
Anthony Famiglietti is an athlete who knows the artist within. His web site, http://www.runfam.com, is one of the best that I have ever seen for an athlete/artist.
Fam, as he is known, is a man possessed of more talent than most. A 3:54 miler, with a 5k pb of !3:11 and 10k of of 27:36, Anthony Famiglietti has been haunted by the event with barriers-the steeplechase.
Like many of the great American steeplers before him, Horace Ashenfelter, George Young, Henry Marsh, Brian Deemer and Dan Lincoln, Fam is a man who has had his share of great and not so great races. That is what is meant by the euphamism, "Trials of Miles". Great distance runners must have highs and lows, as so much of great distance running is overcoming the demons.
Fam's breadth of experience, and his work ethic, reminds me, however, of the late great Polish runner, Bronislaw Malinowski ( 8:09, 13:17.4, 27:54). Malinowski was a total workhorse, and was also the silver medalist in 1976 and gold medalist in 1980 in distance running's most precise and painful event--the steeplechase. Part of being a great steepler, is that the athlete has to be patient, a little eccentric, well trained, and last, but not least, listen to the voice within. Fam possesses all of those.
Famiglietti is focused on the USA Cross Country championships on February 7. A nice coming out party for the athlete now sponsored by Saucony. Saucony has picked up some good athletes recently, with Fam and Magdelena Lewy Boulet.
The release below suggests that Fam is focusing on the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter distances. Like Moses KIptanui before him, Fam can run scarily well over those distances. It will be fun to watch him run fast this coming spring!
The key for Saucony is to find, as other brands have found, athletes whose spirit and voice parallels the brand. Loyal to the sport is a great moniker for Fam. A distance runner who has run well in cross, on the roads and on the track, Anthony is a talented, spirited distance runner, looking for that one race that defines a career....nice job, Saucony and good luck Fam this year.
( Fam is redoing his website, in the past, his paintings have been up. Quite talented painter as well. Check out his photo section, http://www.runfam.com/photos/, which was done by someone possessed with a painters' wiring.