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Sole Man

A Colorado dark horse boosts America's marathon hopes.

A A A Comments By Eric Dexheimer Thursday, Apr 15 2004

He finished 24th at the national cross-country championships his senior year. "I should've been the top one or two in the country." But he adds, the experience was useful: "I'd never pushed to see how hard I could train. I learned how not to go over the edge."

These days, the job of running fast has earned him a comfortable, even relatively grand life. His house is large and nicely located. He has been sponsored by Adidas since he graduated from college, and he has become a recognizable-enough runner that he earns fees just for showing up at races.

Tony Gallagher

Alan Culpepper is set for the long run.

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A couple hundred spectators might show up at a 10k championship. By comparison, the marathon is a marquee run, and the rewards can be handsome. A win at a prestigious marathon can be worth more than $100,000. Culpepper's Birmingham victory earned him $85,000 and a trip to Athens.

After the trials, Culpepper took three weeks off from training. "I don't even skip across the street," he says. The respite was a mixture of recovery, relief and restlessness. "I don't miss the training at all. But food doesn't taste as good, and I don't sleep as well." On March 1 he started running again. It will take him another two months to get into marathon shape.

The last Olympic Games Culpepper attended ended in tears. He arrived at Sydney in the best shape of his life. But five days before the 10,000-meter run, he came down with a bad cold. His chest tightened by congestion, he finished last in his heat and failed to qualify for the event's final. This trip, he says, he'll be more careful: Instead of staying in the Olympic Village, he's booked a private hotel room.

And, despite the dismal U.S. record in recent years, this summer's Athens marathon actually gives American runners reason to hope. In contrast to autumn in Chicago, New York and London, where cool temperatures have resulted in many of the world's fastest times, Greece in August means this competition could be more a test of survival than speed.

"It's going to be hot, humid, nasty and polluted," notes Plaatjes. "When the conditions get that terrible," adds Burfoot, "you throw out all the rules. Anyone can win."