Brian Harvey rides confidence into marathon trials

By Chris Lotsbom, @ChrisLotsbom

Despite facing treacherous mud and a brutally challenging course, Brian Harvey finished a very respectable ninth at the Great Edinburgh XCountry meet in Scotland. Rubbing elbows with double Olympic champion Mo Farah and American ace Garrett Heath for much of the race, Harvey used the event as a springboard for February's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Now less than 30 days from the Trials, the 28-year-old Harvey is more than ready for the streets of Los Angeles.

"Everything is going really well. Training has been surprisingly smooth, most workouts have come relatively easier and felt really good," said Harvey, speaking by phone. "Everything [training wise] has been going towards the Trials, but turns out that marathon training kinda really works well for cross country training I guess!" 

A veteran of three marathons, Harvey boasts a personal best of 2:17:05 from Twin Cities in 2014. While his PB may not be as quick as Meb Keflezighi's 2:08:37 or Dathan Ritzenhein's 2:07:47, Harvey is known to bring a fierce 'A' game when racing the best of the best. 

Building up to 120 miles per week --mostly done running to and from his full-time job at Respiratory Motion, a startup medical device company in Waltham, Mass. -- Harvey has progressed well with his eyes on Los Angeles. Testing his fitness at the USA National Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, Harvey finished 12th overall and helped the Boston Athletic Association take second place. With the result, he earned a ticket to Edinburgh and one of the most prestigious cross country meets in the world. 

Making the most of his opportunity, Harvey went out with the leaders and hung tough at the Great Edinburgh XCountry meet. Mid-race he let the moment set in and spur him on.

"It was an incredible experience, just everything about it. The race itself, the plan was -- the course is ridiculous and just all mud -- so the plan was to just go out with the leaders," he said. "There's only one pace you can go on a course like that, no matter how hard you try you can only go so fast... At the end Garrett and Mo went away with it, but it worked well and I was very happy. Pleasantly surprised."

With all eyes fixed on Farah, Harvey relished the moment competing against the world's best. 

"It was completely surreal. I was definitely thinking about that during the race, that that's arguably the best distance runner in the world right now and this is me right next to him," Harvey said.

In Los Angeles, Harvey's strategy will be the opposite of Great Edinburgh. He plans to sit back, run steady, and pick people off through the race's second half. Harvey feels a sub-2:15:00 time is within reach, and would be very happy placing in the top 15. Riding a wave of momentum from Edinburgh, the Carnegie Mellon and Boston University alum is ready for the challenge ahead.

"It definitely is a big confidence booster. I think that was the biggest thing I took away from that race, that my fitness is coming along. The marathon is obviously very different from an 8-K cross country race, but things are going along well," he reiterated. "My attitude is kind of run an even, intelligent race where I know I think a lot of people are going to get excited being at the Trials and go out way too hard. I think I can benefit from that and pick people off as the race goes on. Just running very even and sticking to my plan... It's way more fun to do it that way, too."  

During the running boom of the 1970s and early '80s, Boston was a hotbed for marathon training. The Boston Athletic Association and Greater Boston Track Club ruled the roads, with legends like Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar training on the hills and trails around the city. Now, Harvey will be among a large group of elites from Boston headed West for the Trials. Joining him from the B.A.A. men's team is Eric Ashe, Bo Waggoner, and Matt Fischer. Harvey completed most of his marathon build-up side by side with Ashe, a 2:17:06 marathoner.  

"It's pretty cool to have that kind of community, and that's very unique to have people like that who can work out with you and are flexible [with workouts]," said Harvey, who completed his Ph.D. last year. "I feel like I'm very lucky to be here. It's part of the reason why I decided to stay here after I graduated. We just loved the community." 

While Harvey has had success at distances ranging from 3,000 meters to the marathon, he says the latter has become his favorite distance. He enjoys the complexity of the event and its multitude of factors, all of which will be on display in Los Angeles.

"The marathon has so many different components that go into it, you really can't predict everything," Harvey said. "I feel like I'm ready for this one and I've learned a lot of things from each of the other experiences. I'm excited for the crazy competition, and the course looks really nice."