It's amazing what a difference a bit of self-belief can make.
That extra confidence pushed New Zealand's Olympic 1500m
bronze medallist Nick Willis to take a split-second win in
New York's prestigious Fifth Avenue Mile early this morning
(NZT).
Willis edged out two-time world champion Bernard Lagat of the
United States in a furious sprint, clocking 3 minutes 50.5
seconds, with Lagat second in 3min 50.6sec.
The United States-based New Zealander told NZPA he had learnt
much from an intensive season which culminated in his third
placing at last month's Beijing Olympics.
"From my experiences at the Olympics and a couple of other
races in Europe, I've learnt that, even in that much pain, I
can hold my form in a certain way that can get me an extra
inch or two that is needed to win the race," he said.
"I just eked it out, dipped over the line, and no-one knew
who had won. They thought it might have been a dead heat, but
then they looked at photo finish and I'd won by .1sec."
The difference this season, Willis said, has been that he has
finally started listening to his coaches, long-standing
mentor Ron Warhurst and brother Steve.
"Especially late in the season, it's easy for me to start
doubting whether I can draw on the training that was done
three or four months ago...sometimes I don't know whether I'm
running out of fitness.
"This is a great result of that, to be humble but also
confident in my own abilities...finding that balance where
you have that humility, but also that arrogance that will
give you confidence as you step onto the start line."
Fifth or sixth in the early stages of today's race, Willis
moved up to third as the field belted through 800m in 1min
56sec and 1200m in 2min 51sec, keeping a close eye on Lagat.
"My plan was to wait as late as possible and hopefully pace
him with 50m to go. I got onto his shoulder and then I hit
maximum speed, and there was nothing more for me to draw
upon," Willis said.
"Luckily he'd hit his max as well, so we were both battling
it out for the last 50m -- it could have gone either way."
It is the second time a New Zealander has won the famed road
mile, with John Walker winning in 1984. Third place went to
Willis' former University of Michigan teammate Nate Brannen
in 3min 51.9sec.
Willis heads to Fiji next week for a golfing holiday with
wife Sierra, before returning to New Zealand to tour the
country with his bronze medal and hopefully inspire a new
generation of runners.
