2005 USA JUNIOR OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Rebekah Noble
Reported by Parker Morse

Becca Noble. (Photo by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Rebekah (Becca) Noble, a recent graduate of Spokane's Rogers High School — alma mater of Gerry Lindgren, among others — won the junior women's 800m over Sarah Bowman by coming from far behind and closing faster than anyone else in the race. While Noble only came to the announcer's attention in the last few hundred meters, she actually launched her kick from 350m out. Her winning time was 2:03.73. Noble will attend the University of Oregon in the fall.

Q: How did you feel about your race?
Rebekah Noble: It worked pretty well. I was pretty excited.

Q: At halfway, you were pretty well back in the field, weren't you?
RN: I was last, or something, yeah. I just got stuck in the back, but I went outside and stayed with them, and covered the moves, and that's what really helped.

Q: When did you move outside?
RN: With about 350m to go.

Q: Do you get worried, being in the back like that?
RN: A little bit, but not in that race. I went to the outside, because I saw some light there, and that let me cover their moves. I was right there at 300, then there was just three of us.

Q: That was a PR, right?
RN: Yes, by three seconds. Yesterday I heard some guy say that 2:04 was going to win it, so we just kept saying, '2:03. Why not?' And it happened, too. I guess it worked out pretty well.

Q: Tell us about your visit to Hayward Field.
RN: Oh, I loved it. We watched a meet there, and walked around the stadium. Going inside the track was just amazing, I loved that place and that atmosphere. Even though it's not the same track as when Pre was there, he's still there to me. I got a shirt that says 'Go Pre' yesterday, so I'm pretty excited to wear that down there.

Q: It doesn't bother you at all that the coaching situation is up in the air?
RN: No. I'm kind of sad that [Marnie Mason] isn't going to be there, because I really connected with her, but I know the coach who might go down there next year, Pat Tyson, and I love him and I know how he coaches.

Q: We heard they're looking forward to you.
RN: My coach told me, when we were there for the Prefontaine Classic, how in the stands you can hear them screaming and stamping their feet on the backstretch. That's one of the reasons I'm excited to go there, in the next couple of months. It's going to be a good team, and I'm pretty excited to help them out. They've had good runners coming through.

Q: You ran a pretty big negative split today. Is that how you usually run?
RN: When I ran 2:06, I ran 67 and 59. It was a bit slow getting started. Today it was more even, with more competition. It helps to be a 400 runner, with 200 left to go.

Q: Will you go to Pan Am Juniors?
RN: Oh, yes. I'm not sure what I could do there. Maybe 2:01, 2:02? I'm very excited to go there.

Q: Will you keep running the 400/800 double?
RN: Maybe. We might not run the 400m. I might do the 800 and 1,500, and the 4x400. I'm still going to run 400s, but probably just on the relay. That's fine with me, because I've run a lot of 400s, and I like the relay.

Q: What does the rest of your summer look like?
RN: After the Pan Am Games, then we're going to do the Junior Olympics in my town, and the nationals in that. Then we'll get ready for cross country in college.

Steve Kiesel is Becca Noble's coach at Rogers High School.

Q: Was the negative split in the plans?
Steve Kiesel: That's just the way she is. When she beat Brie Felnagle at the Lake Washington Invitational back in May, she actually ran 67 for the first lap and then came back in 59. We've been working nothing but even splits, trying to run her as even as possible. She's got the strength and the speed, that if she gets in a showdown in that last 100m with someone who sprints, she's got the strength and the speed to carry her through.

Q: Was she last at the 400 mark?
SK: No, actually I think she was next to last. She was trapped on the rail, up to the 400, then it opened up a little and she moved to the outside and got free. She got herself in position on the back straight, and with 200m to go, she took off.

Q: Do you do mental preparation for being in the back like that?
SK: We talk through every scenario possible. We don't want to underrate her, and we don't want to be boxed, so we talk about staying outside a little bit. But you have to have plan A, B, and C, so we talk about those extensively. Whatever pace it's going to be, you've gotta be ready.

Q: The 800m is a one-move race, so you really have to pick the right one.
SK: We talked about that yesterday, how when Heidi [Magill] took off, she was a little bit boxed, she couldn't get around the girl, and Heidi got a gap on her. We said, 'You can't make that same mistake today. You have to be in position with 300 to go, or you're going to lose this race.' So she got herself outside with 300 to go, and when she gets into full flight, there's no one who's going to beat her. She's just got that strength from being in the weight room for the last four years. God just gave her the speed.

Q: Did you expect such a big PR?
SK: I don't want to sound overconfident, but I thought she could run 2:03. Definitely. When she ran 2:06, it was just too easy for her. And the way she did it was completely against all 800 logic. With a negative split that big, from 67 to 59, you just don't do that in the 800. If she could even the splits out, definitely.

(Interview conducted June 24, 2005.)