Interview with Thomas Nyariki

by Shannon Martin

Kenya’s Thomas Nyariki, 34, will run his debut half-marathon at the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE on Sunday August 27. Nyariki comes to the race on one of the hotter streaks of the last month, a feat made all the more incredible by the fact that his running career was in doubt after losing his right eye in a carjacking three years ago. The 1997 IAAF World Championships 5000-meter bronze medallist didn’t make his return to the sport until August 2005, finishing third against an outstanding field at the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine. Nyariki returned to that race earlier this month, grabbing the victory over friend, teammate, and three-time champion Gilbert Okari. One week later, Nyariki was second to Okari at the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts. The 1998 Commonwealth Games silver medallist was fifth in the 1996 Olympic Games 5000 meters.

Mensracing.com caught up with Nyariki at the professional runners’ suite in the Park Lane Hotel on the day before the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE. On a couch overlooking an exquisite view of Central Park, Nyariki, exuding such peace and confidence, spoke about his ability to make a comeback and disclosed his future running plans.

MensRacing.com: So, tell me, when did you make the decision to run the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE?
Thomas Nyariki: So, this is the first time I’m running a half-marathon. When I came from Kenya three weeks ago, I knew I was running the Beach to Beacon and the Falmouth. Well, the coach is looking for me to run a marathon at the end of this year. He wanted me to run the half-marathon to see how well I can compete at that distance; this will give us an idea of how I can fare in a marathon this year.

MR: So, you just recently made the decision to compete in the half this Sunday?
TN: Yes, I feel it’s good for me too because I have never committed to running a half-marathon. You know me, I have been running much shorter distances.

MR: You’ve been running 5Ks and 10Ks, so it’s a pretty big jump for you to move up to the half-marathon.
TN: Yes, it is. Tomorrow’s race will be the longest distance I’ve ever competed in.

MR: I imagine in your training that you do some very long runs.
TN: Yeah, I do long distance runs. No matter what distance you compete in, you still have to cover a lot of mileage, so I am prepared in that sense.

MR: What’s the longest distance you’ve competed in prior to this half-marathon?
TN: The longest distance I’ve competed in is a 15K on the road. My 15K was not that easy. You know with a marathon, you have to train for it. Even for a half-marathon, you have to train for it. You have to gear your mileage, speed workouts and endurance training toward these types of longer races. So, with the decision to try for the marathon, I’ve been making these changes, but only very recently.

MR: You have nearly answered my next question. I was going to ask you if this half-marathon was a preparation for a full marathon. Your teammate John Korir told us in a recent interview, that now that he is 30, it is time for him to run a full marathon. Do you agree with John, that now that you are in your thirties that it is time to begin competing in longer distances?
TN: Yeah, as you grow older, you can cover long distances still, but you lose speed. I’m 34 now, so I have to give this a try for a marathon and then I get to go home if I can not do it. If I can do it, I get to stay here and train.

MR: So, you are training in Boulder now. Tell me more about that.
TN: Well, I haven’t trained there for long. You know, I just came over here [to the United States]on August 3. So the first two weeks we were here, we were competing on the East Coast. So, the one week I’ve had left after those races and before this race, I’ve been in Boulder. Really, it wasn’t actual training for a half-marathon because my coach just decided that I try this. I’ve been doing well in competition, so I feel right about this.

MR: So what types of workouts have you been doing at altitude for this mere week that you have had in Boulder?
TN: Well, starting next week, if it stands that I will do a marathon later this year, that’s when I will start going to the heights. I have started some hills. I’ve done some speed and endurance and covered quite a bit of mileage this last week. We did one workout on the trails that was seven times at 1 mile. We train sometimes at the track too for some speed. We even go to yoga. I’ve been once since I came here to the states; it was only four days ago and I’m still a little sore.

MR: Really? That’s interesting. I teach yoga; you will recover much more quickly from yoga once you become more flexible, trust me.
TN: You know, with yoga, it is too much at first, but you are right, it becomes easier when you become more flexible. So, we integrate yoga into our program anyway, and I really like it.

MR: So you and your other teammates do this?
TN: Yes, me and the other guys who are in active training for the marathon now. We train as a team here and it’s fun.

MR: So, who else is with you in Boulder? I know John Korir is.
TN: Ben Maiyo is there, so is Paul Koech, Evans Rutto, Laban Kipkemboi, and Gilbert Okari.

MR: And you sweep all of the races!
TN: [Laughing] Yes, we do.

MR: Speaking of sweeping races, how did you feel after your Beach to Beacon win a few weeks ago?
TN: It was okay, you know. I had come from home, from Kenya; I traveled alone and not with my guys who were already training in Boulder. I felt lucky to win after coming all the way from home and training there.

MR: We’re going to go back a few years now. How long did you take off after the 2003 carjacking?
TN: It took me almost one year; after almost five or six months, I started going forward to customize my sight. It changes your life you know; you need to learn to balance, you need to change your position of running. I can only see what’s on one side. Actually, it then took me almost a year to adjust and then I started training more for particular race lengths - 5Ks and 10Ks.

