Saucony XC BLOGS - Gabe Jennings

Olympic Trials

July 9, 2008

Eugene, July 9, 2008

The Olympic Trials were hugely dissappointing. I am already plotting out the training with coach Dick Brown for this summer to race a 21K this fall and a go at Club Nationals XC in November.

At the moment I am on a regime of 3-4 weeks active rest to heal the achilles injury that has plagued me the past year, and rejuvinate the soul. I am heading down to Sonoma Cali for my cousin's wedding, to be followed by a Cuban Dance and Drum camp in Humboldt followed by Orff Schulwerk music education training in San Francisco. I plan on being back in Eugene August 10, hot for action.

This is just the beginning!

Gabe Jennings



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Kim posted August 19 at 1:32am.
I think what you do is amazing and inspiring...who cares what others think...when it comes down to it all I dont think its about who can run the fastest or farthest or whatever, its about who is doing what they love to do, what makes them happy and brings that inner peace everyone is looking for...gabe I think you are on the right track...keep on keepin on
Mo' Runnin' posted July 15 at 3:35pm.
Gabe, you are the balls. Keep doing what you do cuz I can't get enough.
Rob In Austin posted July 14 at 8:04pm.
Don't know much about you Gabe but have learned after reading the stuff on the site. (I created much of this Saucony mini site) I know the purists will talk about wasted talent and what not but that's just what they've been taught to believe and faithfully regurgitated for their own well being. Each person makes their own decisions in life and follows their own path. It's much harder to do that under the scrutiny of millions of eyes wantingyou to do what society has decided that you should do. I heartily applaud you for keeping true to yourself during this. Cheers! and good luck!
Sam posted July 14 at 4:51pm.
I think Gabe Jennings realized very early that there is much more to life than running. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he would have had more success had he decided to put off everything else and focus on running for a few years, but that's obviously not how his fabric's been woven; it's just not how he chose to do it. So, what if he wants to do his own thing and sporadically try his hand at many things?

[Deity] forbid someone actually live their life the way they want to - Who does this guy think he is?!
Oh, and "Runningman", don't start with that "try Jesus" nonsense. We're not all that deluded; this isn't a theocracy.
Stud! posted July 14 at 3:36pm.
and you have a life and depth away from running. so refreshing Gabe!
Joe posted July 14 at 9:54am.
I've never understood bashing "wasted talent" NONE of the people who have posted on here have EVER had the talent to run in the Olympic Trials. You haven't ever had talent to waste.
What's That? posted July 14 at 3:27am.
Oh yeah, he is awesome, and he does have goals, great. But he never was and never well be as good as Alan Webb ever has been, even if Webb never runs again. Oh, you saw one group of pics on Letsrun where Webb was drinking. Each has their own vice, Gabe the bongos, Webb beer. If you want to idolize Gabe so be it.
Stanfurd.edu posted July 13 at 11:39pm.
Rejuvenate the soul, Gabe. Rejuvenate.
Derek Rubis posted July 13 at 9:49pm.
Gabe Jennings is one of the best distance runners ever and great guy on top of that
Runner posted July 13 at 9:44pm.
you are the man
Fan posted July 13 at 9:43pm.
SHUT UP
Gabe Jennings is awesome. Its great that after a disappointment like this he can get back together and get new goals, at least hes not like alan webb getting drunk everynight
What's That? posted July 13 at 4:07pm.
Thank God he didn't get interviewed. His interviews are less about revitalizing the image of the sport and more about him going on and on about mystical visions. Again, the guy was very talented, still has some talent but on the world stage he is simply a second rate American runner, which amounts to not much. At one time he was the most promising middle distance runner we had, those days are long gone.
Daniel posted July 13 at 12:35pm.
You did a great job in the trials. Hope that achilles injury gets better. Although I would reccomend you wait to get interviewed before you jog off the track like you did in the trials. I can understand how that doesn't feel like the best time to talk to people while your still recovering from a hard run, but for our sports sake it would be nice to hear your views on TV.
Greg posted July 13 at 11:20am.
Gabe ignore all the negative comments. like Galen said, "if people want to find something to hate about you they will. "

