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| Abdi Abdirahman has competed in four Olympics, in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012, the second United States distance runner to do so. In the Olympic Trials 10,000 meters he was third in 2000, second in 2004 and first in 2008. Abdi was third in 2012 in the Olympic Trials marathon. He has represented the U.S. at 16 World Track and Field Championships, Olympic Games and World Cross Country Championships from 1999 to 2012. In the Olympic 10,000 meters he finished in 10th place in 2000, 15th place in 2004 and 15th again in 2008. His top World X-C finish was 11th place in 2002 and his 15th place finish in 2001 helped the U.S. win a team Bronze Medal. His highest World Championships 10,000m finish on the track was 7th in 2007. Abdi won four U.S. 10,000m track titles and six more U.S. road titles from 10k to the half marathon. At Pima Community College in Tucson he was a two-time Arizona state junior college champion. He won Pac-10 Championships at 5000m (1998 and 1999) and 10,000m (1998) at the University of Arizona. Top NCAA finishes were two seconds in the 1998 10,000 meters on the track and 1998 Cross Country Championships. His personal best times include: 5000m - 13:13.32; 10,000m - 27:16.99; 8k - 22:40; 15k – 43:21; 10-Miles – 46:35; Half Marathon – 1:00:29 and Marathon - 2:08:56. When he was a child, Abdi and his family escaped from civil war in Somali to Kenya, and then immigrated to the U.S. when he was 12 years old. He was inducted into the RRCA Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2012. The ‘Black Cactus’ resides in Tucson, Arizona. He was kind to spend an hour on the telephone in October, 2014. |
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| GCR: | Let’s start with your achievement as only the second American male runner to compete in four Olympic Games which you did in 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London. What does this accomplishment mean? |
| AA | It’s amazing to be honest just to be an Olympian one time. It is an accomplishment one time, but four times is great. We always strive to be our best in what we do and to accomplish our goals. Sometimes we fall short, but to me I know that I always tried my best and gave it my best shot. It was unfortunate not to get any medals, but to be a part of four Olympics is an honor. I’m privileged; it is a great experience and something I will always remember. |
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| GCR: | The first to compete in four Olympics is your fellow Arizona runner, George Young who did so starting with the 1960 Olympics in Rome. How cool is it that you both ran for Arizona and have you had a chance to meet George? |
| AA | I know George Young from his coaching at Central Arizona University, but we haven’t talked about us both making the Olympics four times. I have had conversations with people who know George Young and maybe one day we can sit down and catch up. And maybe I can surpass him in 2016 and make my fifth team. |
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| GCR: | That is something - having a chance to make a fifth Olympic team in 2016, which is about a year-and-a-half away. Do you see a heavy focus on your training in 2015 to put yourself in the best shape for both the marathon and 10,000 meters? |
| AA | Definitely. My buildup for 2016 has already started and everything is geared toward the Olympic Trials because it is not that far away. This year I tried to get rid of the aches and pains I’ve had the past couple of years as we put our bodies through so much. The training is so brutal at times that we need time to recover which I did this year. I’ve been training real well this year and am ahead of where I was before the last Olympic Trials. I’ve trained strong and am real healthy so I am excited for what the future holds for me in the next year-and-a-half and in the next two years. I’m excited. |
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| GCR: | You have represented the United States at fifteen or more World Track and Field Championships World Cross Country Championship and Olympic Games from 1999 to 2012. How exciting was it to pull on the USA jersey and to represent your country the first time and is it still a big thrill? |
| AA | For me to put on the uniform of the USA is always exciting. It is always like my first time because we never know if we will make a team again and be a part of the U.S. National team. I respect it so much because when I wear the uniform it isn’t just me, I carry the nation, and it comes with an understanding of sportsmanship and being a role model for millions of people. I always look forward to representing the U.S. |
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| GCR: | You are one of a trio of great American distance runners whose families escaped Civil Wars in Africa. Meb Keflezighi from Eritrea, Lopez Lomong from Sudan and you from Somalia all came to the U.S. as young boys who weren’t even running yet. How much of a kinship do you share with Meb and Lopez and are the three of you sharing the American Dream? |
