Post by Olympic 4thtwice on Sept 2, 2004 13:46:59 GMT -5
British Olympian Jon Brown, who currently lives and trains in Victoria, BC, is now confirmed for the Scotiabank Vancouver Half. He's preparing for the Olympic Marathon in Athens, and gave the following interview with Alan Brookes of the Canada Running Series (CRS).
CRS: When did you come to Canada, and why?
JB: My wife and I came to Canada for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and we really liked the B.C. lifestyle and environment. The following year we applied to become permanent residents. We moved here in 1996 after the Atlanta Olympics.
CRS: Can you tell us a few words about your family and home in Victoria?
JB: My wife Martina is from Germany and we have 2 children; Dylan aged 6 and Rosa aged 3. We live in the Broadmead area of Saanich which is noted for its trees and trails. It is great for running.
CRS: Is it home now / what do you do in Victoria?
JB: We have been in Victoria for 3 years now after moving here from Vancouver. Victoria is a great place to live and we plan on staying especially as the kids are now in school. Right now I'm lucky to be able to earn enough income from running to train full-time.
CRS: Do you think you will eventually become a Canadian citizen?
JB: I've already applied. My citizenship should be processed by the end of the summer.
CRS: You were an amazing 4th in the Sydney Olympics marathon....what do you remember most about the race and the overall experience?
JB: What I remember most about the race is the noise from the spectators and also that it was a very windy day. The volume from the spectators was incredible; it physically hurt it was so loud. At around 30 km into the race we passed over a famous suspension type bridge; at the crest of the bridge the lead pack came to a dead stop due to the strength of the wind. I remember thinking 'I can't stop this is the Olympics!' We staggered through it for 100m then descended off.
CRS: How are your preparations coming along for Athens?
JB: Right now really well. I've completed the first part of my preparations without injury problems. My speed is good and I'm doing lots of volume for strength.
CRS: When I saw you last at the London Marathon, you were embroiled in a controversy with Dave Bedford. How has that affected your preparations and your feelings on running for Great Britain?
JB: The problem I had with London is now finally resolved. That issue was basically a problem between Dave and myself and nothing to do with the UK federation. The British have given me good support for the last 8 years and have always believed in me. Even though I will be a Canadian by the end of this year the thought of having to work with Athletics Canada is not appealing right now. The Canadian federation does a terrible job for its athletes and has no long term strategy or quality leadership. I'd love to run for Canada after this year but unless the federation sorts itself out I can't see that happening.
CRS: How does the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon fit into your Athens schedule?
JB: The race lies in the second phase of my Athens build-up so I'll be running the race during a 120 mile training week. It will be a good long hard run for me at a pace just slightly quicker than my marathon pace. It will tell how my marathon strength is going.
CRS: What are your hopes and dreams, and reality for Athens?
JB: If my training goes well and according to plan I feel that I am capable of a top 8 finish in Athens. It will be a very difficult and technical course which will be to my advantage.
CRS: Can you tell us what a typical week of training looks like for an Olympic-bound marathoner looks like right now?
JB: For 6 days a week I aim to get in between 18-23 miles. Twice a week I'll run fast quality workouts either on the track or road. My long run of the week is 2½ hours on a hilly course.
CRS: What is your favourite workout?
JB: My 1 hour easy day on Saturday! My favourite quality workout is 6 X 5 minutes with 1 minute rest between each.
CRS: What is your best training tip for recreational and club runners?
JB: Train with a heart-rate monitor as most runners run too hard on their easy days and not hard enough on their quality days.
Top
Jon's Bio: (from UK Athletics)
Jon Brown
Born: 27 February 1971, Bridgend, Wales
Club: Prairie Inn Harriers (Canada)
Coach: George Gandy
Career Profile
Although he won an English Schools’ title over 3000min 1987, it is over much longer distances that he has excelled as a senior.
Although setting British bests for 12km and 15km on the roads, he perhaps didn’t get the recognition he deserved with his performances coming in the USA. Produced a fine run for 12th in the heat of Stellenbosch at the 1996 World Cross Country Championships ended that year with a convincing victory in the European Cross Country Championships where he ploughed through the muddy conditions to end Paulo Guerra’s 100 per cent record in the event.
Moved up to the marathon at the end of 1997 even though he had hardly run any half-marathons, but h made a solid 2:10:13 debut in Chicago. Was eighth in the London Marathon the following year and used the strength gained from training for that race to enjoy a golden spell in August later that summer as he set PBs for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m – the latter seeing him break the longstanding British 10,000m record with 27:18.14 in Brussels.
