Jared Ward Answers Questions In Advance of U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Jared Ward finished third at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon in 2016. That earned him a spot on Team USA in Rio and he ran to a sixth-place finish at the Olympics.

Ward took the time to answer a few questions last week via email as he began his final preparations for Saturday's race in Atlanta.

AK: I'd like to start by asking you about last year. After dealing with injuries in 2017 and 2018, you had your best year since 2016 when you finished third at the Olympic Trials and sixth at the Olympic Games. The 2019 Boston Marathon seemed to serve as validation for the hard work you have put in as you ran 2:09:25 for eighth place. How important was that race for you and what was the significance of breaking 2:10?

JW: After the 2016 Olympics I believed I could run under 2:10, given the right race and right conditions. But it was certainly validating after a couple of years struggling with injury to feel like I was back on track. From high school cross country my freshman year in 2003 all the way through 2016, I would say I had never had a season that wasn't better than the season before (two years off 2007-09 for mission service). I had taken that for granted. I think Boston 2019 was validating, I was back on track and could begin progressing again.

AK: For your 2019 fall marathon, you talked about choosing to race the New York City Marathon over the Chicago Marathon, and others, because of the rolling hills on the New York City Marathon course more closely mimicking the course conditions you are likely to see in Atlanta for the Trials. However, on the day of the race, you suffered stomach issues that made fueling difficult. Despite those issues, you still finished sixth and ran the second-fastest time of your career (2:10:45). What can you take away from that performance and apply to the upcoming Trials race?

JW: 2019 NYC Marathon made me believe that I didn't need a perfect day to make the Olympic team. The race gave me confidence. And although I haven't held anything back in preparation for the trials, I have trained believing I can run with anyone in the U.S.

AK: You did not spend all of your fall preparing to race the New York City Marathon. In addition to being a runner, you are a statistics professor and a dad to four kids. However, last year you added being a successful contestant on Shark Tank as an ambassador for the MyoStorm. After your appearance on the show, you talked about how the bullpen is a lot like a call room in track and how your previous experiences made it easier. Were there any parallels that you can take away from your Shark Tank experience and apply to your running and racing?

JW: So much of life has crossover! So absolutely. The sharks can be nasty, but I can't control what they feel and say. I can control only what I say. So in a similar way to competing, the experience validated an emphasis to control the controllable. I can only control how I react to competitors, so I focus on that instead of worrying what they might or might not do.

AK: Looking ahead to your race in Atlanta, how do your preparations and plans compare to four years ago when you finished third?

JW: I look at marathon training differently now. My focus now is on adapting and recovery. I feel strongly that training for a marathon is training my body to recover. So a better indicator of fitness is how quickly I recover than how far or fast I run. Mileage is lower than in 2016 (maybe 10 percent), but I'm healthier and recovering much quicker. Easy runs have been quicker. Workout times have been similar, maybe tempos a bit quicker.

AK: This year you ran the Houston Half Marathon in preparation, running a personal best of 1:01:36. What does that tell you about your fitness and preparations in advance of the Trials race?

JW: Well I think I took more from how I felt at Houston than the time I ran. I was pleased to run a personal best, but very pleased with how good I felt. Gave me a lot of marathon confidence.

AK: What do you believe you will need to do to finish top-three in this year's race?

JW: I'll need a solid race. I'll need to be patient, especially given the Atlanta course. In a marathon, I don't need to break my competitors. The marathon will do that. I just need to not be broken by the marathon myself.

Watch Ward race Saturday, February 29 at 12pm ET in Atlanta, as he attempts to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games. View the race live on NBC and NBC Sports Gold.