Interview with Kim Smith
by Shannon Martin

Kim Smith running in the 2005 Freihofer's 5K, where she placed second with a time of 15:41.
Photo by: Alison Wade
New york Road Runners

Kim Smith, 24, already stands as the fastest female miler, 5K, and 10K runner in New Zealand history. A graduate of Providence College in Rhode Island, the Auckland native won four NCAA titles in only two seasons with the Friars before graduating with a degree in Social Science in 2005. After graduation, Smith chose to stay in Providence training under the guidance of her coach Ray Treacy.

Although she spent most of 2006 on the sidelines with an Achilles tendon tear and then a blood clot in her lung, Smith returned in June, running a local 5K road race and later running on the European track circuit where she broke her own New Zealand record in the 5000 meters with a new personal best time of 14:56. Smith represented Oceania at the IAAF World Cup in Athens, where she finished fourth in the 5000 meters.

Smith returns to run the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile on Saturday September 30. She set the early pace in last year’s Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile before eventually finishing eighth. Fast-women.com caught up with Smith in Providence a few days before she left for New York.

Fast-Women.com: You just came back from the World Cup in Athens where you competed in the 5000 meters. Are you ready to switch gears and head down to New York City for the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile?
Kim Smith: I did this race last year and it was a lot of fun. It’s kind of a different race to run on the road. Usually, you do a 5K or whatever on the road, so the Fifth Avenue Mile is an exciting race because of how different it is. I’m looking forward to it.

FW: Being that you are a 5K and 10K specialist, what type of strategy do you use going into a much shorter race, like this one?
KS: I don’t really have a specific strategy but last year I went out really hard. When I am running a mile, I think that I have to run really fast because it is so short, but this year, I’m going to try to hold back a bit.

FW: You struggled with your health earlier in the year with your Achilles injury and then the blood clot in your lung. How does your health feel these days?
KS: My injury is better and my health is great at the moment. It’s been a better year than I thought and I recovered much more quickly than I thought. I honestly didn’t know if I’d race at all this year. Running PBs on the track this year in Europe was a big surprise; it was really great to get back after all of the health problems.

FW: Tell me more about your races in Europe this summer.
KS: It was a lot of fun over there; I met a lot of nice people and the races went well. I ran 15:12 in my first 5K, which is close to what I am running when I am at best, so that, was encouraging. Then, I did a 3K and ran a PB in London, an 8:47, and then in Brussels I ran 14:56 in the 5K, which was my first time under 15:00 outdoors.

FW: Your first race back was in mid-June, so I’m curious about how you decided to do the European track circuit and what type of training you did to prepare for these races.
KS: I did a 5K local road race, just to see where I was at. I ran okay, so after that my coach and I decided for me to run in Europe, and see how it went. First of all, he just wanted me to do 1500s and 3Ks over there because he wasn’t sure that I would be fit enough to run 5Ks, but then I seemed to get fitter every week, so it worked out well.

FW: Where were you primarily based when you were in Europe?
KS: I was in Belgium with the group of athletes over there.

FW: So, you were in Leuven, where some of the Mammoth Lakes and Minnesota athletes were?
KS: Yeah, Lauren Fleshman was there. I traveled with her last year as well, so it was nice to see her again. Jen Rhines was also there.

FW: So, did you train with these ladies?
KS: Well, actually, I had Amy Rudolph, Rosin McGettigan, Mary Cullen, and some of the other Providence girls with me for the first month, so I spent most of my training time with them. I went to Europe twice actually. The first time I went for a month and then I came home for a month and then I went there again for about a month. The Providence girls were there the first month I was there; it was great having them there. Then during the second month, I trained a lot with Lauren Fleshman and Jen Rhines.

FW: Speaking of Providence, how do you like living and training there?
KS: It’s really great. I have great training partners and Amy Mortimer is coming up this week I think, to join us. That’s exciting. It’s just a really good group to train with. A lot of people wonder why you want to live and train here because it gets so cold, but I think training partners and your coach are the main things that make you run well.

FW: What does a typical week of training look like for you?
KS: In fall training, I run about 80 to 85 miles a week and I do a workout as well as a tempo run.

FW: Is there a particular race that you are gearing up for soon or are you going to begin recovering from your track season?
KS: Everything kind of changed last year when I got sick. I was injured in the Commonwealth Games and then I wasn’t able to run at all. Before that, I kind of wanted to start looking into a half-marathon or something, just to see how I would fare at longer distances, but I am not really sure what I am going to do now.

FW: What about looking a bit further into the future? Are you seeking to compete in the 2008 Olympics?
KS: Yes, definitely, I’d like to do the 10K in 2008 and then look into doing marathons after that.

FW: So, you are taking a route that many middle-distance runners take, gradually building up to become a marathon specialist?
KS: Yes, that’s right. I’d like to start this progression at a younger age than many others do. A lot of runners start transitioning into marathons when they are older, like 30ish, but I kind of want to start much sooner than that. People are starting to do that I guess.

FW: So far in your running career, have you preferred running on the roads, cross country, or running on the track?
KS: I prefer running on the track I think. I haven’t done many road races; it kind of feels different on your legs or something and cross country is really hard.

FW: Running on the roads then will be one major adjustment that you will have to make when training for the marathon. I don’t know of any marathon that is done on a track!
KS: Yeah [laughing], I’ll definitely have to start doing more workouts on the roads and get used to it.

FW: Lastly, I’d like to know more about your career plans. You just earned a degree in Social Science and you are an amazing professional runner. Do you see yourself sticking with running as your profession for years to come? And if you weren’t running, what can you imagine yourself doing for a career?
KS: I haven’t really thought about that [laughs]. I definitely want to run as long as I can. It’s what I would do anyway and getting paid to do what you love is great.

Interview conducted on September 26, 2006, and posted on September 28, 2006.

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