SC Interview: Duke Blue Devil Michael Hatch

Michael Hatch (photo: goduke.com)

SCRunners.com: How many years have you been running? Hatch: I've been running since about the age of 8, but I didn't start competing (on the high school level) until 8th grade. SCRunners.com: When did you run your first race? Hatch: 8th grade -- Eye Opener at the school for the Deaf and Blind. SCRunners.com: What made you start running? Hatch: My high school teammate Brandon Bartholomew and I were very competitive in elementary school in the mile that you had to run for the President's Physical Fitness Test. I wouldn't go so far as to say we "trained" for the event, but we definitely were pretty serious about running fast as 8 year olds. Ever since then, I just developed a love/addiction for it. SCRunners.com: Who is your favorite runner? Hatch: Joe Barnett. SCRunners.com: How much time do you take off during the year? Hatch: I take two weeks completely off after cross country season to unload (late November, and early December). Then start training for track in December which lasts until June. Then another 10-14 days off and I begin my summer base training.

SCRunners.com: What was your most memorable race in the 2002 cross-country season?
Hatch: Definitely the Great American Cross Country Championships. The weather was horrible (pouring rain), the course was the muddiest I've ever run on, there was a hornet's nest on the course which gave several people some trouble, but the race turned and I felt great in the race and competed well.

SCRunners.com: What is your most memorable event from high school cross country and track & field?
Hatch: Winning my first state championship during my junior year cross country season.

SCRunners.com: How is your college running different than high school running?
Hatch: MANY more miles (upwards of 90/week). The whole college training schedule is just much more demanding of your time, effort, and focus. Weight lifting three times a week, three hard workouts a week, and two morning runs in addition to afternoon sessions everyday. Not to mention of course, success demands a lot more hard work given the quality of the competition.

SCRunners.com: Where did you train in the summer of 2002?
Hatch: I lived and worked with my high school teammate, Brandon, in Estes Park, Colorado, just 30 minutes north of Boulder. We worked at a YMCA camp which sat at around 8,000 feet. The scenery was incredible, the trails were perfect (when we weren't chasing bears and elk out of our way), and the whole experience was great.

SCRunners.com: What kind of mileage do you run in the summer and during the season?
Hatch: During the summer, I topped out with two weeks at 85 miles. This was after a slow buildup, with the last weeks of summer all being above 75 mpw.

SCRunners.com: What is your favorite workout?
Hatch: We have a place at Duke where we workout weekly called the "fit loop." It's a 1,000 meter loop in the woods with several gentle hills, and one really tough one at the end. My favorite workout is one we do towards the end of the year -- 10x1,000 in 2:50 with minimal recovery.

SCRunners.com: What kind of shoes do you wear to run in?
Hatch: I normally train in the Adidas Supernova cushions, and race in the Adidas Adistar ld's.

SCRunners.com: Do you currently hold any Duke college records?
Hatch: The freshman 5k record -- 14:23

SCRunners.com: How did it feel in 2001 to run in the NCAA DI XC Nationals at Furman?
Hatch: It was one of the best feelings in my whole life. Our team did very well, exceeding our expectations -- and everyone else's. The opportunity to return to Greenville for my first National Championships was needless to say -- incredible. It's easy in college to feel really anonymous -- especially your freshman year, but having some people out there to cheer me on was a huge help.

SCRunners.com: What are you studying in college?
Hatch: I'm a biology major and chemistry minor, with plans of attending medical school after graduation.

SCRunners.com: What would you recommend to high school runners that would like to run in college?
Hatch: Run. Run. Run. Run harder. Just train everyday knowing that you'll have to perform to get the chance to run at the collegiate level. Also, if you get the chance, enter yourself in one event at a couple higher profile meets. It will give you the chance to run faster times, and it will increase your exposure to college coaches.

SCRunners.com: What do you think can be done to help improve South Carolina running?
Hatch: I think a lot of SC high school runners that have made it to the collegiate level simply took it upon themselves to improve. A little talent mixed with a lot of ambition can go a long way. It would be nice to see some sort of distance oriented club program be started up in the summers to give talented athletes from around the state a chance to train together, but such an organization is pretty difficult to develop.

SCRunners.com: For more information about Michael Hatch visit http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/jlmann and goduke.com