Matt Centrowicz Completes Family Ambition,
Medals in South Korea
After
capping off one of the best years a college junior has ever had in the world of
distance running, Arlington resident Matt
Centrowicz Jr. shrugs off the expectations as he returns for his senior season
with the University
of Oregon’s cross-country
and track program.
“I just
wanted to take it one race at a time,” said Centrowicz Jr.
After
winning the NCAA championship in the 1500, Matt Centrowicz Jr. upset Olympic
medalist and racing icon Bernard Lagat to win the national title in the event and
qualify for the world championships in Daegu,
South Korea
where he became the first American-born miler to medal since 1987.
"When
he qualified for the final, I originally thought we'd be very happy if he
finished in the top 3 [at the national championships]," said father Matt
Centrowicz Sr. "But that's the thing about when you're a young runner. You
can explode literally overnight."
His
father, Matt Centrowicz Sr., knows a little bit about competing in the Olympics
as well. In the 1970’s, he was a two-time Olympian and former American record
holder at the event. For one of those American records, he beat storied running
legend Steve Prefontaine (the subject of not one but two Hollywood
movies) to reset the mark in the 5K.
Matt Sr.
is currently devoted to coaching in his 17th year at Coach of American University. In addition, he is in
his 5th year as coach of the Pacer's Running Team in Clarendon where his
presence has helped turn Pacers into a prime destination for post-collegiate
athletes looking to take their running to a professional level.
More
importantly, Matt Sr. is a cheerleader and supporter for his two kids as son
and daughter Lauren (an All-American runner at Stanford University)
have grown in their running careers. He flew out and watched his kids at the
NCAA championships and the national championships although he was unable to
make it to South Korea
to see his son compete.
"Once
his son got to Korea,
he wasn't sleeping at night," recalls American University Assistant Coach
Bridget Bower.
Although
he concedes nervousness during the race, Matt Sr. added that he didn't have too
much time to process the results because for the first couple of weeks, he was
busy giving interviews on his son's victory.
"It
was only when he got back and we had time to talk," said Matt Sr.
While Matt
Jr. credits the elder Matt for being a big inspiration but both father and son
concede that Matt Jr. gets his coaching from his collegiate coach.
“I guide
him as a father. Things off the track,” said Matt Sr. “He already has a coach
so I don’t interfere with that. There can only be one chef.”
Ironically,
the dad didn’t push his son into running at all.
"He
did a lot of reverse psychology," said Matt Jr. "He told me running
was too tough and that kept me hungry."
Matt
Jr.’s success is not just a victory for the Centrowicz clan but for American
runners in general. When Matt Sr. competed in 1976 in the metric mile (1500
meters), only two of the top ten milers in the world were from Africa. Since then, the rest of the world has been
playing catch-up in the distance events to runners from Africa and the Middle East.
When
describing his son’s race, he remarked that it was nice to not watch the American
fade out at the finish line for once.
“I think
as Americans we can all be happy with that,” he said..
“There
are a lot of messages of people saying how proud they are of me representing
them,” said Matt Jr. “[It’s] overwhelming a little bit, but I wouldn’t want it
any other way.”
In
addition to being the home of Matt Centrowicz’s Pacers Running Team, Pacer’s
walking and running store caters to runners of all levels with generous
coaching advice, biweekly fun runs, and race sponsorships. They can be found on
the internet at runpacers.com and by phone at 703-248-6893.
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