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Saturday, May 06, 2000 By Paul Zeise, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
As an elite marathoner since 1994, Mark Coogan has access to the best coaches and trainers in the world.
But that doesn't mean he isn't open to other suggestions on how to run the U.S. Olympic marathon trials tomorrow, even when a suggestion comes from a 6-year-old.
"My daughter, Katrina, came to me last week and told me she figured out why I was having trouble winning races recently," Coogan said. "She said in gym class that day they learned how to run a race, and the teacher told her to start out slow and then go fast at the end. So she tells me, 'That's your problem, Daddy, you start out too fast.' "
Coogan, a 1996 Olympian, laughed when he told the story, but added, "There is an element of truth to what she said. I feel I am one of the best closers in the race. The key for me will be how much I can hang around the pack and preserve my energy for that final two miles."
If Coogan is among the leaders at the 23-mile mark, he might just have an ace in the hole. The 23-mile mark is on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield, a neighborhood that has embraced Coogan.
As part of the adopt-a-runner program, Coogan has been corresponding with children at Immaculate Conception School on Edmund Street. He was treated to a hero's welcome there Thursday. The school distributed T-shirts with his name on them, and each child came up with a cheer to shout when he runs by. He also got a free haircut at a barbershop on Liberty Avenue, where the owner hung Coogan's poster on the wall and distributed Coogan T-shirts to customers.
"That was such a great time for me, and the people were so warm and friendly; it was a wonderful experience," Coogan said. "And that neighborhood is the perfect place on the course for a lift."
Coogan's wife, Gwyn, ran the 10,000 meters in the Atlanta Olympics. In February, she failed to make the women's Olympic marathon team when heat forced her to drop out of the Olympic trials race in South Carolina.
Her husband, some say, is better at running in the heat.
"Mark has the confidence necessary to make the U.S. Olympic team again," two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone wrote recently on Runners World Online. "He knows what it takes to run well in this type of race. His most recent race results indicate a very high fitness level, and he seems to be peaking at the right time. Has run well in warm marathons as indicated by his Pan Am performance of a few years ago."Tomorrow's race will only be the third marathon Coogan, 34, has run since the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Wanting to preserve his body and prolong his career, he has run more track and shorter road races. The strategy has worked, and Coogan said he is the healthiest he has been in his career.
"I don't think people understand that your body takes a pounding from these marathons," Coogan said. "You only have so many in you, especially competing at the level we are at. So you have to pick your spots and choose your runs wisely."
Because he has endorsements with Oakley Sunglasses, Power Bar and New Balance and can accept prize money when he races, he does not have a full-time job other than caring for Katrina and his other daughter, Margaret, a year old.
He also is feeling optimistic because of a major change in his training regimen. His wife, Gwyn, teaches math at Hood College in Maryland, so the family recently moved from Boulder, Colo., to Frederick.
The change was tough at first because there are fewer elite runners in Maryland, but Coogan has found that to be a benefit not a hindrance.
"I think in the past I have actually trained too hard in order to keep up with all of the great runners I would train with," Coogan said. "And often I found myself doing other guys' workouts, whereas they might not have been best-suited for me.
"Now, I have one coach who works me out at a pace that is my own. My workouts are much more productive, and I don't feel worn down as much. That's a good thing."
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