Even before Tom Chorny recognized that running would be his vice, he knew that he wanted to be in the Olympics.\nHe’s gotten extremely close – closer than most Americans ever dream of. \nAnd with two Olympic trials already under his feet, he’s ready to make the team. \n“I wouldn’t bet against me,” said the ‘99 IU graduate confidently, his lean and toned muscles discernible through his clothing.\nAthletes with talent and accomplishments like Chorny’s are hard to come by. However, former IU track and cross country coach Robert Chapman has found 15 such individuals, ranging in age and skill, and has brought them together to compete as Team Indiana Elite.\nChapman started the group in January, hoping to provide a chance for advanced athletes, many of whom live in the Bloomington area, to make it to the Olympic trials. Two of these athletes, Scott Overall from England and Mario Macias from Mexico, left their native countries to train at IU with Chapman. \nHe said without the opportunity, most runners would be done pursuing their careers as athletes. With only about nine months before the 2008 Olympic trials, Chapman hopes to qualify as many runners as possible and help prepare those who have already qualified.\n“None of them had the support to keep them training,” Chapman said, who also is a lecturer in the kinesiology department. “If they didn’t have this opportunity, they could all very well be out of the sport.”\nAgainst the clock\nThose that haven’t qualified yet are running races for their respective events, trying to hit the Olympic trials qualifying times and run those races fast enough to rank in the top 30 to 40 runners in the country, Chapman said. \n“Sometimes the challenge is head-to-head,” he said. “But sometimes it can be against the clock.”\nOne problem with running competitively is actually getting sponsored for a race, but this is where Chapman comes in.\n“Before joining the team, I tried to contact race directors who wouldn’t call me back,” said Jessica Gall, a member of Team Indiana Elite, who finished graduate school at IU this spring. “Chapman and the team have helped me with all of that. Race directors call back, and even offer me money to come run in some of those races.”\nAside from the professional advantage, Chapman said athletes gain a competitive advantage from being in the group as well.\n“The value is the ability to train with similarly talented athletes in a group setting,” Chapman said. So he brought them assistance in the form of access to IU athletic facilities, a sponsor by Brooks – a running shoes and apparel company that pays for equipment and travel expenses – and free housing at IU. \n“It’s a win-win situation,” Chapman said. “The athletes need the support, and from IU’s standpoint, the housing was empty anyway.”
Trying for trials\nNow runners like Chorny use the resources they have to train seven days a week, sometimes running up to 20 miles a day.\nChorny’s best time of 8 minutes, 22.16 seconds in the 3,000-meter steeplechase – a race involving unmovable barriers and a water jump – is probably a good enough time to qualify top three in the Olympic trials, Chorny said. This would land him a spot on the 2008 American team and a trip to Beijing. \nOut of the 15 total group members, seven of them have already hit the qualifying time for this year’s Olympic trials according to Team Indiana Elite’s Web site, which are set to take place sometime in June or July 2008, Chorny said. Even then, not all runners who qualify necessarily get to run in the trials. Only A Team qualifiers are guaranteed a spot, and then selections are made from the B list.\nGall, one of the team’s Olympic trial qualifiers, ran her first race in third grade and said she has been hooked ever since.\n“I got second in that race (in my age group), even after stopping behind a tree to take a break,” she said, grinning. “And I was mad about getting second. I’ve always been a really competitive person.” \nGall’s accomplishments on IU’s cross country and track teams are numerous, but her dreams are even bigger. As a three-time NCAA All-American and a USA Track and Field qualifier, she certainly carries a lot of knowledge and experience, but with that knowledge comes the wisdom of a distance runner. Gall is only 23 years old – and said that women don’t hit their best running years until they are about 30. \n“I know you have to be patient with long distance running,” she said. “Not just week-to-week training, but year-to-year training as well.”\nHer primary goal is getting to the Olympic trials, either in the marathon or in the 10K. She has hit the B qualifying time for the trials, and is hopeful to attain the A qualifying time to grant her automatic participation.\nAnd even though she has never ran a marathon before, she has high hopes. Her first one is set to take place on Oct. 21 in Columbus, Ohio. After getting second in the IU Mini on Sept. 8, Gall prepares to thrive while doubling the miles. \n“I’m definitely a small fish in a big pond,” she said. “But one way or the other, I want to get to the Olympic trials.”\nGall’s ambition of someday competing in the Olympics may never have had a chance if it weren’t for the continued support of Chapman and IU.\n“Supporting these athletes is an example for all IU’s athletes,” Chapman said. “As a society, we support these Olympian ideals – like sacrifice – and these guys are living it.”
