Big River Running Company Interview: Mark Curp

Ryan Hall shocked the distance running world on January 14 in Houston, TX by shattering a 26 year-old US record in the Half Marathon with his spectacular 59 minute, 43 second clocking. He broke the mark set in 1985 by Missourian Mark Curp who had run 1:00:55 at the Philadelphia Distance Run all those years ago. At the time, Curp's mark was a world record and it stood as such for five more years. Curp, a graduate of the University of Central Missouri (then Central Missouri State), was one of America's best road racers in the 1980s and 90s. Big River caught up with Mark over the phone at his home just outside of Kansas City to talk about Hall's amazing run, his own great run in 1985, marathon training, the current state of US distance running and more.

photo: Victah Sailer

BR: Let's talk about Ryan Hall's run in Houston. How much do you know about it and what was your reaction?

MC: I thought it was an awesome time, especially to do it by himself. I was able to watch the race on flocasts and see the interview with his wife Sara. It looked like he was pulling away even at one mile.

BR: I heard through the grapevine that you sent Ryan an email after his race. What did you say to him and what was his response?

MC: I congratulated him on his time and I told him that I watched the race and the interviews with he and his wife where they mentioned their faith which made it even more special for me from that standpoint. He emailed back and thanked me and I'd have to look up the email to tell you exactly what he said but I know he talked about the fact that he was happy to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the great runners of the past.

BR: Well you obviously had a great run of your own when you set the old record. Can you take us back to that race and how things unfolded for you that day?

MC: Well, it was in Philadelphia in 1985. The race started out at a pretty fast pace right from the start and actually I did not feel very good early on. The first 5 miles the pace felt like it was a little more than I could handle and I almost fell off the pack right there. I guess I just kind of dug down deep to hang on and once we got past 10k actually began to feel stronger. The race whittled down to six of us, then five of us, then three of us. It was down to myself, Nick Rose, and Mike Musyoki for the last three miles. In the last mile I made a move and made really three surges to try and win and eventually I was able to grab the lead and hold it to the line. Musyoki was really only about one and a half seconds back even though I think the results said it was more than that.

BR: Looking back at your career you ran some great times from 10k to the marathon, but it seemed that the half marathon was a distance that suited you very well. Can you talk a little bit about that and what made the half such a good event for you.

MC: I think it was because of my strength and endurance. I never really got fast enough in the 10k to be competitive on the world stage. I think I only got down to around 28:00, but I could hold that pace or just a few seconds slower for the half marathon.

BR: Of course you did have success in the marathon as well and another one of your most famous races was the Olympic Marathon Trials in 1988. Can you tell us a little bit about that race? [Ed. Note: Curp finished 5th in the race]

MC: That was a race where I felt pretty good up until the last two or three miles. It was a very windy race and I slowed down a little bit at the end but not as bad as I had in some of my other marathons. It was with about a mile and a half to go that [Ed] Eyestone and [Paul Gompers] passed me. Around 17 or 18 was where I lost contact with [Pete] Pfitzinger and Mark Conover. They had told us that the water tables were going to be on one side of the road the whole time but for some reason they switched it at that station. I lost a little bit getting my fluids and I suppose that could have been a factor as well. I look back at things though and around that time my dad was diagnosed with cancer. Had I gone to the Olympics I would have been in Seoul when he passed away. That would have been a very difficult decision to decide whether or not I should go to the Olympics. Instead I got to be with my family during those key weeks at a time that was much more important than the Olympics.

BR: Going back to Ryan for a minute, he has announced that he'll be running the London Marathon this spring. What advice do you have about the marathon and how did you prepare for it.

MC: The marathon has a mystery to it. There were times when I trained very well and things didn't go well. My best time [2:11:45] actually came after I had not run my most miles. I think the key is being able to run decent mileage with it not being too slow. You need to keep your turnover. One thing for me, when I was at my best, I was able to do hard 10 mile runs every other week. Even 12, 15, and 17 mile runs well under six minute pace. They were hard, but not a race. I also liked to feel like I could still run a fast mile or two in there even training for the longer races.Those things all helped get my body ready for a marathon. It takes time though. Also for me even though I was a strength runner I had a high heel kick which might have burned more fuel along the way and could have been a reason that I sometimes struggled in the final two miles.

BR: What are your thoughts on American Distance Running in terms of the heights it reached when you were running at your best, then the lull that seemed to take place in the 90s, followed by the resurgence in recent years?

MC: All things go in cycles. When my career was peaking there was a lot of financial backing. There have been runners over the years that have been able to run in the 2:15-2:17 range and have a full-time job but I think to get down to 2:12 and below you really need to be training full-time. There are so many distractions and training at that level you are always on the verge of breaking down. I mean you have to be. It's important to listen to your body, to train hard, but to rest between workouts. If you are at work for six to eight hours you can't recoup physically. There are things you need to do; stretch after your runs, massage, things like that.

I was very fortunate to have the funding I did and that there was a good amount of prize money available. It was also before the large insurgence of foreign athletes. I ran against foreign athletes but it seemed like there was a period there where every race would have 20 or 30 foreign athletes competing for only a few prize money spots. Again, I was fortunate to have New Balance who provided me with a good base and I was able to make a good amount of prize money on top of that and some appearance fees as well. There are a lot of sacrifices, especially when you have a family, and it is a hard way to make a living. I remember a race, I believe it was a 20k, in Indianapolis where I finished fourth but all of us went under the old World Record. The prize money only went three deep though so I didn't get anything, not one penny.

As far as the training opportunities the last few years I think things have improved. I think the talent has always been there it has just needed the opportunity to blossom. Where Ryan trains at altitude, and I think he was born at altititude as well, he is maximizing what he can do. I always wondered about training at altitude and what benefit, if any, it could have had on me especially in the marathon. I chose to stay close to home, in the Kansas City area throughout my career, and that was the right choice for me. I did train for six weeks in Salt Lake City before one of my marathons. It was Twin Cities, not when I ran 2:11, I think it was somewhere 2:13 or 2:14 and I was sick- even throwing up during the race and having intestinal problems throughout. Breathing and muscle-wise I felt fine though.

BR: When you ran your record half marathon in 1985 you must have never imagined that it would last for the next 21 years. Who were some of the athletes back then and then through the years since that you thought had a shot at breaking it?

MC: When I was running there were several other runners who I thought had a shot at it. Ed Eyestone, Jon Sinclair, Bill Reifsnyder...there were a number of guys. Several were in that race actually. On a given day, when things go right it can just happen. That day for me things clicked. There are only a certain number of races like that where even if the weather isn't perfect, and I think it was pretty nice that day or maybe a little warm, that everything from a physiological standpoint just works out. There are really a limited number of opportunities and I was blessed that that happened to me.
As far as since then there is Ryan obviously and Dan Browne is another guy that comes to mind. I apologize for not keeping up with things as much as I'd like to. I actually didn't even find out about Ryan's record until the next day when one of my friends, who does keep up with everything, told me about it. [Ed. Note- Curp has five children, the youngest of which are ages two, three and four so he is indeed a busy man!]

Mark, thanks so much for the great interview.

Big River Running Company | St. Louis' Running and Walking Resource | www.bigriverrunning.com

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