You are one of the many people who have revitalized the image of the sport with your wild personality.
Keep it up!
What's That? posted July 13 at 9:00am.
Hey, Gabe's the one who said he wanted Webb. Completely wrong focus by Gabe as always. Maybe the field was "running like girls" but they were running like girls who had the standard, didn't go around saying crazy things, doing crazy things, wasting their talent by beating bongo's, going on cross continental trips, etc. Gabe's one story away from being this generation's Gerry Lingren. So much talent.......just completely wasted.
... posted July 13 at 8:51am.
Whoever says you didn't race well is utterly wrong. You just didn't have a very good position going into the race without the A standard, and the field went out terribly slow (61 first lap?). You had no other choice but to take the lead and try to make up for lost time, which is a very difficult thing to do in a race. And what? "You couldn't even beat A Webb", well Alan Webb certainly didn't lead the race and push the field for the entire second and third lap. He was running like a girl, just like everyone else who already had the standard.
Runningman posted July 12 at 10:31pm.
Gabe you didn't race well in the finals and Ahmed had to bull his way through to try to make something happen. If you really want to get your soul together, try Jesus, you can't do it by yourself. If you want to get your running together, stay off the stupid bike for long periods of time. I wish you the best and I hope that your commitment to track is long term and not just a fancy.
Brent posted July 12 at 9:52pm.
gabe, your participation in track is a huge inspiration. you are a renaissance man, but seeing you fully committed to track again is awesome...keep being you and finding your own inspiration and i will keep being a fan, cheering for you at every turn.
Phil posted July 12 at 7:31pm.
Lots of potential but without the necessary long-term committment to achieve his potential, really kind of sad and frustrating, probably more for his fans than for him. True enough that he has always "run" to the beat of his own drum but it would have been interestig to see what he could have done during a "prime" six years of his life and left the cycling for later......ah well, makes a good story for the press.
Chris Seyler posted July 12 at 6:28pm.
Gabe, great prelims before the finals! If you ever get a chance, bike Europe! I was on that road last summer... it is great cross-trainning!
What's That? posted July 12 at 6:09pm.
Sorry Gabe, you had one of the best opportunities to do even better than you have achieved. Sadly your little bike excursion ruined that. You need to go quietly into the sunset and go bang some bongos. Hell, you couldn't even beat A Webb, wasn't that who you wanted so badly?
Joe posted July 12 at 2:59pm.
your a true champ. when the pace was too slow to get you the A standard you didnt just mess around too look good on tv, you took off and gave your self a chance at making the team. thats how a champion runs a race.
JLF posted July 12 at 2:32pm.
Gabe is the man! I was really hoping that he would qualify for Beijing. Its so cool having him as an elite runner because he's from Wisconsin and I'm from Wisconsin.

good luck Gabe in the future!
Jason Houghtaling posted July 12 at 11:09am.
Gabe-
It was inspiring and enjoyable to watch you run at the trials, best of luck in your training.
Brandon Qu posted July 12 at 2:30am.
if you are going to humboldt between the 27th of july and aug 1st, then i may see you!
Hahaha posted July 11 at 11:49pm.
dude you know whats good, drum and dance camp? the workout of champs
Anonymous Coward posted July 11 at 8:39pm.
Gabe !! You are so awesome in keeping things in perspective and putting 1st things 1st. Im glad that you take time to rejuv your soul, without taking care of what makes you, you ...everything else would be out of balance. Keep going - I am anxious to see what is next for ya...Good Luck
Geoff posted July 11 at 6:03pm.
Go Gabe! Can't wait to see what you can do in the future, your a strong runner and inspirational to us all!!!
Rob Jackson posted July 11 at 11:20am.
Gabe, You keep your head up.Get over the injury,and come back stronger than ever.Later for the nay sayers they don't really understand what goes in to becoming a champion.Some folks don't have a clue.I love you,take care of yourself.Hope to see you running in August.Peace.
Magnolia posted July 11 at 12:33am.
Hey Gabe! Long time no see. I am glad to see you now. Best wishes in everything. Happy Summer. Peace and Love. -Megan
Dave posted July 11 at 12:14am.
Go Gabe! There are a lot of people rooting for you.
Scot Sedley posted July 10 at 5:34pm.
Just the beginning. I love it.
The Dude posted July 10 at 4:19pm.
nice


About Gabe Jennings

Gabe Jennings has always “run” to the beat of his own drum. After becoming an Olympic Trials 1500 meter champion in 2000, and representing the United States in Sydney, Gabe suddenly took a hiatus from the sport. Following, a 6,000 mile bike ride to South America, featuring many adventures, Gabe began a comeback in the sport in 2006. Supported by the shoe sponsor Saucony, Gabe’s return to the track has been very successful. In 2007 he finished 3rd in the US championships indoor mile, and most recently had a strong 2008 campaign where he won several Oregon twilight meets and made the finals of the Olympic Trials 1500 meter race. Gabe continues to be an elite middle distance runner and one of the most intriguing individuals in the sport.

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