phone interview 10/23:
When you read about famous runners from Rockford High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan, you always read about Dathan Ritzenhein.
Someone else ran for Rockford High.
Until this month, this guy tended to live in Ritz’s shadow. He was good--don’t get me wrong. He clocked a 9-minute 2-mile at Rockford; he ran for the PREstigious University of Oregon, and placed 3rd at the 8K Championships as recently as last year, but still, he was never quite able to eclipse the Halls or the Webbs. He was one of those workhorses--a guy who ran race after race, a guy who pushed the big boys in workouts, the prizefighter’s sparring partner; part of the pack; second, maybe third place. Good, but not quite THERE.
Well now he’s made it.
He’s Jason Hartmann and earlier this month he ran down two Kenyans--yes Kenyans--in the final miles to win the Twin Cities Marathon in 2:12:09.
He’s a winner now.
.
RML: Tell me about Twin Cities.
Jason Hartmann: Anytime you win a marathon--no matter what size it is--it’s exciting. It definitely has catapulted me mentally and physically. It makes me believe even more in what I can do. Everything leading up to training had gone really well. Things kind of clicked for me. It all came together for me on that day.
RML: I read your interview in the Daily Camera about how your coach, Jonesy, said you were ready for the race. Did getting a seal of approval from a former world-record holder in the marathon give you a shot of confidence?
Hartmann: Definitely. I don’t know if you have ever talked to Jonesy. He’s a man of few words. when he says something, it really matters. He has so many credentials. You are out to please him. It’s sometimes hard to get something like that out of him, but when it happens, it’s really encouraging, like when he told me I was ready. I mean I already knew I was ready, but his words definitely catapulted me as far as my fitness goes.
RML: Back to Twin Cities, something happened at mile 23 where you dropped your fluid bottle and had to run back to get it. Afterwards, you ran down two Kenyans to win the race. Describe that decisive moment.
Hartmann: What happened was at the 23 mile water station, I reached for my water bottle. And on all my water bottles, I have a stick to help me grab it. Well it broke and landed on the ground. At that time, there was a pack of three including me. I just felt like it was important that I grab it. Did it really help me? No not really, but it gave me confidence to get the fluids and energy from that. At 24 miles, things kind of opened. I just seized the moment at that particular time. I knew I was ready. In every race, you have to make a decision whether or not to go for it. I think every person has to do that. They have to decide if they are going to push forward or stay the same. At that point, I got excited and took off. From there on out, it was a race for myself.
RML:Do you have a new sense of confidence now?
Hartmann: For sure. I always felt like I had the capability to run well in the marathon, but now I feel even more excited and thrilled to see what I can do. In a quicker race, who’s to say I couldn’t run 2:10. It’s hard to put times on things, but I don’t think 2:10 is that far away from me. I feel that I have the capabilities to run that time or faster.
RML:Jonesy focuses on workouts faster than marathon pace. What are you doing and how much of it are you doing?
Hartmann: We usually do three workouts a week. Some of the workouts vary. We have a stable workout where we are doing hills and a long run around 2:00-2:30. The biggest thing about his training is being consistent. Any training that you do regardless of the coach, you need to be consistent and not overextend yourself where you dig yourself in a hole and can’t get out. Most people make the mistake of overtraining when they go into a marathon. I feel Jonesy does a great job in keeping me fresh--mentally and physically. There isn’t some big secret: You just have to be consistent as possible. You are going to hit rough patches in your training. If you can back off at the right time, it will help you get through those rough spots. It’s the same for the marathon: You get into rough spots. Hopefully, if you are lucky enough, you can dig yourself out of those spots or just get through them.
RML: What specifically were you doing in training?
Hartmann: I would guess between 115 and 120 miles at altitude, three workouts a week and a long run.
RML: At what pace were your hard workouts: your tempos?
Hartmann: The tempo runs were 6 miles in 30 minutes.
RML: How long have you been under Jonesy?
Hartmann: Since March.
RML: Would you say that this has been your best year of racing?
