April 18, 2007
Ann Alyanak wants to be known as more than a cross country and track coach. She is a distance runner with an incredible range of experiences, a diverse racing calendar and a solitary purpose.
Alyanak has made a successful and laborious transition from running meters on the track and kilometers on the cross country trail to coaching the Dayton Flyers in women's cross country and serving as an assistant in track and field.
Now the 28-year-old from Bluffton, Ohio believes her last race will not only serve as a springboard of success in her running career, but a great example for the Dayton Flyers.
Alyanak raced in the 111th Boston Marathon on Monday and finished with a time of 2:38:55, good for second among American women in the race. She placed ninth in the women's division and 113th overall among all runners both male and female.
Despite battling the rugged course and nor'easter weather that featured rain and winds up to 50 miles per hour, Alyanak qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
When Alyanak started the race, the temperature of 52 degrees and moderate rain -- unpleasant for sure, was much better than organizers feared when a storm pelted the region all weekend.
Although the running conditions weren't ideal, training during a turbulent Dayton spring served as a great advantage for Alyanak.
"The week leading up to the race, I ran in a lot of the rain and cold," Alyanak said. "I think it was an advantage over those people who were coming from the West Coast or ideal conditions. I think we all prepared for it, but it definitely helped."
As one of 23,903 runners in the event, Alyanak navigated the legendary Boston Marathon course following a point-to-point route from rural Hopkinton to Boston.
With a goal to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, Alyanak had to meet a time of two hours and 39 minutes to reach the `A' standard and have her expenses paid by USA Track & Field, the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States.
"For a lot of people who run the marathons, it's the standard and what you go after if you're in serious marathoning," said Alyanak. "Then it gives you a shot at the trials. I know I have a lot of work to go, but at least I know I'll be there."
Things started off slowly for Alyanak, but at the halfway mark she started to cut down on her time. She came in at 1:19.57 at the midway point and was on pace to run a time of 2:39.49.
"It kind of went almost exactly as planned," Alyanak said. "It was nice we had a huge pack for basically the first half of the race. I tucked myself in the pack and it was easy. It felt great. I felt like I was in a jog for the first 10 miles."
The runners splashed over the early part of the course, many in jackets and gloves and some with sleeves to supplement their singlets. But by the time the lead pack of seven women reached Natick after about 10 miles, the rain had stopped and the wind had died.
"It wasn't ideal, but I was expecting gale force winds and hurricane conditions from the way it was on Sunday," said Alyanak. "It was warmer than what we expected. The rain didn't bother me too much. It was windy, but at our side a lot and since we had a pack to run with, it wasn't as noticeable. It was better than it could have been."
After a couple of runners made a move midway through the race, Alyanak battled through the initial pack to group herself with the top one percent of racers.
In the last stages of the marathon, Alyanak pulled ahead and defeated the next finisher by a slim margin of two seconds.
Balancing life on the recruiting trail, teaching a class, coaching and home responsibilities, Alyanak tailored her training sessions in Dayton to match the unique topography of the Hopkinton-to-Boston course with the objective of using those training tactics for her team.
"I know the girls were really excited," said Alyanak. "It's fun for me to see that excitement in them. I hope that excites them about running and shows there's more running you can do, even after college. Even if you're not doing it competitively, you can still do it."
The Boston Marathon is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Approximately 500,000 spectators line the 26.2-mile course annually, making the Boston Marathon New England's most widely viewed sporting event, according to estimates by police and public safety officials from the eight cities and towns along the route.
"There were 23,000 people out there (in Boston) and they were all having a good time," Alyanak said.
In her coaching career, Alyanak created a culture of success on-and-off the course for the Flyers.
In her three seasons as UD head coach, Alyanak's squads have been named to the All-Academic Cross County Team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, meaning the team has maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
Competitively, Alyanak has coached 15 of the top 30 fastest UD runners in the program's history.
It's been her will to succeed and positive nature that has kept Alyanak going as a coach and as a runner. Slowly, Alyanak has made strides to improve from a strong national runner to a competitor on the international stage.
Alyanak had a strong year in 2006, improving her personal bests in the 5K (16:34), 10K (34:19), and 10,000m (33:35.64), while also finishing fourth at the USA Half Marathon Championships in 1:15:30, and posting a 41st-place finish (second American) at the World Road Running Championships (20K) in Hungary.
She again improved her half marathon best when she finished ninth at the 2007 USA Half Marathon Championships in 1:14:24 in Houston on January 14.
Prior to Dayton, Alyanak earned the Most Valuable Runner award of the Purdue cross country team all four years she competed, earning All-Region honors in 1999-2000.
In track, she was an NCAA qualifier in the 10,000 meters after winning the Big Ten title as a senior. She also set the school record in the 5,000 meters and placed second at the Big Ten Championship.
Alyanak will not prepare exclusively for the 2008 Olympic Trials immediately, but will race in shorter distance races to vary her training.
As much as it was a great individual effort on Alyanak's part, the UD coach understands that the actual race is only a small piece to her success with running.
"I just have to keep at it," Alyanak said. "Everything builds on everything. I can tell I'm much stronger and more mature of an athlete now than I was two years ago. It's a team effort out there and it's great having everyone behind me."
