Kyle DNF'd at the marathon trials in NYC. The difference with his DNF and the others was that his was planned as he ran the World Marathon Championships just a few months before.
RM: What are your thoughts on your performance in the trials, looking back? What was your role in the race?KO: Well it's no secret now that I had a different agenda heading into the Trials race. I started the race knowing that unless I was having the "race of my life" I would be dropping out around half way. I wouldn't say I had a major role in the race, I just wanted to make sure that the "racing" got started early enough that it wouldn't be a 23 mile jog and 3 mile race for the leaders. After a slow opening two miles I took/shared the lead with Brian running right around 5:00 or a little faster per mile. The lead pack was actually a lot more cooperative than I anticipated, by 7-8 miles Hall, Abdi, Ritz, you name it were all ready to take a shot at the lead and kept it fast the rest of the way.
RM: What information/knowledge do you feel like you gained from the marathon trials?KO: It was huge for me to be running in that lead pack and just watching things unfold, learning first hand how the best marathoners in the country race a Trials race.
RM: How did you like the Central Park course setup and the rest of the organization of the NYRR?KO: The course setup and organization were outstanding, I don't think it was the best time of year to have our Olympic Trials, but the NYRR did a top notch job.
RM: When will you next run another marathon and what would you like to accomplish in that?KO: I will be running another marathon this Spring, I hope to continue to improve on what I have done in the past, a faster time would be nice as well.
RM: Since the trials, according to your running log, you have been training full go. What is your next race or focus and why?KO: Yes, I have been going full go since the Trials. I just started to feel recovered from the World Championships about a week before the Trials, and really started nailing workouts. I had to make a decision then to roll the dice at the Trials based on a couple good weeks of training, or to extend the segment and work on some of my weaknesses (mainly speed) and get a solid block of training with a couple of races. I chose the second option and training is going great. My next race will be the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon in December.
