Future Friday: Q&A with Alan Webb
5/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
May 13, 2016
Alan Webb
After representing the block M with pride while they competed for the Maize and Blue, our student-athlete alumni have gone off to become professionals in different areas of their lives. Whether they continued on in their sport, helped to build up a company or started a family, they are building a future. They are building our future. As they leave the University of Michigan campus they go forth with all they learned here to create a better future for us all.
American track star Alan Webb first donned the Maize and Blue in the fall of 2001, and though his time at Michigan was short, it didn't take away from the impact he left on Michigan -- and the impact it left on him. Webb is an Ann Arbor native and came to U-M with a championship pedigree that had the running community buzzing. Track and Field News' High School Athlete of the Year in 2001, Webb was the first American high schooler to run a sub-four mile indoors. His time of 3:59.86 stood as the American indoor high school record for 15 years.
At Michigan, Webb won the Big Ten cross country title and placed 11th at the NCAA Championships for All-America honors as a freshman. An injury kept him from competing during the indoor season, but he came back with the Big Ten individual title in the 1,500-meter run outdoors. He went on to finish fourth in that race at the NCAA Championships for All-America honors before turning pro in the spring of 2002. As a pro, Webb ran for Nike and competed at the Olympic and World Championship levels. He also set the American mile record, which he still owns today at 3:46.91. Webb officially retired from running in 2014 and spent a few years competing in triathlon events, but is now moving to the next chapter of his life with his wife, Julia, and daughters Joanie (four) and Paula (seven months).
Q. How are you doing personally and professionally? How have you enjoyed the phase of your career as a triathlete?
A. Well, I'm no longer doing triathlons. I got in a wreck last summer, and we had our second daughter, and I wasn't really performing as well as I wanted to, so I'm moving on and actually looking for what's next. I have a four-year-old and a seven-month-old; two daughters, Joanie and Paula. Joanie is the oldest and Paula is the baby. We live in Beaverton, Oregon, just outside of Portland, where Nike world headquarters is located. I'm actually finishing up the last couple credits for my unfinished degree (economics) which I started at Michigan.
Q. You recently had your American high school record (3:59.86) broken by Drew Hunter (Purcelville, Virginia; 3:57.81). What was that like?
A. It was actually great. It was a great day because I have a personal relationship with the Hunter family. Drew's parents were my first high school track coaches my freshman year so I was happy for that reason. It is a sign of how well track and field is doing in general, especially in the United States. I'm happy to see that progression happening.
Q. When you were in high school many of the records you broke were held by people you were able to see, either still competing or having just finished their careers, like Jim Ryun. How important was it for you, when you were breaking those records, to have a real tangible goal in front of you set by someone still active in the sport?
A. Yeah, it was definitely important to have a tangible goal. It was important to have those guys to look up to, and even though Jim Ryun wasn't competing while I was, he was still an important figure in our sport. There were a couple of other names to throw in the mix who were active or recently active, like Bob Kennedy, who was the generation before mine, competing in the twilight of his career. Like you said, having guys like that around was definitely important to me, and it is really one of the reasons that it's such is a positive thing for me see somebody do well, a la Drew Hunter, because I knew how much those guys meant to me as a runner. So if I can give back in any way similar to that, it's important and I think it's a good thing for me, too.
Q. What was that day when you broke the American mile record in Belgium like? Do you have any strong memories that you would like to share?
A. That was a special day in my life. It was really the culmination of my whole life's training as a runner. My life as a runner culminated that day. It was an unbelievable feeling and even that night I was just grateful to have set a goal, not just any old goal, but a really high, lofty goal that would have sounded unachievable at the beginning of my running career, but became achievable over time. It was a special thing to be able to do that. I was taken back and just thankful for that moment. I still had other goals and I wanted to do better than that, but it was such a big moment for me because it was a very specific goal that I set out to achieve and I achieved it. You don't get those moments a lot, especially at the highest level.
Q. Is it safe to say you still enjoy being a casual fan of the sport, especially with Rio around the corner?
A. I do. It's a lot less stressful to be able to go to track meets and be a little more relaxed, enjoy watching the meet and enjoy watching the other events, too. It helps you really get a deeper appreciation for all of track and field, not just your own little world which you can easily get caught up in. When you're so focused on your own career and what's going on with you it's harder to branch out and see what else is going on. You kind of have blinders on ... so it's been refreshing.
Q. What can you say about the state of the current Michigan team, with Coach Clayton, Coach Sullivan and Coach Rajewsky leading the program? Also, what is your favorite memory from your time here at Michigan?
A. I've been paying attention for sure, especially since Kevin took over and he's done very well. I don't know how else to say it, but he's really turned the jets on for the program and it's been great to see Mason (Ferlic) take off as well. I'll be curious to see how he does this spring. I saw somewhere on social media that he's been doing some steeple drills, so I assume he'll be taking a stab at that, and Mike (McGuire) was there as well when I was there so it's been nice to see Erin (Finn) do well. I've been keeping my eyes peeled for the program. I'm proud to be a part of it, in some small way. My favorite memory is probably Ron bringing us doughnuts (after our long run) from Washtenaw Dairy.
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