Leo Manzano KWIK-E

February 29, 2008

Texas Longhorn Leo Manzano recently ran the mile portion of a world record effort by his Distance Medley Relay team. He is doing conferences this weekend and will be competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships, March 14-15.

DMR World Record, How did that feel?
Well, at first we didn't really know what we had done. Now looking back...it's pretty cool.

Do you think you can go any faster with that time?
Yeah, I definitely think we could take a few seconds off of that time.

How's your training going right now?
Actually, we haven't really gotten into much for speed work right now. I think last year we might have started it a little too early. It's going to be a longer outdoor season hopefully, and hopefully I'll be doing the Olympics...so we are doing it a little different.

Can you represent Mexico for the Olympics?
Yeah, but I've already made my decision to represent the United States. People say, â€œWhy don't you run for Mexico?â€ And I definitely don't forget where I came from, I was born there, but I've lived here most of my life. I wouldn't have had the opportunities to run that I have now if it weren't for the United States and hopefully I get to run for them.

What do you think about the group of milers in the United States?
You've got Lagat and you've got Webb. They are great runners and I think I got to race Lagat twice last year at in my heat and in the USA finals. Webb I've only raced once. They are obviously the ones to beat to make that Olympic team.

What about the young guys, there's a good class coming up with you, Russell Brown, who just made the World's team, and Lopez Lomong among others?
Yeah, you can't overlook those guys. It's great to see Russell make the World team. I definitely can't forget about them. Lopez is a 1500-meter champ and also the 3000-meter champ. They always give me a run for my money.

Can you give me a crazy story from your running? It could be anything with training with the team or anything like that?
Haha, yeah. Nothing really stands out. But there was this one lady with a stick. She always seemed to be on the same trail we were running on. It wasn't like we wouldn't give her a lot of room. And she would always swing her stick at us. We were like, â€œWow, she's crazy.â€ We don't even know her name. I'm sure Flo knows who I'm talking about and could tell you about her.

You're a smaller guy for a miler, can you talk about the advantages and disadvantages of that?
Well, I get pushed around a lot more on the track, so I have to worry about my position in the race. But I also get to do things on an indoor track that the bigger guys wouldn't be able to do.

You ran the 800m in high school, is that an event you'd go back to?
I don't really mind it. I know this last summer I ran an open 800-meter run and it was like a practice thing. I ran a fairly good time. I wouldn't mind doing it in the future.

What's the hardest workout you've ever done?
We've done some 1000-meter runs that have been pretty tough. I finished them all around like, well, I can't exactly say, but I think they were all around 2:23-2:27. And we had to do six of them. It was towards the end and we doing some speed workouts. We've done some 300-meter runs too and I'm pretty sure that Flo taped that workout.

You do XC, is that something you want to keep doing in the future?
I've done it every year since high school. I've always ran XC. The only year I didn't compete was my freshman year in college. We've always really focused on the mile. I'm never really trained properly for it, but it's something I'd maybe want to do later on. Maybe not this year, but maybe in two years.

Have you looked at going pro after this year?
Yeah, I definitely have. It really depends on how I run and anything can happen.

Do you have a motto for the way you run?
(Laughs) It comes down to that one thing...and that's to win. Everyone who steps on the track, that's what they're looking for. Every time I step on the track that's what I want to do. At the same time, I can't judge exactly what my competitors are thinking.

What are your hobbies outside the sport of running?
Yeah, I've been in a couple of organizations on campus. Last semester I was in this Longhorn program. I advocated for the Dream Act. It's for immigrants that are raised in the U.S, went through the public school systems, who have completed their degrees and have a good moral character. Really it's a pathway for these kids to gain their citizenship, to having their education, and having good moral standards. At the same time there is another way which you can gain your citizenship, it was a bill that never became a law. It was actually denied. I really try to advocate for that and it was going on last semester. I was with that organization and trying to advocate for the Dream Act.

What's your major?
My major is Spanish/Portuguese with a minor in business.

Are you fluent in Portuguese?
I can definitely understand it. I can speak it somewhat well. I still need some work on it though.

Last question: Running is a highly discussed topic on the Internet, do you check out any of those types of running discussion sites?
(Laughs) No, I actually stay away from those. A lot of guys on my team, they go to Letsrun or Flotrack. They're really big on that. A lot of people can say a lot of things. But when it really comes down to it, it happens on the track. Looking at a lot of the forums...it's all written down. It's stuff that already happened. I don't look at the forums and stuff.

Post a Comment

#6	11 April 28, 2008 at 3:46pm u rock! reply
#5	JdFlash_x February 29, 2008 at 1:03pm Boa sorte Maz; espero te ver a 100% nos Olympic Trials... reply
#4	Pugetsoundhound_x February 29, 2008 at 8:49am I guess the jokes on you. Leo says he doesn't visit the web because of people saying negative things - people like you :) p.s. "Nice job" is an expletive, it should be followed by a period. reply
#3	Jake_x February 29, 2008 at 8:04am Nice job, Leo's a great guy, but the word is "fluent," not "fluid." reply
#2	Ugh February 29, 2008 at 7:58am i think how he says "fluid" haha reply
#1	Cara Hawkins February 29, 2008 at 4:44am What a major.. reply