| AA | Meb and I talk about it and it is something that motivates us as we know where we came from in life. We have a second breath. Meb and I have been friends since 1996 when Meb was at UCLA. We talk about what we have accomplished and we are grateful for the opportunity we have. We never take it for granted. Meb was my roommate at my first Olympics in 2000 and we always roomed together when we travelled to track meets. We were also roommates at World Cross Country. We look up to each other. He is a wonderful guy and a great role model in the way he represents our country. |
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| GCR: | When observers evaluate athletic careers, they often look at championships and records. Four times you have won U.S. Championships and you have recorded very fast times at 5k, 10k, 10 miles, the half marathon and marathon. Even though you still have a few years left, how do you evaluate your own running career compared to what you may have hoped for when you got out of college? |
| AA | To be honest some people always look at championships and medals, but at the end of the day there are only three medals to be won. I may never get a medal, but I have gotten to the point where at least I could compete for the medals. I wish I had a medal, especially an Olympic medal, but I have no regrets. I’m a happy with my career and what I have made of myself. I wouldn’t change anything about it. Only a few people win medals and it is great to have a lengthy career. |
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| GCR: | How much respect and admiration do you have for your fellow Americans, Leo Manzano and Galen Rupp, who earned Olympic Silver medals in 2012 in London in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters, respectively? |
| AA | I do know Leo Manzano and am pleased he was in the medals. Galen Rupp and I go way back and I am so happy for him and Coach Alberto Salazar. When I saw Mo Farah and Galen Rupp win the Gold and Silver Medal in the 10,000 meters I was so happy for them because I know how much work they put into their craft. I knew both of them as young athletes and watched how they have made progress to where they are. I met Galen in 2000 and he was my training partner some when he was a junior in high school. He is a great kid. I remember that even though he was a junior in high school, when we ran five, six or seven miles and I pushed the pace he would stay with me. Since that day I knew he would have a great future. I also met Mo when he was 14 or 15 and he was a great junior on the World Cross Country team. Seeing both guys succeed makes me happy. Not just for their countries, but for their cultures too. |
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| GCR: | Your first three times making the U.S. Olympic team at 10,000 meters have an interesting progression as, at the Olympic Trials, you finished third in 2000, then second in 2004 and finally in first place in 2008. Did this make each Trials a bit better than the previous time? |
| AA | I never thought about it that way, but now that you mentioned it, that did make me hungry to prepare each time for the Olympic Trials to duplicate making the team. It doesn’t matter that much at the Olympic Trials which place you make in the top three as long as you make the team. That is the only time that we can really say that third place is as good as first as we are all going to the Olympics and all on the team. |
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| GCR: | You mentioned how in the Olympics it is so hard to earn a medal and only a few people accomplish that. In the Olympics you never seemed to race at your peak, though you made the finals each time, finishing in 10th place in 2000, 15th in 2004 and 15th again in 2008. If you could have ‘do-overs,’ what would you do differently that may have resulted in better outcomes? |
| AA | I think I always trained well. Maybe I could have used a little more speed. I thought I was fast, but speed endurance may have been what I was lacking. I had great 10k races and beat a lot of great runners, but it never happened at the Olympics. I think my best Olympic race was in the Sydney Olympics. |
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| GCR: | A lot of people counted you out when they predicted who would finish in the top three at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. But with your previous fast times at 10 miles, 20k, the half marathon, a 2:08 marathon and winning the 2012 U.S. Half Marathon Championship, how confident were you that you could make the team? |
| AA | I was one hundred per cent confident, to be honest. I don’t know why people counted my out on race day as it wasn’t like I was coming in without doing anything. I won the U.S. 10-miler, 20k and half marathon championships. Also, I had a lot of good races. People didn’t look at my results and weren’t picking me to make the team and that motivated me. It gave me fuel to make the team. |
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| GCR: | It was tough to make that team as Meb was running well, Ryan Hall was running well and so was Dathan Ritzenhein. What were some of the key moments in the race that made the difference in your making the team as Dathan Ritzenhein was very competitive with his fourth place finish? |
