2004 NCAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Interview with Kim Smith

Reported by Parker Morse

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Kim Smith on her way to her second collegiate record of the meet. (Photo: Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

When we last talked to Providence College's Kim Smith, she was the 2003 NCAA cross country runner-up and a relatively new face, having just finished her first season at Providence College. Since her spectacular cross country debut, Smith has gone nowhere but up. Starting with a blazing 9:04.90 3,000m in mid-January in Providence, Smith dropped jaws with her 15:18.54 5,000m mark at Boston University's Terrier Classic later that month. With both long race qualifiers out of the way, Smith knocked down a 4:30.61 mile at Boston University on February 10, then lowered her 3,000m time to 8:55.88 at the Big East Championships a week and a half later, also anchoring Providence's winning 4x800m relay in that meet.

This was all by way of prelude for the real fireworks at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, held March 12 and 13 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the University of Arkansas' Tyson Track Center. Smith went after Sonia O'Sullivan's 13-year-old collegiate record in the 5,000m on the first night, after only being a few ticks off at Terrier. She opened with a 2:57.6 kilometer, then split 6:00.4, 9:05.3, 12:10.2 to finish in 15:14.18, exactly one second per mile faster than O'Sullivan and run almost entirely alone.

Smith talked with reporters after the 5,000m:

Q: How long have you had your eye on Sonia O'Sullivan's record?
KS: I ran 15:18 at the Terrier Classic in [January]. I didn't really know what the record was, then. So after that, I was just a couple of ticks away from it. My main object today was to win, though. Getting the record was just an added bonus.

Q: You sewed up the win in the first five laps or so.
KS: I like to do that.

Q: What kind of work have you been doing since cross country?
KS: After cross country I had about a month of easy running. Then I went home to New Zealand to train for a while. When I came back I started working out hard. That was a good break. I had some speedwork when I was home, I did some track work, mainly longer stuff.

Q: You ran pretty steady today, but you closed fast. Did you hear the announced splits?
KS: I didn't know I was doing that. My coach [Ray Treacy] was calling 200 splits. I didn't really know how fast I was going.

Q: Did you have a plan for the race?
KS: Yes. He really wanted me to go out a bit slower. A lot slower. I get scared when I'm doing that, though. I find it hard to judge the pace on the first few laps anyway. I get into it after about two or three laps, and I can hit the right splits. I planned to go out in 36, 37, and after the first couple laps, I pretty much did.

Q: And you had Alicia Craig right behind you. Could you hear her?
KS: Yes, and I saw her in the video monitor. That was making me a bit nervous.

Q: In the end you lapped everyone but her. Was the traffic an issue?
KS: Not really. At one point I was out in lane three, but it wasn't really a problem.

Q: Do you think you could go faster than that?
KS: I backed off a little bit, because I knew I had to race again. So yes, I probably could.

Q: What did you think about the time?
KS: I didn't really want to run that fast. But I thought I'd make an attempt.

Q: How does it feel to break a record of Sonia O'Sullivan's?
KS: Really good. She's an amazing runner. I'm pretty happy to do that. I'm very happy with my return to the States. If I had stayed at home, there wouldn't have been much for me to do with running.

Q: Something tells me you're not very thrilled to be doing interviews.
KS: No.

Q: What comes between now and tomorrow night, when you have to do this again?
KS: I don't really know. I'll probably go out a bit slower tomorrow night, hang back and see what I can do.

Q: What does it feel like to think, I need to do this again?
KS: It's very tough. I haven't really doubled before, so I'll see how it goes.

The second night, the 3,000m was essentially a rerun of the first, but faster. Smith split 2:53.74 (already alone after the first lap) and 5:52.82 before reaching the tape in 8:49.18, 4.5 seconds under PattiSue Plumer's 21-year-old collegiate mark in that event. Smith spoke with reporters again after the 3,000m:

Q: You looked like you felt pretty good out there.
KS: Yes, after we started, I just ran as hard as I could and tried to win.

Q: What did you think of setting records in both race?
KS: I wasn't really aiming to do that. I like to run as hard as I can, from the gun. It's just the way I race.

Q: What's the Olympic qualifying process for New Zealand?
KS: We don't have Trials, like in the U.S. If you get the 'A' standard, you pretty much get to go. I'm going to go to Mt. SAC; hopefully I can get the [5,000m standard of 15:08.70] there.

Q: Did you exceed your expectations here?
KS: Yes, especially in the 3K. I haven't really doubled before, and I didn't know how it was going to go. But I felt all right in the race.

Q: Yesterday you went out a little faster than planned. Did that happen again today?
KS: Yes. I wasn't supposed to go out as fast for the first 800. I was a little bit worried because I was standing on the outside. I couldn't see where any of the other girls were. I get nervous, and I want to get away. I think I run a lot like [Tiffany McWilliams,] actually, out hard from the start and try to hang on.

Q: This has been a breakthrough season for you. Have you had to revise your expectations of yourself as the season has gone on?
KS: Yes, I realized when I got back from Christmas. I did a 3K, and I ran 9:04. I knew after that that I was in pretty good shape. Ray reevaluated things from that race on.

Q: Has his coaching been behind your improvement?
KS: Ray's a really great coach, and the group we have in Providence is very good. I do most of my runs with Mary Cullen. She's injured at the moment, so she couldn't come. There's also Amy Rudolph and Marie Davenport around. They really make training much better.

Q: At Terrier, you really left Marie behind. Was she in good shape for that race?
KS: Yes. She's a good person to train with, because she really pushes herself. It really helps me along.

Q: Does running with a group like that boost your confidence?
KS: Yes. Amy's such a great runner, and she gives a lot of experience to me and Mary, and all the other girls as well. It's very helpful.

Q: You had the race won after pretty much three laps. What motivates you to push hard in the last lap?
KS: It helped today that the crowd was really supportive, but I'm good at running by myself.

(Interviews conducted March 12 and 13, and posted March 23, 2004.)