In 1999, having finished fourth in the London Marathon with his first sub-2:10 performance, he returned from injury to take bronze in the European Cross Country Championships and lead Britain to team gold. But his most impressive return from injury came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he finished fourth in the marathon despite a longstanding hip problem.
Recorded the only marathon victory of his career in 2001 when running his local event in Victoria as a training run in preparation for the New York City Marathon, where he ran well for sixth.
Forced to pull out of the 2002 European Championships and 2003 World Championships teams due to injury. Showed that he is over injuries now and back to good form after placing 19th in 2004 World Cross 12 km, and then 4 weeks later gained selection for British Olympic team with comfortable performance at the London marathon (2:13:39).
Other Information
Welsh-born, English-raised, Brown has become Britain’s travelling man although his current base of Canada has been home since 1996.
Born in the Welsh village of Bridgend, where his parents were friends of the Brace family (Steve won the Berlin Marathon and twice ran for Britain in the Olympic marathon), he moved to Yorkshire at a young age and later went to university in the States, at Iowa.
Upon leaving the USA, he moved to Dusseldorf with his German wife Martina and then to Vancouver in Canada, although the father of two has since moved to Victoria. Occasionally trains at Boulder, Colorado with British 10,000m No.1 Karl Keska but spends most of his time in Canada where he sometimes runs with world class triathlete Simon Whitfield.
Other training partners have included Canadian 2:13 marathoner Bruce Deacon who used to take a 35-minute flight several days per week to train with Brown.
Quietly spoken, yet sometimes outspoken, Brown is a model professional and fiercely patriotic.
Personal Bests:
800: 1:54.9
1500: 3:40.53
3k: 7:45.41
5k: 13:19.03
10k: 27:18.14
15kR: 42:39
10M: 47:33
HMar: 61:49
Mar: 2:09:44
Championship Record
Olympic Games:
10,000 - 1996 10th
Marathon - 2000 4th
European Championships:
10,000 - 1998 4th
Commonwealth Games:
5,000 - 1994 4th
World Cross Country:
12km - 1993 71st; 1996 12th; 1997 14th; 1999 8th; 2004 19th
European Cross Country:
1995 6th; 1996 1st; 1999 3rd; 2002 21st
World Junior Championships:
5,000 - 1990 13th
World Student Games:
5,000 - 1991 4th
National titles:
AAA 5,000 1993; UK 5000 1993; AAA & UK marathon 2004
www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/news/jun_14_04.htm
CRS: When did you come to Canada, and why?
JB: My wife and I came to Canada for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and we really liked the B.C. lifestyle and environment. The following year we applied to become permanent residents. We moved here in 1996 after the Atlanta Olympics.
CRS: Can you tell us a few words about your family and home in Victoria?
JB: My wife Martina is from Germany and we have 2 children; Dylan aged 6 and Rosa aged 3. We live in the Broadmead area of Saanich which is noted for its trees and trails. It is great for running.
CRS: Is it home now / what do you do in Victoria?
JB: We have been in Victoria for 3 years now after moving here from Vancouver. Victoria is a great place to live and we plan on staying especially as the kids are now in school. Right now I'm lucky to be able to earn enough income from running to train full-time.
CRS: Do you think you will eventually become a Canadian citizen?
JB: I've already applied. My citizenship should be processed by the end of the summer.
CRS: You were an amazing 4th in the Sydney Olympics marathon....what do you remember most about the race and the overall experience?
JB: What I remember most about the race is the noise from the spectators and also that it was a very windy day. The volume from the spectators was incredible; it physically hurt it was so loud. At around 30 km into the race we passed over a famous suspension type bridge; at the crest of the bridge the lead pack came to a dead stop due to the strength of the wind. I remember thinking 'I can't stop this is the Olympics!' We staggered through it for 100m then descended off.
CRS: How are your preparations coming along for Athens?
JB: Right now really well. I've completed the first part of my preparations without injury problems. My speed is good and I'm doing lots of volume for strength.
CRS: When I saw you last at the London Marathon, you were embroiled in a controversy with Dave Bedford. How has that affected your preparations and your feelings on running for Great Britain?
JB: The problem I had with London is now finally resolved. That issue was basically a problem between Dave and myself and nothing to do with the UK federation. The British have given me good support for the last 8 years and have always believed in me. Even though I will be a Canadian by the end of this year the thought of having to work with Athletics Canada is not appealing right now. The Canadian federation does a terrible job for its athletes and has no long term strategy or quality leadership. I'd love to run for Canada after this year but unless the federation sorts itself out I can't see that happening.
