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Meet Michael Wardian: Our Own Running Hero
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Image courtesy of RunWashington.com
In 2004, my husband and I were both running in the Germantown 5-miler. The winner of the race that year, Michael Wardian, really caught our attention.
We had seen him around some of the other local races and knew a little of his story. After he won the race in outstanding form, we started paying more attention to his progress. He’s a local guy, living in Arlington, and it was easy to keep track of him because he would often be at the same races we were running.
I saw him win the Frederick Marathon in 2006. And I saw him run it again in 2007, only that time he was pushing his then 10-month old son in a baby jogger, setting a Guinness world record in the process. We saw him win the National Marathon all three years it’s been in existence. After the third one, he hopped on a plane to Tennessee to run another race, where he came in third. Last November, we watched him lead the Olympic Marathon trials for over 6 miles. The guy is only 34 and he’s done some pretty amazing things.
What really piqued our interest in Michael wasn’t just because he’s an amazing runner. But he’s just like us. He works a full-time job and he’s married with a young son. On the surface, we have a lot in common. His seemingly effortless running makes us feel like we can do it too. Well, at least try.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael recently, as he graciously accepted my request for an interview. We spoke over the phone, as he made his commute home from his office in Georgetown. We put the interview on hold upon his arrival home and I could hear the familiar sounds of a little guy in the background excited that his dad was home. We picked up the interview later in the evening, as Michael and his wife had family business to attend to, as well as a home-remodeling appointment. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed talking to one of the nicest guys in running shoes.
D.C. Running Examiner: Michael, I know you’ve done a ton of interviews and get asked the same questions a lot. I thought I’d do something different and see if we can go back to where it all began as a kid. Were you an especially active and precocious child?
Michael Wardian: I was super active as a kid and it’s cool because I can see a lot of that in my son. He likes to run around, is engaging, and has a kinetic personality. But, yes, my mom said I climbed out of my crib at 6 months old! I was always into stuff. We lived in West Virginia, so I could go careening down hills from one neighbor’s house into another. We were always doing and playing games, like flag football. I started playing lacrosse in fifth grade and that was my favorite team sport.
DCRE: Then you played lacrosse from fifth grade into college?
MW: Yes.
DCRE: Why did you stop?
MW: This was at a time when lacrosse wasn’t a professional sport, and while we were Division 1, I had gotten to the point where I’d reached the apex of the sport. There wasn’t any more that I could do as a lacrosse player.
DCRE: Did you stop playing lacrosse and start running in its place, or was it something you did on the side? What was the progression from lacrosse player to runner?
MW: I always ran for lacrosse. It was always something I excelled at. It’s funny because a lot of my teammates have said I cheated them during their runs. They all thought I was working hard, along with them, when really it wasn’t that hard for me. Anyway, running was something I would do for lacrosse, as well as lifting weights to stay in shape. I was used to working out for 3 hours a day. Then my junior year in college, I went to my friend’s house for Easter, and his mom, Vickie Voisin, showed me pictures of the Boston Marathon, which I thought was awesome. I thought it was something I could do one day. So she gave me a packet of information on training and that’s basically how I started training officially.
DCRE: You went from a more recreational runner to a serious runner overnight…
MW: I never really considered myself a runner. I started training in 1995, I graduated college in 1996, and did Marine Corps (Marathon) in 1996, but I still didn’t think of myself as a runner. Even when I qualified for the Boston Marathon, I didn’t consider myself a runner. I wore my t-shirt and lacrosse shorts, and would be amused by other runners and all their gear; their singlet and split-seam shorts.
DCRE: I hope you at least had some good running shoes on. (I am a running shoe snob)
MW: Actually, no! I don’t even know what I ran in. I think I used to run in Asics, I run for Brooks now. But I didn’t even think about it, I’d just run in what I would wear for lacrosse.
DCRE: Okay, so you ran Marine Corps and qualified for Boston. When did you start doing ultramarathons? Do you switch back and forth between ultras and marathons?
MW: Well, I qualified for Boston in 1996, and ran Boston in 1997. After Boston, I was trying to make the Pacer’s running team. They wouldn’t let me on the team, but I’d go to their workouts a lot anyway. Finally, they let me on the team probably because I was pestering them so much. And someone jokingly said, “I bet you couldn’t do 3 marathons in a row.” I knew I could do it. So, in 1997, I signed up for Chicago, Marine Corps again, and New York. I finished them all. Then I heard about the JFK 50-miler. I thought to myself, “I just did 3 marathons just within the last 4 weeks…I could probably do 50 miles.” So, I went out and did it. It wasn’t great and it was hard. I really thought I was going to die. After that, I started getting into triathlons, I did Ironman Lake Placid in 1999.
