Douglas Wright, a senior distance runner from the vaunted distance running community of Darien, Connecticut, leads the Camel men’s distance team in more ways than one. Wright, a multiple All-NESCAC Track and Field Athlete in the 5,000
and 10,000 meter disciplines, is committed to taking his season as far as it can go. Last week, Wright stopped the clock in the 5000m at 15 minutes and 10 seconds, a season best performance. This time qualifies Wright to
the New England Division III Track and Field Championships, which will take place on May 5th at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Not only did Wright qualify for a Division III championship meet, but he also came in second in a field of well-known and accomplished Division I, II and III runners, as well as a few international athletes.
From the starting gun, Wright sat in a pack of ten runners, holding a consistent pace, running his first mile in 4:57 and closing his last
full mile in 4:52. In order to make headway into second place Wright steadily picked off runners that had broken off from the pack in order to make a go at the lead. As these runners struggled and slowed down, Wright only sped up. In an effort
to catch the University of Vermont runner that eventually won the race, Wright closed his last 200 meters in 31 seconds, which is equivalent to 4:08 per mile pace. This impressive display of finishing speed demonstrates that Wright has what it
takes to go the distance this outdoor season.
Wright’s time comes after a struggle with the distance during the indoor season, where the race is spread over twenty-five laps. After this race, Wright is confident and looks at this time less as a season best performance and more of a stepping stone for more races leading into the championship portion of the season:
“It felt pretty good, better than my previous efforts at the distance. I hope to continue my season through
my race this weekend. I’m trying to qualify for as many meets as I can in the championship season, and rununder fifteen minutes in the 5,000 and as close to 31 minutes as possible in the 10,000.”
Wright’s personal best in the 5,000 meters came almost one year ago at the 2011 Division III New England Championships. At a meet sidelined multiple times by rain and lightning delays, Wright remained cool under pressure. After having to warm up multiple times for a race that was eventually pushed back a few hours, Wright surpassed some of the best competition in the region and the nation to run 15 minutes even.
To attain his goals, Wright is running close to ninety miles a week, hoping to increase his distance base until the tail end of the season. Along with the massive amount of miles, Wright is running two quality workouts a week, one of which usually being a long interval at approximately 85% effort.
“My favorite workout is definitely
the 8K tempo; it feels easy,” said Wright.
Last week, Wright ran an 8,000 meter tempo in just over twenty-six minutes, proving that he is in great shape for longer races, including the 10,000 meter. Often considered one of the most difficult events in track and field, the 10,000 meter is equal to 6.2 miles, or 25 laps of the outdoor track. Wright’s personal best is 31:18.
This year, with NESCACs on the horizon, he hopes to put his 10,000 meter prowess to the test. That will mean running back to back 5,000 meters in 15 minutes and 30 seconds, a feat that many runners cannot even fathom. At the NESCAC championships, Wright is confident he can perform.
“I think that I can run into the low thirty one minute range, because it will be a tactical race and I’ll likely negative split,” he said.
A tactical race means that the runners will pack up at the beginning, trading off the lead to try to tempt one another into running hard alone in the front, burning more energy than necessary. A negative split would mean that Wright is able to run faster in the second half than the first, a feat that is not easily accomplished in a 10-kilometer footrace.
Wright’s senior year means that the stakes are high, and he is willing
to rise to the occasion.
