Interview With MEG HOGAN | eliterunning.com

Who is the best collegiate distance runner you’ve never heard of? Hogan is certainly one of the fastest distance runners who didn’t run at the NCAA Championships this past spring. Hogan’s only loss of the season to collegians other than Lisa Koll came at the Penn Relays, where she ran 16:12.10 to finish a close third behind Stony Brook’s Holly Van Dalen and Villanova’s Amanda Marino. Hogan dropped off when the race really heated up, but she made herself known at the top level, finished sixth in 32:52.84, and showed agents and shoe company representatives that they better be paying attention next November when she competes in her final collegiate race. Hogan finished 27th at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships after taking a hard fall early in the race, and will look to finish significantly higher in 2010. The most interesting part of Hogan’s story, and the biggest indicator of her future potential, perhaps, is the fact that she did not do any competitive running until her sophomore year of college — the fall of 2007. The Ballston Spa, New York native attended Saratoga Central Catholic School, just up the road from Saratoga Springs High School, which is known for producing star distance runners. Hogan’s first season of running, at Mount Ida College in Massachusetts, was solid, but if you didn’t know she was new to running, you probably wouldn’t have known that there was a future star in your midst. This reporter, for one, was at several of Hogan’s meets that season and, frankly, did not notice her 69th place finish at the New England Division III Regional (23:19 for 6k) or her 35th place finish at the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championships (24:17 for 6k). One year and one school later, however, she finished 96th at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, and that was just the beginning of Hogan’s rapid rise. Under NCAA rules, athletes at a Division I school that sponsors cross country but not track and field can compete in track meets, paid for by the school, on a limited basis. I moved up to varsity as a freshman in high school and I was recruited to play at the Division III level at Mount Ida College. Did you run at all in high school? When did you first realize that you had talent for running? I did not run in high school. I actually never ran; the only associations I had with running were suicides at basketball practice and Indian runs at soccer practice. My high school actually had neither a cross country team or a track team. When I started running my sophomore year of college, I realized I had a talent for running and I also fell in love with the sport. My dad ran cross country when he was in high school and he is now getting back into it. He plans on running a marathon next year. They had one of the best Interior Design schools in the country and I also went because I could play basketball there. What made you decide to transfer to George Washington, and did running play any role in that? That's when I decided to get into running. The cross country team at Mount Ida needed people and I thought it would be a great way to stay in shape for basketball. That summer I ran road races, trail races, I had no idea how to train, no idea. I was just running, and I loved it. I thought, ‘If I had to go any school in the country right now, which would it be?’ I knew I really wanted to keep running, though, so I thought I would just shoot the coach an email and see if he was interested…and he was! I chose GW mostly for the school, my life wasn't centered around running back then like it is now. At Mount Ida, we only had cross country and I didn't know the difference…I guess I thought it was normal. I think the only down side would be the inability to compete at NCAAs, which I hear isn't true anymore.* What, if any, do you think are the advantages to a “cross country only” I think some advantages to a cross country only college, for me, is that you can still run track but not have the added pressure of being in season. There is a lot more freedom in that if I'm not feeling ready for a race, it's not a big deal, I'll just run in the next meet. Also, you are running for yourself, really, for your pride and your goals. It can be difficult at times because you have to be strong mentally, but coming from someone who can easily get psyched out, I think it has made me a stronger person and a stronger runner. My first year of running I had no idea what I was doing, I was just running. Tuesdays and Fridays are workout days with a morning workout and an evening 30-minute run. Thursdays and Saturdays are 8-10 miles and Sundays are long runs. I really love the marathon, I think it's a great race. I think I might run a road race or two in August and use them as a workout. Is a professional running career something you hope to pursue full time after you finish your education? That is something I hope to pursue, I don't know what my options are, I am still a rookie to running so I guess I'll see what happens when my eligibility is up! All I am sure about is that I definitely want to continue running after college at the elite level. After two years, I would love to go to the West coast, like Oregon or the San Francisco area, or even back to the Northeast where I am from, but I would even consider leaving the country, so I really am up for anything! What are your ultimate goals in your career both in and out of running? My ultimate goals are to continue running to the best of my ability, that's all I can ask.