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American Record Holder After 2000 Disappointment, Kennedy's Passion is Renewed
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In so many ways, Bob Kennedy was the poster child for US distance running for more than a decade. He was an athlete who built on the promise and expectations of high school and college success at Westerville North High School and Indiana University and gradually transformed it into preeminence never before witnessed in American distance running.
Now, nearly 13 years after he won the NCAA Cross Country title as an outlandishly confident freshman, and after setting American records at 3000 and 5000 meters since, Kennedy, after injury-induced disappointment at the 2000 Olympic Trials, is almost on the verge of starting over. "Last year, circumstances forced me to take a break and start from scratch," he told reporters yesterday, referring to a back injury sustained during a car accident in May. Six weeks of valuable training time were lost, and Kennedy, the US brightest hope for Sydney distance metal, couldn't finish higher than 6th in Sacramento, missing a shot at a third straight Olympic 5000 meter appearance. This Sunday, Kennedy returns to familiar race setting where he first made his mark in American running, at the National Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wa., where he will vie for spot to compete in the World Championships in Dublin, Ireland in late March. Kennedy was a two-time NCAA champion in cross country and in 1992 was the first runner to win both the NCAA and US crowns in 32 years. His expectations for this weekend? "I expect to win." Without hesitation. His foray onto the cross country course is just one element of his 2001 comeback plan, which includes an assault on the US record of 27:20.56 in the 10,000 meters, set by Mark Nenow in 1986. "I think that if you prepare properly for cross country, then you're preparing your aerobic base properly for the outdoor season, and that's really why I run cross country is to do the work and have a goal for the short term to make it worthwhile, as opposed to just training with nothing else happening. This year it's particularly important to me because I haven't raced effectively for quite a while and I want to get back to the point where I'm racing well." His back injury, he says, is now a non-issue. "I've had no problems since the trials, and I've allowed time for it to heal completely." After a 27:38.37 debut at 10,000 meters in 1999, his plan was to focus on the longest track distance, but his injury prevented it. The 2000 disappointment, said Kennedy, "taught me a lot about myself. I remember (Olympic Gold Medallist) Billy Mills, at the high school national cross country championships, telling us that running is about the journey, and not the end result. I've always known that, but it's become more clear. Now, I'm certainly more passionate about running." "I feel that right now, at this point in the season, that I'm in better shape --probably the best base shape-than I've been in 3 or 4 years." As a longtime professional runner, Kennedy admits that training and running can become monotonous and tedious, but after a 2000 season that was short on competition and long on soul searching, his mission has been renewed. "Now I'm back to the point where I love to run and love to compete."
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