Khadevis Robinson | On 28, Jun 2013

photo courtesy Track and Field photo

From the book, the Peaceful Warrior, there is a quote that says “There are no ordinary moments.” If you were able to watch the 800 meter races at nationals, that statement holds true. Going into the National Championships, the Men’s and Women’s 800 meters were anticipated to be two of the most exciting events. You had potentially 4 or 5 athletes on each side that could make it. Both races lived up to the hype.

In the Men’s race, you had two runners that had run sub-1:43, with one of them being the five-time defending national champion. I have always believed that the Champion is the Champion until he is beaten. The great thing about track and field is that the clock don’t lie. There are no referees deciding who wins. You run the fastest and if you cross the line first, you are the winner. I thought that Duane had built up some really good momentum over the past two years and that it was possible that it may be his time to win a Championship. Yet, Nick has been the champion for so long and he has proven that he can bring his A game and run his best in the biggest arena. That is exactly what occurred. Duane ran his race. Nick ran his race and they both ran as fast as they had ever run at a National Championship. The amazing thing is that though most people might have figured that these two would be two of the top three, predicting the third person would be interesting. Would it be Tyler Mulder, Charles Jock, Brandon Johnson, or any of the other guys that have been running really well this season. Johnson, the ex-intermediate hurdler, ended up taking that third spot in a huge PR, exactly like Duane did last year.

It is always a delight when you have everyone step up their game, run their own race, and have no excuses or regrets when it is finished. The key to take out of all of this is: Duane and Brandon had to earn it. No one gave it to them. Nick ran like a champion and made the others run like a champion to compete and ultimately beat him. Champions recognize Champions.

On another note, the other athletes in the race also ran well. They may not have accomplished what they set out to, yet remember, Duane and Nick were once in their position also. You can Make excuses or Make yourself a champion, BUT you cannot Make both. You can even change agents, change coaches, change vitamins, change sponsors, change spikes, change clothes, change girlfriends, change workouts and even change your name. None of it will matter until you change YOU. The real YOU. The inner YOU. Nothing works if YOU do not work. What Duane and Nick did; sure they changed some of those things, yet they believed they could and would be champions and they went and MADE IT HAPPEN.

Remember, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO GIVE UP WHO YOU HAVE BEEN FOR WHOM YOU CAN BECOME. This race was great. These runners have become some of the best in the nation and the world. Now, they have the opportunity to do even better. Shock The World. Why not? All 3 of them have done it before!