| AA | I don’t know if we have seen in any race where five Americans ran in the 2:10s or better. Imagine all of us running so fast and then Dathan had to stay home. I knew where my strength was and I was feeling strong, so after about 18 miles I started to push the pace to see what happened. When I did somehow pass Dathan he didn’t react well when I pushed the pace. That was the signal that there was an opportunity. If the race was run differently maybe Dathan would have come in third place, but that is just what happened on that day. |
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| GCR: | During the 2012 Olympic Marathon you experienced soreness which increased until you had to withdraw from the race. How disappointing was this and how difficult was it to drop out? |
| AA | That was the hardest thing I had to deal with in running. As an athlete, we get to the point where we have to make the biggest decision. I have had a lot of bad races over the years and I just move on. But I remember how fit I was for the Olympic marathon and what happened, so I look back and think about it all of the time. When I’m home or when I finish a training run I wonder what I would have done on that day if everything had went well as I was the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. The workouts I was doing were the best I’d done in my whole life. I was doing twelve times one kilometer in 2:45 with a one minute jog recovery. A few weeks before that I did a 20-mile progression run. I started with 5:10s and worked down to 4:40s the last couple miles. I did some amazing workouts, but they just didn’t pay off. That was my opportunity to do something special, but it just didn’t happen. It’s disappointing and is one of those things where I always think ‘what if?’ about that day. |
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| GCR: | What is an outstanding memory from any of your four Olympic Games from either the Opening or Closing Ceremonies, the cities, the people or other highlights? |
| AA | Joyous for me is meeting my USA teammates and athletes from the other countries and the friendships that I made. Sydney was my first time in Australia and it is the most amazing country as the people and the city were so welcoming in the way they treated the athletes. They appreciated us. |
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| GCR: | Did you watch many other track and field events or attend other Olympic sporting competitions? |
| AA | I didn’t get to watch a lot of events, but I did try to watch the 5,000 meters or 1,500 meters as I always had friends who were running. Bernard Lagat was my training partner and ran in both races so I always went to watch him run. If I had a chance I went and watched different events. |
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| GCR: | In addition to your Olympic Trials 10k win in 2008, you also won the U.S. Championship on the track for 10k three other times. How sweet is it to stand on the podium as U.S. Champ? |
| AA | It is amazing as not many people can say that they have done so, especially in a World Championship or Olympic Trials year. Lots of people even view that making a U.S. Olympic team is harder than the Olympics because there are only those three spots and eight guys fighting for those spots. That’s what we train for and I’m one of the few people to win the championships, so it is wonderful. |
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| GCR: | You have succeeded equally well on the roads with U.S. Championships at 10k, 20k and the half marathon and runner up finishes at 10k, 15k and 20k. How different and challenging is it when switching from track to the roads? |
| AA | It’s not that challenging because sometimes it’s nice to have variety, especially when getting to a certain age it is nice to transition to the roads. It is enjoyable to do something different and let your mind focus on something other than the track all of the time. It keeps my mind fresh for when I come back to the track. It’s more of a fun break and I get more endurance with the longer events. |
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| GCR: | Do any of these road races stand out for fast times, a particularly tough drive to win or a compelling duel with one of your top competitors? |
| AA | Oh yes, definitely running with Meb as we had some amazing races. I remember one year at the Gate River Run 15k he edged me and at the US 10k championships one year it was Meb and me dueling until the last stretch. He beat me in Vancouver. One of my favorite memories is the 2007 New York City Half Marathon when I ran 60:29. Running just over 60 minutes in Central park on a hilly course was one of my best races. So was the Chicago Marathon when I ran 2:08. |
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| GCR: | You competed in five World Cross Country Championships from 2000 to 2004, finishing as high as 11th in 2002. How challenging was it facing the world’s best runners from a variety of distances all in one race? |
