David Ernsberger ran for Central Michigan. After college, David joined up with the Hanson/Brooks training group. He ran 2:18.56 at Chicago in 2006 to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. Read on to find out more about David and his training.
RM: How excited are you for the Olympic Marathon Trials and why? Do you look at the Trials as just another marathon? What do they mean to you?DE: There's no way you can look at the Trials as just another marathon. Sure, you try to train for it as you would any other marathon so that you don't get too aggressive and ruin the race before you start, but the atmosphere surrounding it and the interest level going into it makes it impossible to look at this race with the same importance as any other. This is going to be a benchmark event for everybody in it and will show how well we're able to prepare for and handle the pressures of a world-class event.
The Trials have a lot of meaning for me because it is an exclusive event that I can be very proud of qualifying for. For an aspiring elite runner, qualifying for the Trials is a crucial step in proving yourself capable and talented enough to continue moving up in the sport, and it is a huge opportunity to gain exposure.
Personally, this race means more to me than any other I've run before. This is the first big race of mine that my father won't able to attend. He was absolutely my biggest supporter and fan, but he died last spring of cancer. His memory is what has fueled my training through this summer and if I have any success in this race it will be because of him.
RM: What were you training for at the time of the last marathon trials (Feb 04') and did you see yourself toeing the line of the marathon trials 4 years down the road? DE: I've always thought I would be a marathoner. I actually tried half-heartedly to qualify for '04 when I was 21 and still in college. I missed by about a mile exactly, so I was busy running track for Central Michigan University. I was confident I would qualify for this year's event though.
RM: What is your biggest advantage to doing well going into the Trials and why? DE: I've trained alone for the past eight months, so I'm not going to get pulled into what anybody else is doing. I know what I have to do to run well and I can follow that plan without having to rely on anyone else.
RM: What would it take to make you walk away from the Trials disappointed and why? What would it take to allow you to walk away content from the Trials and why? DE: I'd rather not even entertain thoughts of disappointment. One of the keys to success is remaining positive, so I envision myself running a perfect race...going out conservatively and getting stronger as the race progresses, with a finish high above where I am seeded. A top-20 placing and a time in the 2:16s on that challenging course would leave me content.
This may seem strange, but it's also important that Brian Sell make the Olympic team. To myself and many others he represents what can be done with dedicated hard work, and it would be a great motivation to see him realize his goal, because it would mean that guys like me might be able to do something similar. Incidentally, I believe he will win.
RM: What are your thoughts on the level of competition that is going to be toeing the line for the Trials? DE: What more could you ask for than to have the strongest field ever assembled in a U.S.-only race? I love the challenge of competing within this group and the honor of having earned the right to do so. I know how much I've invested into this one race and that everybody else out there has done the same. I expect the competition to be intense, even away from the lead pack.
RM: How many more Olympic Marathon Trials do you see yourself competing in down the road and why? DE: I try not to take this race for granted or expect that I'll have the chance to do this again. There are a lot of things that get sacrificed in order to compete in the marathon. If I run well on November 3rd, I'll probably keep going for at least another Olympic cycle, but different results could point me in another direction, so I don't take this opportunity lightly because it might be my one chance.
