Full Beard or Mustache: An inside look at Mark McCauley

1.   

Interview with Greely senior Mark McCauley. McCauley is running in the 800m at the NIN Championships in Boston, and comes in with the #4 time in the country this winter, 1:54.16. McCauley won the Mile & 800m races at the Maine Class BIndoor State Championship in February. Last weekend, he finished 2nd in the mile at the New England Championships, running a huge lifetime best of 4:15.43 (US#15)

 

C  Can you talk about your Mile at the New England meet last week where you finished 2nd after pushing the pace from 800m. What was your race plan heading into it?  How about time goals, before the race you had never broken 4:20 or been in any competitive mile races.  Did you know that Will Geoghegan (NE mile winner) was coming up on the inside with a 100m to go?

 

The plan had initially been, at least in my mind, to push the pace from the gun. That didn’t necessarily mean I wanted to lead wire to wire, but I knew somebody had to stick their neck out there and make it a fast race. However, my start was rather abysmal, and I suffered from poor positioning through the first half mile. After going through in 2:12-2:13, I knew that if I didn’t take the lead the race would’ve finished in around 4:20 and most likely gone to the fastest sprinter. I’ll take my chances in that scenario any day. But I didn’t go down there just to win, I wanted to run fast. So with 600 left I tried to gap the field and Will was the only one who followed. I’m obviously still kicking myself for wandering out in lane 2 on the back straight of that final lap, but if anyone was going to seize an opportunity that opened up (literally) it was going to be Will. He’s is by far the gutsiest runner I’ve ever faced, and my hat goes off to him.

 

2.       You’ve had one of the top 3 800m times in the country all season, after you dropped a 1:54.16, on a flat track where you won by over 11 seconds. What are your goals heading into the NIN meet this weekend?  How much faster do you think you can run?

 

The goal going into any competition like this is always to have fun and savor the experience. That being said, however, I always race to win. And I plan on running to my potential, which I believe is a bit faster than where it is today on paper.

 

 

 

3.        You didn’t compete in any big invites during the indoor season, do you think that will hurt your chances this weekend or help you because you’ve got fresh legs?

 

Invitational’s obviously help you get the race experience you need to perform well when it counts. The fact that I didn’t run in any this season wasn’t part of a methodology of any sorts, everything just kind of unraveled this way. I’ve run in big meets before and I’ve learned from my mistakes, so I have complete confidence in myself heading into this weekend.

 

 

4.       Mark you’re headed to Columbia next year to continue you’re running career. Can you talk about what made you choose Columbia? Also what other schools where you looking at? What event do you see yourself focusing on at the next level?

 

I chose Columbia for several reasons. Firstly, the academics are top-notch and I had a hard time turning down such an opportunity. The fact that the school is on the Upper-West Side of Manhattan was also very appealing, as there isn’t any other place quite like it. And finally the team has a rich tradition of successful middle distance running. The coaches are phenomenal, the facilities are great, and I’m going to be surrounded with the type of talent I need in order to excel. I obviously see myself continuing to run the 800, but I also feel like I could be a pretty successful miler if given the opportunity.

  

5.       You run at Greely under distance coach David Dowling, who has coached some of the state’s best distance runners in his career (Most Notably Ben True as well as advising the Taye brothers when they were in Maine). What has Coach Dowling meant to your development over the last 4 years?  What is the one staple workout he has you do that gives you the confidence you are ready to run fast?

 

David Dowling has meant everything to my running career thus far. He’s had a very successful career himself in coaching, and as a result it’s difficult not to put all my faith in him. I’ve learned to truly believe every word says, especially when he tells me what I am capable of doing. And I think its that mental development that has helped me so much. As for workouts, he likes to keep us guessing so we have a lot of variety. One of my favorites we did was 4x400 at 800m pace. When I can stay on pace for that, I know I’m in pretty good shape.

 

6.       Looking ahead to the outdoor season, what are your goals in the 800m & mile time wise? Any records that you have your eyes on, the all-time state best outdoors for 800m is 1:53.8 and the Mile is 4:10.0. Do you think you’ll run in any big invitational’s to get better competition?

 

This outdoor season should be pretty interesting. I’m looking forward to maintaining and improving on my current fitness in the coming months. If I can do that then I think all records are up for grabs. In my opinion, we have some of the best competition right here in the State of Maine, and I would love to see us cross the class boundaries a bit more. Perhaps a Maine State Distance Gala? Who knows, maybe I’ll organize it. It’s a bit too hot in North Carolina in June.


          So you have had some good looks this winter, full beard & Prefontaine mustache most notably, do you have any more planned? I see you have inspired Will Geoghegan to start growing his facial hair in an attempt to match you.

 

I love to see that the competition has risen to another level. Although it’s a shame that Will has to compete with me in terms of facial hair. I wouldn’t wish that upon anybody. All I can say is: stay tuned for the spring look.