| AA | I think the World Cross Country is the hardest event to win. The champion can say he is the best that day because you do beat 1,500 meter runners, 5k and 10k runners, and marathon guys. We are all competing in the 12k cross country. It was amazing to make the World Cross Country team and one great memory is the year we won the team Bronze Medal. It was Meb, Bob Kennedy, me and a bunch of great guys. |
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| GCR: | Not that many runners race and have success on the track, roads and in cross country. Do you have a favorite type of racing? |
| AA | They are all different. On the road you run against the other racers, while 10k on the track is pure speed as you’ve got to run 66 or 65 each lap. My favorite race would have to be the road half marathon. We just push, push and push. I do like the roads. |
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| GCR: | Let’s take a look at when you started running as a teenager. You started much later than most top runners. How did you get started and what were some highlights of your early training and racing? |
| AA | I started running in 1996 or 1997. After I watched the 1996 Olympics while I was at Pimo Junior College I got interested and started running when I was 19 years old. I wanted to do a sport and I was playing soccer at the time. I would see guys doing 5k and 10k and some of them were in the back of the pack. I thought that I could run with them – maybe I couldn’t lead, but I could keep up with them. So I started running. |
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| GCR: | How did you decide to attend the University of Arizona for your final two years of college? |
| AA | Dave Murray, who is still my coach now, gave me a scholarship and I went there. I was only a 31 minute 10k guy and running about 15 minutes for 5k, so a scholarship was unheard of, but he believed in me. He had faith in my development and in my first race for the University of Arizona I won. It was an amazing start to my career and I improved every year. |
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| GCR: | In 1998 you won the 5000 and 10,000 meters at the Pac-10 Championships. Was it exciting to win at conference with the team atmosphere of scoring points and working for both individual and team goals? |
| AA | That is the one thing I miss about college is being part of the team. I remember running the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters against Meb and some other guys. They didn’t know who I was and my coach had told me to just run how I wanted to run and to push the pace. For me the main thing was to get points for the team. That was so memorable as there was a big celebration. |
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| GCR: | That same year you placed sixth in the 10,000m and second the next day in the 5000m and at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a bunch of great runners including Meb, Adam Goucher, the two Hausers from Stanford and others. How did the races play out and what were the crunch points that made the difference in Adam Goucher’s winning the 5k by nine seconds? |
| AA | Meb and I were favorites coming into the 10,000 meters, but somehow the Stanford guys controlled the race and with about 600 meters to go they went to kick and went one-two-three. I learned my lesson and the next day in the 5,000 meters I thought that if they wanted to come get me I was going to set the pace. I started pushing the pace from the beginning. With 600 meters to go I had really pushed the pace and opened up quite a lead. But Goucher reeled me in the last 200 or 300 meters. I thought I had won the race, but somehow he kicked so hard. I never thought he was going to catch me, but I had pushed so hard that he got me at the line. |
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| GCR: | What were some of the other racing highlights during your collegiate running at Arizona? |
| AA | At the 1998 NCAA Cross Country Championships again I was second to Adam Goucher. He cost me two NCAA Championships. I’m one of the few people still running from back then that didn’t win one. I owe those two to him. That is one of my favorite races to remember as it was me, Adam Goucher, Bernard Lagat and a lot of great runners. |
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| GCR: | I guess if you had to finish second to someone, at least Adam Goucher was a great runner and not someone who just had one great day. |
| AA | We all talked about how great he was. He was a great athlete for a long time. Sometimes things went badly for him and some years were cut short with injuries, but his was a great career. I wish he could have run a bit longer and healthier. |
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| GCR: | When you were done competing in college what changed as far as your coaching, intense training sessions, long runs, total mileage and not having classes or a team? |
| AA | My training changed a lot since then, but not a lot in the first few years because I did stay with my coach. Coach Murray still coached at the University of Arizona and I still trained with the team. I had the same group and, though I didn’t travel with the team, I did everything else with them. My Sunday runs were a little bit longer than theirs, but that was the main difference. |