Hartmann: Last year, I was 3rd in the 8K. After that I had a plantar problem. The plantar problem worsened into a stress fracture in my foot. That put me out for five months last year. At the end of the year, my contract was up with Nike. And I didn’t know what to do. It had been an uphill battle pretty much the whole way. Strands came into the picture. I said to myself that I was going to use this as an opportunity, whether my professional career just lasts through this year, I’m going to run races that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been a long, gradual process. At some points, I felt like I was running up a treadmill at a 90-degree angle. Sometimes, I was wondering what I was doing. It’s pretty much about persevering.
RML: Winning Twin Cities must have felt rewarding to you after all that hard work.
Hartmann: Like I said, sometimes this business is about running up a treadmill at 90-degrees with people tugging at your shoulders trying to pull you down. When you are at a low point, your true friends--the people who really want you to do well are there for you. I can remember sitting with one of my best friends, Dathan Ritzenhein, in his kitchen trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Dathan said, “I don’t think you should stop. I think you should try to get back.” You have to thank those people. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be at the position I am in now. You know, there’s not enough paper that you have for me to thank the people who have helped me. It’s not just me who did it.
RML: You had people who believed in you.
Hartmann: Yeah. That’s a big part.
RML: And the time that Dathan was talking to you, encouraging you, I think that was probably when he was struggling too. It sounds like both of you have made progress this year.
Hartmann: Yep. The sport of running builds character; there’s not another sport that does that. Dathan and I are close friends. I know what he has gone through. You know, everyone loves you when you are running well, but what about when you aren’t running well? Dathan’s gone through some personal struggles and he deserves everything he is getting now. He works extremely hard. It’s exciting for American distance running. I don’t think anyone’s seen this level of success.
RML: Yeah. You got Ritz and Teg going sub-13, you got Ritz placing third at the world half, and then you got yourself running down Kenyans to win Twin Cities. Do you feel like you are part of this wave of American success that you are referring to?
Hartmann: I don’t think I am part of the wave. I think I add to it. I think people will always recognize Dathan, Alan Webb, and Ryan Hall. I think it’s just another person who is raising the level of American distance running. I’m not the only one either. That’s the exciting part. It makes me want to push harder and make sure I don’t rest on my laurels. People are always going to recognize Meb and Abdi for their successes. If a newcomer can help raise the bar and push them forward, then that is great.
RML: What’s next for you?
Hartmann: Short term, I’m not sure if I want to run a marathon in the spring or just hold on and do a marathon next year. For the short term, I’m going to do a race in late November in Australia and then maybe the U.S. half. But I’m not completely sure if we want to do a marathon later on in the spring.
RML: We were talking a bit about Ritz. He had been doing marathon-specific training and then dropped down to the 5K and surprised everyone with the American record. Do you have any plans to go after your shorter distance PRs now that you have a good marathon under your belt and have that aerobic base?
Hartmann: Yeah. For sure. My 5K and 10K PRs are not indicative of the fitness that I’m in. But that’s what a PR is: It’s what I’ve run. Still, I feel like I am better than that. I definitely will got for those if I don’t run a marathon in the spring. I’d definitely love to run fast on the track.
RML: Tell me about Team Strands. It sounds like they came in a just the right time for you.
Hartmann: It’s been a good situation. They are a company that is exploring the world of distance running. Matt Downin is the guy who I deal with. He came to me and provided me with an opportunity. In this current economic climate, there are not a lot of people taking a chance and putting money into distance running. Everybody is cutting back, but they are putting money into the sport of running. I wish more companies would take a chance. I think it’s a great thing that Strands is doing--making our sport a better sport.
RML: There are only so many people at the top of this sport who get the attention. Kind of along the lines with what you said, you are only as good as the last race you ran. Right now, there is a contingent of runners who were like yourself--people just do things like spar with the prizefighter; people who are gunning for the top. What advice do you have for people who were like Jason Hartmann before Twin Cities?
Hartmann: The best thing for anyone is to be as consistent as possible--to have a vision and believe in themselves and their own talent. It might not come in a couple of days or years. But there might come a time when you can succeed. The sport of running is not any easy sport. It’s not rewarding at times. If you have the character and drive to succeed, it’s going to happen. I feel most people get out of the sport too early--before all the juice has been squeezed out of the lemon.
