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UjENA FIT Club Running Interviews and articles with 100 Interesting People

Best Road Races and the UjENA FIT Club is speaking with 100 people who we feel have a lot to say about running, racing and fitness  We will give you background information as will as their insights into the future.  Be sure to post your feedback and comments.

Read All UjENA FIT Club Running Interviews

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The sport of Double Racing is about ready to Take Off!
Posted Thursday, February 19th, 2015
by Bob Anderson, publisher of Double Runner magazine (Photo Bob Anderson with world record holder Julius Koskei wearing the yellow... Read Interview
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2013 Ujena Fit Club Male Runner of the Year
Posted Monday, March 17th, 2014
The Chris Jones story is a running saga of epic proportions.  Don't try this at home! (Photo - Leadville 100... Read Interview
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Sharon Vos: Three in a Row
Posted Sunday, March 23rd, 2014
Aging ever so gracefully at age 59 and forging a career record that becomes ever more impressive, Sharon Vos is... Read Interview
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Julius Koskei: All In the Family
Posted Tuesday, November 5th, 2013
 By David Prokop Editor Best Road RacesJulius Koskei (pronounced Kos-kay), who set the current world record in the Double Road... Read Interview

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Giliat Ghebray - Interview No. 14
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
“I love competing against people who were unbeatable or better than me. I’m not afraid to admit that it feels really great to beat them.”
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Giliat Ghebray, 27, has been running for more than 13 years. He is an NCAA Division 1 All American (5000 meters 2006) and has competed for the US on the NCAA teams in 2006 and 2009. He recently qualified for the Olympic Trials marathon by running 1:03:38 at the 2011 San Jose Rock ‘n Roll Half Marathon, but 22 miles into the Olympic Trials marathon he realized it was a new kind of monster he wasn’t yet prepared to take on. Gil lives in Union City in Northern California where he teaches P.E. grades 6-9. He is a graduate of Cal Berkeley, and his parents come from Eritrea, an African country north of Ethiopia, bordering the Red Sea. His first inspiration for running was simple: “I run to win.” (Interview by Laura Dayton)

Personal Bests:  4:02 (Mile), 7:56 (3k), 13:42 (5k), 1:03 (Half Marathon)

1. Gil, you’ve run a bit on all terrain?
I still consider myself a multi-terrain athlete and love all surfaces: road, track and cross country.  As an elite runner I train every day, but I have been transitioning towards the longer distances. With each longer run my fears for the marathon distance have dropped notch by notch, but the nervousness is still there.

2. You qualified for the marathon Trials by running a 1:03 Half Marathon?
I had no plans of racing a marathon, but after my half marathon debut I figured I could take on another 13.1 miles. Ambitious, yes. Either way, it will end in success. The mere fact of taking on the new challenge would provide justification in my mind.

3. How long were you training for the Trials? 
I guess, not long enough! Things started a little rough as I tried to adjust to intense workouts and racing on the unforgiving track. The big break came this summer when I just started to feel great all of sudden and awesome long runs/workouts followed. Something clicked and I began to feel like my old self. The bounciness returned to my step and I felt that gliding sensation during the workouts and runs. I became a little bit more confident I could take it on successfully.

Photo: Graduation celebration

4. You had some foot issues just before the trials. Can you elaborate on this?
I wasn’t sure what it was at first. It was around the inner ankle area. I switched shoes, iced like crazy, got some deep tissue massage and searched the internet high and low for a solution. After viewing a few articles I came to the conclusion that I was suffering from posterior tibia tendinitis. I wasn’t sure how this happened, but it was a whole new level pain just walking around. I began to worry that all these months of training had been in vain. I backed off the mileage and workouts, doing single runs to see if the ankle would calm down. It was frustrating but I never took a day off. There were a few times when the pain was so great I wondered if I was doing permanent damage.

5. How did you resolve this?
I finally realized I was dealing with some intense plantar fascists in the right foot. I was stretching in the shower, as I usually do, and decided to stretch out my tendon. I didn’t feel any relief immediately, but the day after a longer marathon workout, I felt the difference. I began doing more intense stretches and some work with the foam roller. The result, I could walk around with significantly less pain. In another week I was enjoying running again. I still treat the injury stretching my foot on tennis balls. But   I believe it’s totally behind me.

Photo: The only person ahead of Gil at the 4 mile mark of the San Jose Half Marathon was Meb.  Gil finished second.  Photo by Catherine Cross Ujena Fit Club.

6. I talked with you just a couple days before the trials. You said you feeling “fairly” well and planned to show up in Houston as your own “one man wrecking crew!”
I got there feeling fine. The last few days I had lots of energy from running a lot of miles and carbo loading and stuff. A couple of my friends had entered and we were just hanging low and relaxing. I was pretty confident that Saturday. But the start was much faster than I had expected, we shot off the line and I didn’t know what to do because I had no experience with the marathon. I started at the back of the field, I was passing people and figured I was probably in 28th place by mile 20. Then the monkey, no a couple of monkeys climbed on my back. I felt like I’d been steam rolled, two miles later I was in a shuffle. It was over. Any further and I was risking injury.