MR: So how does it feel now when you run, compared to how you used to feel running, prior to your eye injury?
TN: After the injury, it made me frustrated, but because of being strong in my mind, I knew I wanted to continue with running. Besides the injury though, I am older now too so I have to appreciate the way the body naturally changes. What can I do, besides adapt my training to my body, whether it is age-related or injury-related?

MR: That’s a great outlook. So, tell me, since you have never run a half-marathon tomorrow, I’m curious as to what your goals are. Do you have a specific time in mind for this race or any strategy ideas?
TN: I have to follow the guys who are in the front. If I feel that they are not running as fast as I expect, maybe I will change my mind and quicken the pace. From the start, I just have to be tough. It will be a lot of pressure.

MR: I imagine that tomorrow’s scenario will be more challenging for you compared to your last two races because, unlike the last two races, none of your teammates are running this race with you tomorrow.
TN: You are absolutely right. When I am with my teammates, we strategize together; we try to agree who will go out first. We help each other and we pace each other, unlike here; there’s not even a pacer. This will be hard for me. At the end of the day, it’s how well you feel with your performance. Tomorrow is exciting though because I feel like anybody could win it.

MR: So, have you had a chance to look at the course layout at all?
TN: I haven’t seen the course in person.

MR: You can see part of it right out this window. Your first seven miles will be there in Central Park.
TN: I’m looking forward to that. I’ve been informed that the first 10K is kind of hilly and all that, but after that, it changes to downhill and flat. So, I’ll be under a lot of pressure at the beginning.

MR: Once you exit the park, you won’t have to worry about any more hills though!
TN: [Laughing] That’s exactly what’s in my mind. After, I leave the park, now the race starts. That’s really when the race begins...for me, anyway.

MR: I would like to know more about how you initially became involved with running. How old were you when you first started running?
TN: I started in 1992, then I trained for almost four years and then in 1996, I became serious.

MR: So, you were 21 when you first started running. Here in the US, most people begin running in school when they are a teenager, and then they take it from there. They will run in college, and then a select few will continue to run professionally. So, what prompted you to pursue running in Kenya, at the age of 21?
TN: Well, I ran in school also, but that was different. I took a serous interest when I was in the army. I met people like Daniel Komen. They were running well; these people were on teams. So, I said, “Let me give it a try!” I loved running, for fun, anyway, in school. I really liked competing too. I liked the challenge; in school I was competing for points, but at the age of 21, I had to compete for money. I went for it anyway!

MR: ...and you have done a very great job!
TN: Yeah...yeah, I have. The first year was hard, but when I started running well, wow, I just loved it more.

MR: What is your favorite memory since you started running competitively?
TN: Memory? Hmmm...when I ran here.

MR: In Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics?
TN: Yeah. I didn’t medal, but I didn’t care. As a newcomer, I was very happy. I didn’t have a lot of experience; I was doing so well until the final 200 meters. They out-sprinted me. I did not feel bad though because I was a finalist, representing my country! I just feel so great to have competed in the Olympics. Everybody wants to compete in the Olympics!

MR: Do you foresee the possibility of competing in the Olympics down the road? Many would say it’s unlikely because of age and the many outstanding runners in Kenya, but I see you as a very optimistic person! And hey, you did make a comeback, even when many would say that was unlikely!
TN: [Smiling] Well, in Kenya, there are many, many, many very good runners! So, getting a chance to compete for my country is not that easy, but I have done it once; I have represented my country once, so for me, that’s enough.

MR: I certainly agree with you. For a Kenyan distance runner to make it to any Olympic Game is more than impressive. So, let’s talk a bit about your team. KIMbia has made quite the name for themselves. You have such talented teammates. How long have you been a part of this team?
TN: Since the very beginning really. I trained under Kim McDonald. So when KIMbia and Tom Ratcliffe took over, I was already in.

MR: How many of you were already in?
TN: There were eight of us.

MR: Wow, so your current team is at least four times larger and you have many young guys running with you too. How do you like running with the younger guys?
TN: I really like. It’s nice because they give us speed! They are fast and we try to keep up with them!

MR: It’s so nice to see you comeback and comeback strong! My final question for you is: Who can you say most encouraged you to stick with running after your injury?
TN: My wife was great! She told me “You can do this! You can get back to running!” With the encouragement from my wife, I really started to believe that she was right, that I had a chance to come back! With the pain and everything, there were times when it was difficult to imagine coming back, especially with my muscles not being as strong, but she helped me through those times.

The coaches were great too. They said, “You can compete for us again, don’t mind about the sight. You can still see; you still have one eye to see with.”

MR: I have heard that when a person loses an eye, the other eye can adjust so that it has a larger field of vision than it had before. Is that true?
TN: You know, at first, it feels really unique to have one eye. As you work on your sight though, it adjusts by itself and it really does feel like you have two eyes again. [Smiling] So, I can see with one eye, what most people can see with two eyes!

Editor's Update: Nyariki won the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, setting a New York City record for the distance, in 1:01.12, six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Meb Keflezighi. To read the NYC Half-Marathon race story, click here.

Interview conducted August 26, 2006, and posted August 26, 2006.