 |
DyeStat 2001 Indoor
March 10-11, 2001
Prince Georges County Sports & Learning Complex, Landover MD
Nike Indoor Classic
Overlooked Accomplishment:
Ryan Deak
by Jake Klim
The Nike Indoor Classic Meet was highlighted by Alan Webb's 8:45 2 mile run. Yet moments before Webb began his trek to victory, a young man strolled across the finish line in first wearing a blue and white singlet with the word 'Maclay' written across it.
Looking at the clock one would think, 9:29-not a bad 'slow heat' time, but then if you were to look at his bib number, then look at his age, one would see that this young man is a freshman. A freshman? Yes a freshman and this particular freshman had just broken the national freshman indoor 2 mile record. None of the various press personnel surrounded him; he was left in solitude walking wearily with his hands on his hips trying to take in the accomplishment he had just made.
"Are you Ryan Deak?" I asked. "Yes sir" was his reply, "You just broke the freshman record," still not noticing anyone else around I asked, "Didn't you?" "Yes sir" again was his reply, "It hurt, it hurt like anything."
The 5' 2", 98 pound Deak, sporting the remnants of a mohawk, was a good 4 inches shorter than the rest of the field but he was from start to finish in the heat of the race before surging on his last lap to gain victory. "My plan was to break the freshman record, it was a goal I set for myself at the end of cross country season," said Deak.
The outdoor frosh record is a bit more steep; 9:04.4 by Eric Hulst of Lagana Beach, CA in 1973. Can Deak manage this feat? "I want to keep improving my times in high school," said Deak "I want to break 9 minutes in the 2 mile." Deak's manner was that of a perfect gentleman but do not think that Deak is as polite on the track as he is off, "When I am running, I put on my game face and I try to get myself pumped up."
Ryan Deak is the next prep in a recent string of runners to make an impression on the national level. Deak has been running since a very young age, 9, which could be attributed to his early success; he had close to six years of running experience before joining his high school squad. Most high school runners do not start running until high school and at the earliest middle school. Instead their focus is usually on soccer and other sports.
"Commitment!" as Deak puts it will put US distance running back on the map. Kenyans, like Deak, train at an extremely young age and many have attributed this to their overpowering success, aside from obvious genetics. Surprisingly Deak has somewhat of a maintained running schedule running 50 mile weeks, but the quality of work during the week is quite intense. "I do two speed workouts, one tempo run that is about 6 miles long (with the last 3 miles at 5:20 pace or faster) and one long run that is usually 12 miles." Deak adds "The courses I run on by my school are hilly, I LOVE training I LOVE to run, I am happy as long as I am running." And on the spare time what does Deak do aside from hanging around with friends? He reads running books.
When asked about how he feels on the recent reemergence of prep distance running Deak explains that better coaches are the main reason why runners are running faster, "Kids are willing to train harder." Deak looks up to his coach Gary Droze as a hero figure and a main reason for his improvement. He also looks up to high school distance phenoms Dathan Ritzenhein and Alan Webb. "(Dathan) Ritz (enhein) and (Alan) Webb are great role models, I admire both of them a lot. I love seeing them race, It looks like they are flying when they are running. It's truly amazing." Deak also states that Kentucky native Bobby Curtis is another young prep to watch in the years to come. (Curtis, only a sophomore, was victorious in the mile at the NIC).
Deak's fame will grow, his Tallahassee high school team is already the best team in the state and much of the Florida running community hopes to watch him blossom. "Most people will want to see where I want to go from here, they want to see if I can do it again" (referring to his deuce). Deak's family and friends know all about his accomplishments, "They are really supportive of me. My parents get out the word about my running to my relatives. My grandparents on both sides of the family are very supportive, they go to a lot of my races." Ryan's father Bob is especially supportive, he coached his son before high school and frequently communicates with other running aficionados via message boards and through emails.
Deak's future goals include dipping under 9 minutes for the 2 mile in high school and placing in the top 10 of the NCAA Cross Country championships before leaving college. Deak also hopes to eventually run sub 13:30 for the 5K as an ultimate goal. The sky is the limit for this talented freshman, no goal is unreachable or unmaintainable and perhaps the Florida native will be a major factor in American distance running in 10 years, he already has made a name for himself; the only thing he has left to do is improve.
Some Impressive Facts about Ryan Deak:
- Started running - Age 9
- 7th grade - 9:54 3200m, 4:42 1600m
- 8th grade - 9:32 3200m, 4:26 1600m
- Also has run 2:00 for 800m
Return to Nike Indoor Classic results