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| GCR: | Let’s get your opinion on a number of training elements. What range of mileage is typically appropriate when building base endurance for 5k or 10k versus the marathon? |
| AA | I was never a high mileage guy. For 5k or 10k I can survive on 70 or 80 miles a week. When I was focused on track racing I never ran more than 70 miles per week. When I ran the marathon I just made sure I got in my long runs and didn’t overdo it. Some people think that more is better, but I think that sometimes less is better. For me 100 miles is the right training for a marathon. |
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| GCR: | How long are your long runs, how many do you do and at what pace or intensity? |
| AA | I don’t go longer than a marathon. My longest training run is 24 miles. I usually run pretty fast on my long runs. When I’m building up for a marathon I’ll run 5:20 pace or better. I do four or five long runs in a marathon buildup. |
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| GCR: | You mentioned that before the London Olympic Games you did a workout of twelve by 1,000 meters in 2:45. What are some of your other favorite stamina and tempo sessions? |
| AA | I like to do mile repeats. I also like breakdowns where you run 1,600 meters, 1,200 meters, then 800, 400 and 200 meters. I’ll do three sets with two minutes rest, 90 seconds rest, a minute rest and then thirty seconds. Then I take a lap jog before the next set. |
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| GCR: | To keep top end speed and efficiency do you incorporate speed sessions of shorter track repeats or hill repeats in your training regimen on a regular basis? |
| AA | I do hill repeats a lot. Since I live in Arizona, there are a lot of hills. I also try to run two or three hilly course runs per week. I do 400 meter repeats a lot. When I’m in good shape I run them in 63 or 64 seconds. I used to do them in 60 or 61, but that was when I was in 5k shape. I will do 12 or 16 of them. I take 30 to 45 seconds of rest in between. |
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| GCR: | How important is running on soft surfaces and what mix of soft surface running and road running do you do to cushion your legs and to minimize pounding? |
| AA | I run on dirt roads most of the time and on some trails. I try to stay away from paved roads as much as I can, though I do some running on paved roads. |
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| GCR: | You’ve talked about the relative importance of quality versus quantity in training. How many days per week do you put in fast training? |
| AA | I do two fast workouts per week and every other week I do a tempo run. |
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| GCR: | How important is the mental part of training and racing and developing the ability to endure increasing levels of discomfort? |
| AA | That is what I practice in workouts, as you race how you train. It isn’t how you start the workouts, but how you finish. On tempo runs or intervals I always try to finish faster than I start. I may start more slowly than I want to, but I finish fast. Even on my easy runs I finish stronger than I started. If I’m running a 6:30 pace I will run the last mile in 5:40 or 5:30 just to feel better. |
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| GCR: | You’ve mentioned your focus on getting ready for the 2016 Rio Olympics. What are your competitive goals for 2015? And for how long do you expect to compete after 2016? |
| AA | I don’t know as for me I’m going to have a good buildup in 2015 with the main goal of staying healthy. I want to have many good races with good results and get ready for the Trials. That is the main thing. Sometimes runners can get carried away, but I am looking at the big picture of being healthy at the Trials and ready to go. After that whatever happens, happens. I think I have a great chance to make the team, but the competition will be even better than in 2012. |
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| GCR: | Have you given any thought to whether you would like to be involved in the sport as a coach, speaker or in some other fashion once your competitive days have ended? |
| AA | I am going to share my experiences. Running has been a big part of my life for the past eighteen years, so I want to share. I want to encourage kids to be good runners and to be better persons by giving them help. If I can make one kid’s life better that would be great. I want to share my knowledge of running and share my past life experiences. |
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| GCR: | We met recently at the FLRunners.com 15th Annual Cross Country Invitational in Titusville, Florida where I was announcing and you were the invited feature guest. Is it a lot of fun for you to be around these high school kids and to be a role model for those who are working hard and finding their way in the early stages of their running career? |