DCRE: Interesting. I have just a few technical questions, really for my own curiosity: I know you don’t have a coach, so how do you normally train for your races?
MW: I usually try and pick some events to focus on and build my training towards those events. I use a lot of races as build up for other races. But I still try to win almost any race I’m in. As far as speed work goes, I usually run with a friend named Chris Raabe, and I often do the same workout he’s doing. It often depends on what my focus is.
DCRE: Do you like speed work or longer runs instead?
MW: I used to hate speed work. But I like it now because it makes you better. But it’s also really hard to do, which also makes you a better runner. My ideal running is just running without any real plan. But speed work is just part of what you need to do to get better, and I appreciate that process. But there’s nothing better than being in the home stretch of a track workout and knowing that you did it. That feeling is just incredible. It also comes in handy during a race, knowing you have only 2000 meters left, that it’s less than a speed workout.
DCRE: Who are your sponsors now?
MW: My largest sponsor is Marathonguide.com. I’m also sponsored by a company called Moeben, they make arm sleeves, which are awesome. I’m have great sponsorships with: Power Bar, Oxysox, Race Ready, Pacers Running Stores (Brooks), Rudy Project Sunglasses, Polar Heart Rate monitors, and Gold’s Gym and The North Face. I have a really good group of sponsors. I also have some individuals that help me out from time to time and some companies that I work with, it is really incredible and I am so lucky. They are all quite supportive of what I’m doing. It’s pretty cool to be able to have people to be interested in what you’re doing, but also support it with product or helping me to get to races, etc.
DCRE: When did you start getting sponsors in your career?
MW: It’s been a little while, I think it was in 2001 or 2002. I think getting sponsors is really important because it allows you to keep doing what you love. I also think it’s important to support companies that you use and feel comfortable with. I’ve always had a good relationship with my sponsors and I like to promote stuff that I actually use.
DCRE: Let’s switch gears here, you mentioned that during the JFK 50-miler, it felt bad and you wanted to die. But it seems that, after all your races and during your interviews, that you make it look so effortless. Has it always been that way for you? Have you ever been burned out?
MW: Thanks, well, I generally just am having a great time! I have definitely had races where I have not felt good. I did a 100K called the Chancellor Challenge where I threw up for basically 45 miles. It was terrible, they were going to pull me out. My dad was distracting the medical team so they wouldn’t pull me off the course. But I’ve definitely had races where I haven’t felt well. But generally, I feel pretty good and I always just get a thrill out of finishing. Even if you know when you start that you’re going to finish (the race), there is still that uncertainty. And I get such a rush out of being able to finish a race. Even if you don’t reach your goal, you still did something pretty cool. Even this year, I’ve had some disappointment, but even in failure there’s something to get out of it.
DCRE: That actually leads me to my next question, how do you deal with disappointment? For instance, when Western States 100-miler was cancelled this year due to the wildfires, how did you deal with that?
MW: Man, that was terrible that that was cancelled. Well, I tried to set the world record for the fastest marathon on the treadmill! (Author’s note: Michael set the world record back in 2004, which was broken by Eric Blake in 2006, and has since wanted to regain his title.)
DCRE: You deal with your disappointment by setting another a goal…
MW: Exactly. For instance, with the treadmill record, I had the opportunity, I had a free weekend, so I tried to tackle a goal I already had in my head to do. Disappointments are good. If you don’t ever fail, then you’re not ever testing yourself. I like to set goals that are challenging and pretty lofty, because if you set goals that are too easily achievable, then to me they’re not worthwhile. I have some pretty big goals coming up: I’m trying to win Marine Corps (this Sunday-October 26!), which will be tough, then I go to Italy for the 100K Worlds on November 8th and I want to bring home a team and individual gold medal.
DCRE: I was reading about that (the 100K World Championship in Italy) and that sounds amazing.
MW: Oh, it’s awesome! I’m so pumped. We just got our team gear. I’ve been training (for this) since that day we talked about (when he saw his friend’s mother’s Boston photos). I’ve always thought the Olympics were awesome and I didn’t make the Olympic team but I get to represent the USA, its people, my family, people from this area, etc. Especially with people in this area, because this (me being in this event) just makes something big more relatable. People may see me (in the championships) and say, “That’s the guy that runs on the same trail I run on,” or something similar. It brings everything together.
