by Jeff Benjamin
Donavan Brazier, his race be won, photo by PhotoRun.net
Donavan Brazier had an excellent weekend in Albuquerque. In the semi final, Brazier lead and won his heat, staying out of trouble. In the final, Brazier stayed on Eric Sowinski’s shoulder. Then, with 200 meters to go, Brazier used his intense speed and took off, running away to the finish, winning in 1:45.10 PB.
Here’s a quick interview that Jeff Benjamin did with Donavan. Jeff sent questions and reached out and we are posting them as they come in, post editing. Congrats Donavan Brazier!
Jeff Benjamin and Donavan Brazier, from Millrose 2018, photo by Jeff Benjamin
7 Quick Questions for the Very Quick Donovan Brazier! By Jeff Benjamin- 2/20
Donavan Brazier: “I got into running at a very young age. Like the rest of the elementary school kids at the time, twice a year we would have to run a mile. At the time, running a mile, seemed like a marathon. We would run this mile and year after year I would come in first and improve my times. So I always knew that I could be good at running because of early indicators like that. I didn’t get into track though, until about 8th grade when I was placed in the 800m event. I wasn’t the best at the time, even struggling to make the 4X8 relay. But as I developed more going into high school, my freshman and sophomore year I really started to get the swing of things.”
RunBlogRun, 2) Did you consider yourself a slow or fast developer?
Donavan Brazier: “I considered myself a pretty fast developer. Looking back on my high school times I went from being a 2:06 guy my freshman year to a 1:54 guy my sophomore year to a 1:48 guy my junior year, so I continued to improve at a faster rate than most. I think it was just because I developed and matured more and more each year as I continued to grow.”
RunBlogRun, 3) What was your most memorable high school performance?
Donavan Brazier: “My most memorable high school race was in my sophomore year of high school. I had made the state meet in the 800m and I was ranked like 15th going in. But for some reason, I was able to pull something out ofthat race and came runner up that year as a sophmore. The reason it meant so much was because that’s when I started to receive emails and getting contacted by college coaches. So that race made me realize that I would be running for more than just my high school years.”
RunBlogRun, 4) How’s it different in being a Pro Athlete?
Donavan Brazier: “Being a pro athlete is different, because, as a pro you don’t have an actual team that you travel with, that you share a room with, that you eat with while you on the road. You even train by (separately) so its way more individualized. Also, it’s a lot more depth every time you race so you have to be on your “A” game.”
RunBlogRun, 5) What Training philosophy are you following?
Donavan Brazier: “I am currently training with my collegiate coach, Alleyene Francique, down at the University of Texas A&M. He trained me to a 1:43 my freshman year so I decided to stay with him after signing with NIKE. He is a 400m runner, so he of course leans more towards the speed side of the 800 meters.”
Donavan Brazier: “I do some sorts of weights. I’m starting to just now kind of ease my way more into lifting like the olympic lifts and stuff like that but a lot of time in the weight room is mainly for core.”
RunBlogRun, 7) What advice can you give to young Runners?
Donavan Brazier: “The advice I would give to young runner is to have fun with it, especially those who want to prolong their career to the collegians or potentially professional stage. It’s important to train hard and work towards your goals everyday and surround yourself with others that wish to do the same, and if you can have fun and really enjoy it on the way then it won’t feel like a chore day after day. You’ll look forward to it!”
