2005 NCAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Renee Metivier
Reported by Parker Morse

Renee Metivier wins the 3,000 at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. (Both photos by Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Renee Metivier runs at the 2005 USA Cross Country Championships.

Renee Metivier, running her final collegiate seasons for the University of Colorado, won the NCAA Indoor 3,000m title less than 24 hours after finishing sixth in the 5,000m, where she had led much of the race. Metivier was second twice in the NCAA Cross Country Championships: in 2001, at Furman, where she followed Tara Chaplin to the line, and again in 2004, in Terre Haute, Indiana, where Kim Smith demolished the field and Metivier ran alone in second.

In February, four weeks before the NCAA Indoor meet, Metivier ran the USA Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Washington, and placed seventh in the 8K, which earned her a spot on the U.S. team at the World Cross Country championships (after Jen Rhines withdrew). Metivier headed to France for the Worlds the day after the indoor meet in Arkansas.

Fast-Women.com talked to Metivier after her 3,000m victory. She had been spiked in her right ankle, and was bleeding on her sock and shoe.

Fast-Women.com: It looks like they really dug in to you.
Renee Metivier: It was a packed race. It went out really slow, it was pretty tactical, because we'd all raced already. I hadn't run as well the day before, and today I was like, 'That's it, today I'm going to put it all out there and run smart.' I don't normally get associated with that in [terms of] race strategy.

FW: You told us in November, after cross country, that you were going to come back and get an individual title. Did you plan on doing that tonight, or last night in the 5,000m?
RM: I expected it to be yesterday. Today was supposed to be the fun race, to see what I could do. I don't know what happened to me yesterday, my legs weren't ready. I didn't run the smartest race, for me, and I did something wrong before the race. But I came back today, and was like, 'This is it, I've waited five years for this opportunity.' I was going to run the smartest tactical race I could run, and that's basically what I did. I wasn't going to let anyone take it from me today.

FW: Coming into the last lap, with Adriana Pirtea still in the lead, did you feel like you could do it?
RM: I think with about 150 to go, I said to myself, 'That's it, this is mine.' I haven't run a race recently where I was a kicker, but that's what I used to be. It used to be my race strategy, and I played on it today. I didn't know, for 90% of that race, that I was going to win, but I was going to make it so whoever did win was going to have to bleed. But I guess it's me who's bleeding!

I was happy with how it played out. I feel bad for Sara Bei, who ended up having a tumble with about 400m to go, that's got to be heartbreaking for her. But that's what happens in these races. I don't know how that happened, but it almost took me down. You never know. It happened to me at conference last year, I was leading, and somebody stepped on my foot from behind. I went down and got last, I couldn't even make it up. At the end of a race, it's hard to recover.

FW: So you're turning around next week for World Cross.
RM: Yes, I'm so excited to go to France and represent the US It's 8K, which is a long race for me, but I hope to do well for the US, and I think I'll do well over there.

FW: When did you start thinking about trying to make the Worlds team?
RM: Probably in December or January. I had a really strong cross season. Cross country is really my best, one of my best, seasons, because strength runners are traditionally better at that sport. And that's what I am, I'm muscular, I'm short, I'm compact, I'm good at hills. I wanted to do it because it's my last year for CU, but at the same time I didn't want to compromise my team obligations. So I sat down with Coach Wetmore, and we discussed it. We made my race schedule so it wouldn't interfere; I raced early to get my qualifying standards, and I still tripled at Conference, which was fun.

FW: Was it a decision you made, then worked out with him, or did he suggest it?
RM: It was a mutual decision. We hadn't really thought about it, but then we have Jorge Torres as one of our assistant coaches, and he was going [to Nationals] so he mentioned it. Then Coach Wetmore and I sat down. I really wanted to go, because I love cross country. Coach Wetmore wanted me to go because he thought I had a legitimate shot at making it.

FW: So what's up for the spring? Have you thought about that?
RM: We have. Colorado traditionally focuses on outdoors more than indoors. Whatever happens in indoors is more of an appetizer for the main course, the outdoor nationals, the US nationals, and hopefully the World Championships.

FW: 5,000m or 10,000m?
RM: I've never run a 10,000m. I don't think it will be in my immediate future, but along the line I think I'll venture up to that. For now it's going to be the five. I might run a steeple. I did one three years ago, but it's been a while. They actually have it at the World Championships this year, so I might run a few of those and see how it goes. But the 5,000m is going to be my bread and butter.

(Interview conducted March 12, 2005, and posted March 18, 2005.)