DCRE: That’s what I love about running because it’s just one big community.
MW: You still have cliques within the community. Before I won the trail 50-mile championships, all the trial guys were saying I can’t run trails. I’m just a “road ultra guy.” Or before I won the 100K Road Championship, they were saying I was just a “marathon guy.” I like to show people that you don’t have to be pigeon-holed as one type of runner. Why try and limit yourself to one activity or one type of running? It’s fun to do all those things!
DCRE: You’ve touched on another question I wanted to ask you…what do you think of the names people have called you over the course of your career, like being called the “roadie” or “marathon guy, ” or, for instance around the Olympic marathon trials last year, you were called the “underdog” and the most “underrated runner.” How does that make you feel?
MW: I think it’s cool to even be talked about. It’s crazy that people even know who I am. I can’t believe people have interest in what I’m doing. I’m very appreciative. I try not to fall into one category. People say that if I just focused on one event, I could dominate at that one thing. But I’m having a lot of fun doing all these different things. And I’m not doing terribly, so why not?
DCRE: Speaking of doing different things, going back to the discussion about triathlon, you have mentioned in interviews that you’re interested in qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Where is that on your current to-do list?
MW: Well, it is definitely something I want to do. But it’s on the back burner for now. I want to exhaust all my possibilities in running first. I want to see exactly what I can do and how far I can go. I also want to have the time to be more efficient on the bike. But it seems like with triathlon, you can be successful as you get older.
DCRE: With all the goals you have and everything you’d like to do, do you ever get overwhelmed by it? Does it ever seem like there’s too much you want to do?
MW: Sometimes. I don’t think it’s that overwhelming for me, but it gets overwhelming for my family. There is a lot my family sacrifices so that I can achieve my goals.
DCRE: Is your family able to travel with you a lot?
MW: They do travel a lot, but they don’t go everywhere. The past three weekends they haven’t been able to go. It’s tough. But we make it work. Especially with a young son, it’s a challenge.
DCRE: Ok, so I have 5 questions that I would like to ask, that I ask of everyone I interview. It is just my corny way of seeing what we all have in common as runners. Question #1: If you weren’t a runner, what would you do instead?
MW: I’d be involved in some other endurance activity. I’d probably try cycling if I could get enough money to get a nice bike. Cycling or, you know what looks cool: the biathlon. That stuff looks cool. Or maybe some open water swimming. I want to do the Bay Bridge swim some year.
DCRE: Question #2: What do you think about when you go running?
MW: It depends on if I’m with someone. I love going running with someone because you get a whole different perspective on things. When I’m by myself, it depends. If I’m just running, it’s a “stream of consciousness” kind of thinking. If I’m racing, it’s much more focused on what I need to do.
DCRE: Question #3: What do you think about when you’re not running? Basically, is running on your mind all the time?
MW: It’s on my mind a lot. The nice thing is that I have a pretty engaging job (Author’s note: Michael is an international ship broker, representing American and Foreign Flag ship owners delivering humanitarian food aid to countries in need), so I don’t worry about running as much as others that don’t have a lot to do with their time during the day. But I am definitely thinking about my next run, how I feel about my last run, etc. But when I’m working, I’m pretty focused on doing my job, which gives me a little time away from it. But overall, it’s pretty omnipresent. Really, my life is about running, work, being a husband and father.
DCRE: It sounds like you have everything in balance.
MW: My wife really helps me keep things in balance and keeps me from getting too crazy. It’s good to have a voice of reason.
DCRE: Question #4: If you had to define one or two reasons why you do you what you do (racing, running in general, etc.), what would they be?
MW: The biggest reason for me is to just see how much I can do. Just see where it can take me. I want to see how far I can go, and see how I match up to other runners, I want to see how far I can take that. I’ve had some failures and that’s part of me trying to grow and just see what I can do as an athlete and a person. Every time you go out and race or run, you get something out of it. For me, it’s like an evolving, organic process. I’m happy to be able to do it each day. It’s special.
DCRE: Ok, finish this sentence with a word or phrase: I run because…
MW: Because I can.
I must say I really enjoyed my interview with Michael. Not only is he an accomplished runner, but he’s a sincere and genuine guy. He makes us mere mortals feel that we are able to do great things too. He has a full-time job and a family, and still manages to accomplish great things. It seems as though we all can do great things if we just set our minds to it.
Happy running!