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Photo: At a friend's wedding.

7. Were you disappointed?
Not disappointed, since I got back into racing in Jan 2011 I told myself that everything would be positive. I told myself I’d make no situation negative, so I wasn’t disappointed. I was excited about doing 15-16 miles easy and looking forward to training for the distance. I know I have it in me.

8. Do you owe any thanks?
Always. First, to my family and friends for sticking by my side and being patient. I am also appreciative that God has blessed me with few injuries along the way. I don’t really throw religion around too much but I know a greater force has been watching over me and guiding me in the right direction.

9. Who is on your support team; who is the first person you call after a race?
The first person I call is my training partner Bolota Asneron, who is also from Eritrea. He had gone to Caland graduated ahead of me, but he’d stay around. He’s been a pro runner since 2001 and he was good to have around. He knows what is needed to be on international teams. When I decided to start racing again, he was the man. He told me I should get back into it; he helped me see I had a lot of potential. No question, he was instrumental in my comeback. He took me in and coached me. He helps guide me along, and we run together.

My brother is also part of my support team. He’s three years younger and had been training in Indiana but came back to the Bay Area. He’s a good runner. At Cal we overlapped a little, and he’s very tough.

10. In one of your older blogs you called this your “running stage.” Is that still true or do you think you’ll be a racer for life?
I actually ended my stage a few years back and this past year has been a comeback for me.  During that time, my love for the sport has been strengthened and is stronger then ever.  Before I quit competitive racing I would like to significantly lower my track and road personal bests and hopefully make a few US international teams.  I will never stop running in general though.  It is a part of my life and I often feel strange if I haven't gotten out the door for a daily run.

11. What is your strategy for 2012?
Running clears my mind and puts me in a peaceful place. When I first stopped, I didn’t want to but was kinda forced. I was broke, I had to work and my job is very physically active and my schedule crazy, so I just couldn’t wedge the training time in.

I’ll probably be running a couple invitationals, maybe Stanford Invitational. I definitely want to qualify for the trials again, this time knowing what it takes to run the marathon.

12. What kind of diet do you regularly eat?
It’s nothing special. I eat red meat for the iron, and carbs. It’s a pretty basic diet. Right now I’m living single and it can be kinda tough going home after a hard workout and having to cook, but that’s the price an athlete has to pay. I’m lucky to live in the Bay Area where I can eat out and still get fresh, healthy foot.  But you’ll never catch me eating fast food, you won’t see me eating KFC.

13. Do you have any good luck charms or rituals that you perform before a race?
I keep my mind clear, and try not to get too excited. When I was younger I would listen to a few of my songs. Now I just stay calm, focused.

14. How important do you think your running shoe is to your performance?
Pretty high. I would say once you find the shoe that works for you you should stick with it. I was trying one brand, got some for free, and there’s definitely a difference. When I find a shoe that fits good, I stick with it. Right now that’s the Adidas Super Nova and Glide.

Photo: Gil finished 8th (13:57) at the San Jose 5k Elite race on Thanksgiving Day 2011. He made running a sub 14 minute 5k look easy.  Photo by Bob Anderson, Ujena Fit Club

15. Do you have any sponsors, and if so, what are you getting?
I’m sponsored through a running store, they provide equipment and gear and I think that’s awesome. I still need to improve my race performances to secure more solid deals, but that’s not a goal—just perks.

16. Do you  use GU or any other running supplements?
On longer runs GU gives you a little energy, if I’m doing a two hour run, I take it in the middle.

17. Do you supplement your running with any other sport or weight training?
As a P.E. teacher I try not to do too much. I’ll show some technique, but I don’t really participate in any other sports. I do some core training, three times a week, like leg push ups, planks and sit-ups. I try to do them at least a couple times a week.

18. What first inspired you to take running seriously?
When I was younger I never really liked the training. It was the racing I loved.  I loved competing against people who were unbeatable and better than me. I’m not afraid to admit that it feels really great to beat them . . . so good. It gave me such a huge adrenaline rush. That’s still part of it, but it’s also a part of my lifestyle.

19. What runners do you admire (famous or friends) and for what reasons?
Haile Gebrselassie, a pro from Ethiopia who won multiple Olympics and 10,000 meters. I’ve always been a fan of his; and his arch nemesis, Paul Tergat, another Ethiopian who was very good, but always seemed to finish second.

20. Do you think running will continue to grow as a sport, and if so, what is the selling point, the lure that keeps more and more people coming back for more?
It’s definitely still growing. The main reason is that of all the sports in the US running is the easiest and most inexpensive ways to participate.  All you need is buy shoes and shorts and you’re set. Lacrosse or soccer involves all these other things you have to get.

I also think it’s getting more popular as more and more people become more health conscious. The obesity rates keep going up and it’s hard to avoid all the crappy food, I see it in the schools every day. More people are realizing they need to be active, and get off the computer.

Running is one of the best activities for burning calories. 

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