| AA | It is real fun. It was an honor and privilege to be there. To talk with those kids was amazing. Some of them have been texting me, e-mailing me and contacting me through social media like Facebook. They ask for advice about college and general running questions. To be honest that is one thing that keeps me motivated - to share my wisdom and knowledge about running. With all of the extra music and fun games for the kids, it was one of the best high school cross country meets I’ve been to. Running is important, but having fun added to the meet. |
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| GCR: | What advice do you have for younger runners to improve consistency, minimize injuries and reach their potential? |
| AA | I tell them to be consistent, listen to their coach and don’t get too carried away by what other people are doing. I say to listen to your body and do what is smart for you. Also, more isn’t always the best. If you can only run three or four miles, then that is okay. If you can only go a mile or two, that is just wonderful. Coaches shouldn’t push the kids to do ten and twelve mile runs. Let them be a kid. Let them have fun. Enjoy – that is the most important thing. Make sure you are having fun when you do workouts so that you want to come back and do it again the next day. If it isn’t fun you won’t want to come back the next day. |
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| GCR: | What are the major lessons you have learned during your life from your youth in Somalia, the discipline of running, and any adversity you have faced that you would like to share with my readers to advise them on how to be better runners, be better persons and to live a better life? |
| AA | Don’t take anything for granted in life. Don’t overthink about what you want to achieve in life. It is good to have goals, but don’t forget about the immediate things. Young runners may be thinking way ahead to the 2020 or 2024 Olympics, but first they have to go to college and then to the Trials, so they need to be realistic with their goals. Don’t live for tomorrow or yesterday, just live today and enjoy what you are doing today. Don’t worry about what tomorrow holds. Try to be the best person you can be today at this moment. |
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| | Inside Stuff |
| Hobbies/Interests | I like hanging out with friends. I like photography. I’m not that good yet, but I like taking pictures of landscapes. I don’t get to do that too often because when I’m training strong I am always tired and recovering which limits my walking around |
| Nicknames | ‘The Black Cactus’ |
| Favorite movies | Denzel Washington movies – anything with Denzel I love! |
| Favorite TV shows | I like watching sports |
| Favorite music | U2. I like Bono. I haven’t seen them yet in concert as I’ve always been out of town when they were here |
| Favorite books | ‘Running Brave’ with Billy Mills |
| First car | A 1980 Buick LaSabre. It was pretty beat up |
| Current car | A BMW |
| First Job | Mervin’s store. I was a cashier and did stocking |
| Family | My family lives in Seattle. My mom, brother and sister are all there |
| Pets | I like pets, but because I am always training and travelling I don’t have any |
| Favorite breakfast | Boiled eggs. Bread with peanut butter and honey |
| Favorite meal | I like beef or goat meat stew with rice |
| Favorite beverages | Orange juice and water. I like soda but don’t drink it often. I like Coke and I’ll drink some when I’m flying as it’s there, but I don’t go out of my way to buy it at the store |
| First running memory | I remember when I was young I wasn’t the fastest guy, but I was the one who could run the longest. I wasn’t a sprinter, but I could keep going |
| Running heroes | I look up to Billy Mills – I look at him like he is my running idol. I have a great respect for the sport and people who came before us, like Bob Kennedy, Todd Williams, and Mark Davis. They are all my heroes |
| Greatest running moments | The New York City Half Marathon where I ran 60:29 and the Chicago Marathon when I ran 2:08 |
| Worst running moment | Dropping out of the 2012 Olympic Marathon was my worst one |
| Childhood dreams | Running wasn’t one of my dreams. I wanted to be an engineer |
| Funny or embarrassing memories | I didn’t think this was funny, but maybe it was embarrassing. There was a distance medley race, and Jonathan Riley was the anchor leg for the mile for another team that was winning the race. He miscounted the laps and he kicked like crazy with two laps to go because he thought it was the last lap. After that lap he stopped. I passed him and ran backwards, pointing at him, to try to let him know that there was another lap. We won, but we almost got disqualified. It was unsportsmanlike conduct in running by me |
| Favorite places to travel | My favorite place to travel in the U.S. is New York City. You can’t go wrong with New York City – the greatest city in the world. I also love Arizona. My favorite place I’ve been is the Netherlands and I love Australia |
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