El Guerrouj Gold Medal, 1500M & 5000M

Eastbay:When did you begin to think that you were capable of breaking a world record?

El Guerrouj:It was in ’92 at the junior world championship. (He placed third in the 5,000 meters). That’s when I started to believe in my capabilities, in my energy.

EB:Did something change for you at that moment?

EG:It changed a lot. I became more professional than before, and when I ran with Heillie, well, that inspired me a lot. A lot of things inspired me. I started to work much harder and to train much harder, to reach a more professional level, a higher level.

EB:In ’99, did you specifically try to beat the world record for the mile?

EG:Exactly — we had a goal, an objective. We had the objective, in ’99, to beat the world record for the mile, so therefore we prepared a lot for it. But unfortunately, I was supposed to do better. Much better than that.

EB:And now, do you plan to beat that record?

EG:Now it’s going to be a bit difficult. I think it’s possible, but really difficult. It’s really going to be hard.

EB:What’s your general goal in your career?

EG:My goal now is still to be champion of the world, and to be the champion athlete, Enchallah (God willing), this year.

EB:What keeps you motivated to continue to work so hard?

EG:Being the best athlete, being the best in the world. It’s really my only motivation.

EB:What do you do during your “down time”?

EG:On resting days, I relax, enjoy life, enjoy my family, go on vacation, do some sports, but really relaxed sports like golf, soccer, tennis. And once in a while, I run.

EB:Who are a few of the people who have inspired you and who continue to inspire you?

EG:People inspired me a lot when I was young, and now. When I was young it was Fred Ritter of course. And now as an athlete, the athletes who inspire me now are Gibreselassie and Sebastian Coe. I would like to have a career like Sebastian Coe, to be the champion athlete twice.

EB:In a race, how much do you focus on the other athletes? Do you measure yourself against them?

EG:In a competition, one is concentrated on being the winner. You are concentrating for first place. I don’t pay attention to the others. I focus on my goal and I run only for myself when I am in a race.

EB:You don’t look at others to push yourself to run faster?

EG:No.

EB:For this year’s competitions, has your training changed?

EG:Yes, a little. But really, it’s a secret. A secret of the trade. It’s confidential. Heh heh. Every athlete has some things that are confidential.

EB:Yes, of course. So I suppose that you can’t tell me about your typical training day?

EG:When I finish my career, I’ll tell you everything about my training, Enchallah!

EB:Only when you finish? Then nobody will ever know your secrets.

EG:Heh heh heh.

EB:Could you talk about the importance of shoes to your performance? Is the shoe important to you?

EG:The shoe is one of the main things that increase my performance. It’s the number one thing. If there isn’t a shoe, I can’t run (barefoot). One always needs a Nike shoe to run fast. You need a beautiful shoe. They have to be beautiful, they have to be light. And they have to be tough.

EB:Tough?

EG:Durable. They have to last.

EB:Because you wear them out so fast?

EG:Exactly.

EB:As you know, you serve as inspiration to a lot of people. If you had to give a message to all the high school and college athletes who are trying to improve their speed in the mile, what would this message be?

EG:The message that I would give to young people is to be passionate and take pleasure in running. Because to improve your performance, there has to be pleasure.