CRS: How does the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon fit into your Athens schedule?
JB: The race lies in the second phase of my Athens build-up so I'll be running the race during a 120 mile training week. It will be a good long hard run for me at a pace just slightly quicker than my marathon pace. It will tell how my marathon strength is going.
CRS: What are your hopes and dreams, and reality for Athens?
JB: If my training goes well and according to plan I feel that I am capable of a top 8 finish in Athens. It will be a very difficult and technical course which will be to my advantage.
CRS: Can you tell us what a typical week of training looks like for an Olympic-bound marathoner looks like right now?
JB: For 6 days a week I aim to get in between 18-23 miles. Twice a week I'll run fast quality workouts either on the track or road. My long run of the week is 2½ hours on a hilly course.
CRS: What is your favourite workout?
JB: My 1 hour easy day on Saturday! My favourite quality workout is 6 X 5 minutes with 1 minute rest between each.
CRS: What is your best training tip for recreational and club runners?
JB: Train with a heart-rate monitor as most runners run too hard on their easy days and not hard enough on their quality days.
Top
Jon's Bio: (from UK Athletics)
Jon Brown
Born: 27 February 1971, Bridgend, Wales
Club: Prairie Inn Harriers (Canada)
Coach: George Gandy
Career Profile
Although he won an English Schools’ title over 3000min 1987, it is over much longer distances that he has excelled as a senior.
Although setting British bests for 12km and 15km on the roads, he perhaps didn’t get the recognition he deserved with his performances coming in the USA. Produced a fine run for 12th in the heat of Stellenbosch at the 1996 World Cross Country Championships ended that year with a convincing victory in the European Cross Country Championships where he ploughed through the muddy conditions to end Paulo Guerra’s 100 per cent record in the event.
Moved up to the marathon at the end of 1997 even though he had hardly run any half-marathons, but h made a solid 2:10:13 debut in Chicago. Was eighth in the London Marathon the following year and used the strength gained from training for that race to enjoy a golden spell in August later that summer as he set PBs for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m – the latter seeing him break the longstanding British 10,000m record with 27:18.14 in Brussels.
In 1999, having finished fourth in the London Marathon with his first sub-2:10 performance, he returned from injury to take bronze in the European Cross Country Championships and lead Britain to team gold. But his most impressive return from injury came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he finished fourth in the marathon despite a longstanding hip problem.
Recorded the only marathon victory of his career in 2001 when running his local event in Victoria as a training run in preparation for the New York City Marathon, where he ran well for sixth.
Forced to pull out of the 2002 European Championships and 2003 World Championships teams due to injury. Showed that he is over injuries now and back to good form after placing 19th in 2004 World Cross 12 km, and then 4 weeks later gained selection for British Olympic team with comfortable performance at the London marathon (2:13:39).
Other Information
Welsh-born, English-raised, Brown has become Britain’s travelling man although his current base of Canada has been home since 1996.
Born in the Welsh village of Bridgend, where his parents were friends of the Brace family (Steve won the Berlin Marathon and twice ran for Britain in the Olympic marathon), he moved to Yorkshire at a young age and later went to university in the States, at Iowa.
Upon leaving the USA, he moved to Dusseldorf with his German wife Martina and then to Vancouver in Canada, although the father of two has since moved to Victoria. Occasionally trains at Boulder, Colorado with British 10,000m No.1 Karl Keska but spends most of his time in Canada where he sometimes runs with world class triathlete Simon Whitfield.
Other training partners have included Canadian 2:13 marathoner Bruce Deacon who used to take a 35-minute flight several days per week to train with Brown.
Quietly spoken, yet sometimes outspoken, Brown is a model professional and fiercely patriotic.
Personal Bests:
800: 1:54.9
1500: 3:40.53
3k: 7:45.41
5k: 13:19.03
10k: 27:18.14
15kR: 42:39
10M: 47:33
HMar: 61:49
Mar: 2:09:44
Championship Record
Olympic Games:
10,000 - 1996 10th
Marathon - 2000 4th
European Championships:
10,000 - 1998 4th
Commonwealth Games:
5,000 - 1994 4th
World Cross Country:
12km - 1993 71st; 1996 12th; 1997 14th; 1999 8th; 2004 19th
European Cross Country:
1995 6th; 1996 1st; 1999 3rd; 2002 21st
World Junior Championships:
5,000 - 1990 13th
World Student Games:
5,000 - 1991 4th
National titles:
AAA 5,000 1993; UK 5000 1993; AAA & UK marathon 2004
www.canadarunningseries.com/crs/news/jun_14_04.htm
