marathon.
Sure, we can all do a marathon. Easy for him to say, right? A few visits with Holt, however, have you convinced that he means every word. Some might initially mistake his self-assuredness for cockiness, but it’s truly a deep-seated belief in himself, and he promises nothing he doesn’t end up delivering.
As with most of us, when a crisis point occurs and we either continue our exercise program or shelve it, Holt faced such a decision with his running career. A serious ankle injury kept Conor on the sidelines for four full years; in fact he credits his fiancé, Camille Herron, for infusing him with the confidence to train hard, and begin again to pursue his dream. Imagine having excelled at your chosen sport for over a decade, and from 1998-2002 being continually sidelined with an injury every time you moved your training to a new level. The analogy might be someone who’s overweight starting to exercise for the first time, and seeing many others doing so much more than they’re able to do. One’s first inclination is to ‘throw in the towel’ (what’s the use? I’ve got so far to go, I might as well not even begin…..) It’s this “inflection point”-just as Conor did when it seemed he would never solve his ankle dilemma-that marks the character-building that not only keeps us out there, but continues to surface during the peaks and valleys we’ll experience while making fitness a way of life for the long run.
Fast forward to February 7, 2004, and the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Birmingham, Alabama. 88 of America’s premier distance runners gathered in pursuit of only 3 spots on the team. It’s the biggest race of Conor Holt’s life, and so confident of his abilities-even as a virtual unknown-was Conor that he actually napped 20 minutes in the YMCA gym all the athletes were taken to before the race. Conditions of 33 degrees (wind chill of 26) with 15 mph winds were not ideal for marathoning, but Holt attacked the course nonetheless, his chief goal to produce his personal best at the distance. As snow came down the final 10K, the second pack of runners where Conor had resided had dwindled from about 30 to just four (he passed the 20-mile mark in 1:45) and mustered a 5:14 last mile to finish in 2:18:16, good for 19th place, and his goal of a personal marathon mark.
“I feel that I have come a long way in 15 months. To be able to train properly at this high level is a dream come true for me, and making the Olympic Trials was a big step. I know that I am still learning to run the marathon and the ‘perfect race.’ And I know that I have it in me to run 2 hours, 10 minutes. I can feel it in my bones.”
As newly-voted male Runner of the Year in Oklahoma, Conor has his sights set on a bigger and better year in 2004. There aren’t many “ultimate” marathon efforts in a given year for an elite runner, and they must be chosen carefully. One draw that the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon has for Holt is that he sees the ever-increasing problem of obesity making its mark more here in Oklahoma than in most states he travels. He lived in Gainesville, Fla. from December to March, and it was striking the difference in overall fitness of their population as to ours: “65% of the country is overweight or obese, and it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to do a marathon, but you need to find some way to move. I’m not anyone special; I just worked hard and good things happened.”
The OKC Memorial Marathon was set forth as a race to Honor Their Memory, Celebrate Life, Reach for the Future, and Unite The World in Hope. It’s a race of “inclusion”, not established only for lithe, gazelle-like elite marathoners to go toe-to-toe, but instead to offer a way for anyone who desires to be a part of the day. The fact that an athlete bordering on world-class status would take the line shows the impact that the event-only in its 4th year-has had nationwide. Yet a bigger message, though, and it comes from one of the brightest shooting stars in American road racing, is seen in the approachability of Conor Holt at a road race. He’s more than willing to talk to anyone about running, and he tries to encourage at every turn to be a part of the sport, no matter what the distance:
“I run because it is the one thing that drives me every day. When I was injured and not running for those four years, I had other interests but I didn’t have that extra drive to do well. I have that with my running. It gives me lots of confidence in everything else I do in life.” Whether the marathon April 25th will be the race of your life, or the 5K Walk will be your first event ever, it’s of no matter. You win either way, as the hours of preparation will come to fruition that day, and may indeed be a springboard to a more active, better quality of life.
MARATHON UPDATE:
Whether running the half or full marathon, within the next week, you want to be at your longest training distance covered, as to leave plenty of recovery time before gameday. It’s also beneficial to confidence-if not done yet-to run the long ones with whatever aid you’ll be using that day. For instance, if you use GU, you’ll want to experiment with taking it on your run, as to not count on it getting it on the course. Powerade is the official electrolyte-replacement drink of the marathon. As you’ll need something more than water if going a half-marathon or more, having Powerade on a few of your training runs will insure it is well-tolerated, and not produce any raceday surprises.
As well, if you’ve not run many hills up to now, I don’t think there’s much greater confidence-builder than a quality workout on varying terrain. It may seem unforgiving at the time, but will pay dividends big-time in terms of strength and mental toughness down the road.
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