Pat Price | On 30, May 2014

photo: Track Town Photo

Welcome back to 5 Questions, where we pick the brains of people from all areas of the running scene. Today, we were lucky enough to catch up with Pat Casey, who is coming off a strong performance at the IAAF 2014 World Relays. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @patkc13

5 Questions with Pat Casey

1. Daily Relay: Congratulations on your strong leg on the American Record and Silver Medal 4×1500 team. What was it like to be part of that group, and were you happy with how the race played out?

Pat Casey: It was a lot of fun. Being a part of such a talented and proven group of guys was awesome. Heading into the stadium coach Gags told me to go with the leaders, no matter how fast the race went out. This was slightly nerve-racking, as there was speculation it could go as fast as 53/54 for the first 400 meters. With this in mind, I was ready to go out there and stay in the race as long as possible. When the race finally started and we didn’t go out overly fast, I was able to relax and get into a nice rhythm. After handing off and watching David (Torrence) chase Kenya’s runner, I realized I dodged a bullet by not having to run that second leg, because their splits were nothing short of suicidal. I’m still impressed with how tough David ran. After that, it was a tense couple of minutes watching our guys hold off Ethiopia. Overall, I was happy with how it played out, we got beat, but we got beat by an absolutely ridiculous collection of world class runners, and I can live with that.

2. Daily Relay: Your selection for the team has been debated. Did you know at Oxy that there was a chance you may qualify for the squad? When you got the call, what was going through your head?

Pat Casey: I wasn’t aware that there was a chance I would be placed on the team. To be honest, I was just happy I was selected to go. I went to Oxy to run a fast time trial, qualifying for the squad wasn’t on my mind. When I was told I would be running, I was obviously pretty pumped. Ultimately, the decision as to who would run was up to coach Gags. I’m grateful for his belief in me; it was a great opportunity that I will never forget. At the same time, I know Garrett (Heath) was deserving of a spot on the team; he’s had a great season and would have ran a great leg.

3. Daily Relay: The meet looked incredible to those of us watching on TV and online. Hopefully it will become a staple, especially in non-championship years. How was the experience for you on and off the track? Was it as much fun as it seemed?

Pat Casey: It was one of the best meets I’ve ever been to. There was so much energy and excitement in the stadium. I thought introducing us as a team and having us walk out onto the track together was really cool. Hopefully in the coming years, more countries participate. I would love to go back in the future.

4. Daily Relay: You are off to a great 2014 so far. What has been the biggest change from this year to last in your training and adjustment to life as a professional runner?

Pat Casey: I haven’t made any huge changes. The nice thing about running is it’s simple. If you work hard, are fortunate enough to stay injury free, and believe in the process your coach lays out for you, personal bests will follow. On top of that, being surrounded by such dedicated and hard working teammates has played a factor in taking my running to the next level.

5. Daily Relay: What’s coming up for the rest of the summer for you? What are some of your goals for 2014?

Pat Casey: The remainder of 2014 is not planned out yet. I’m doing the Pre Classic this Saturday, so hopefully running a new mile PR is in my near future. My primary focus is doing well at USA’s right now. After that I will assess what I want to do with the rest of the season.

If you enjoy 5 Questions, check out the archive of previous interviews over at Writing About Running