An interview with Tim Johnson

Recruiting non-distance runners to our trackless campus at Marist College is no easy task. But as you’ve seen so far in this Pandemic Papers series, our program has a rich history of success in the non-distance area. That’s a testament to Marist College itself. We tend to draw highly motivated students and just flat-out good people. The sprinters tend to find their way here, whether or not they are recruited (and oftentimes, they either are not recruited at all or just lightly pursued). And the great ones tend to adapt to our challenging circumstances, to the point where they eventually wind up on the school record board in the McCann Center.

Such is the case with today’s Pandemic Papers subject, Tim Johnson. Like so many great things in life, a seemingly random set of circumstances led Tim to Marist and to Marist Track. Once here, though, the Little Engine That Could proceeded to take aim at that record board. He still remains on three relay records – again, like any great track athlete, his finest moments were with a relay baton in his hand. But as we’ve detailed in previous posts, Tim made the totally improbable and curious leap to endurance athlete after college – completing both a marathon and an Ironman triathlon. It’s not an exaggeration when we say that Tim’s idea of a post-workout cooldown at the Vassar Track was walking – slowly, oh-so-slowly – from the track to the parking lot where the vans were located. Grudgingly, if prodded by Coach Terry Horton, he would do a lap or two on the track or the turf, at a jogging pace so slow that we could briskly walk next to him and have a conversation. Sprinters focus on speed. They don’t do long and slow. Who knew Tim would morph into an Ironman! So, today’s interview tells the story of Tim Johnson, how he got to Marist, became one of our greatest sprinters and then graduated to a new phase of his athletic career.

How did you become interested in Marist and how did you choose Marist over other schools?

I became interested in Marist for a couple reasons. It was one of a handful of schools that offered my original major. The campus was also a huge draw for me, I mean, how could you not fall in love with it? Otherwise, I just liked the atmosphere and the opportunities that it would offer for me later in life. There are so many other intangibles about Marist that I learned to love over the years that would have made my decision even easier in high school. For example, if I had known about Rossi’s when I was applying, I would have done just about anything to get in…

           

As a sprinter, was our lack of on-campus track facilities an issue in considering the school? How were you and your teammates able to manage that situation?

Track was somewhat of an afterthought for me once I was accepted to Marist. I was originally being recruited for soccer by a couple of schools but that didn’t work out for various reasons. Once I had decided to come to Marist is when I considered running track.  In speaking with Coach Pete, it was clear to me that the lack of facilities was not going to be an issue.

Managing without a track was actually easier than you would think. We did a lot of alternative workouts, which not only helped me as a runner but also switched things up. This both prevented injury and got us away from the repeat 400s that I love so much (NOT).  We did get to the track once if not twice every week.  Because we didn’t have our own track, it made these workouts so much more important. Subconsciously, I think it made us all work harder because we knew our time there was limited. For those considering Marist for sprinting, the lack of track should not be a reason to deter them from coming. The coaching staff does a phenomenal job training us to be the best runners possible.

Talk about your time as an athlete at Marist. What are some of your fondest memories?

I wouldn’t even know where to start. Being an athlete at Marist has allowed me to form friendships that will stick with me for life. It helped me grow as a person and taught me skills and lessons that I am not sure I would have learned otherwise. One of the best memories for me was breaking the indoor DMR record at the indoor IC4A meet my junior year. Everything clicked that race for me and everyone else on that relay. I still remember the feeling when we found out we were moving on to the finals. Some of my other favorite memories came seeing other people beat personal goals. But what all the memories have in common is the team. Everything good that I remember about Marist I did with friends I found on the track team!

You and your teammates formed a particularly close bond with Coach Horton. Talk about that and his impact on our program!

Terry is the man! We still chat here and there about the team and it’s a good way for me to stay updated.  Learning from such a great runner like him was one of the best parts of running at Marist for me.  Every workout we did for him was done with specific purpose, and while I didn’t always like running 10 400s, it was helpful in the long run. I can’t say enough good things about nor would I even know where to start if I tried to list them all.

Talk about your time as student at Marist. How did it prepare you for your future in the working world?

I majored in Biomedical Sciences with a double Minor in Chemistry and Psychology.  With that on top of track I was stretched more than thin, but somehow I survived and made it to the real world. To this day, I am realizing how well Marist prepared me for the work force as well as for graduate programs. The classes that I took at Marist set me up for success on a daily basis even today! I cannot say enough good things about the academics at Marist and the commitment of the track coaching staff to support their student-athletes in that.

After graduation, you made the particularly curious leap from record-setting sprinter to marathon runner and Ironman triathlon finisher. How in heaven's name did THAT happen? What are your future goals in that area?

It’s actually a funny story how that happened.  Post-graduation I was living at home commuting to NYC for work and working out nights and weekends. At some point in June/July of 2017, my Mom bet me that I couldn’t finish a half marathon (she claims she said that I couldn’t finish one in under two hours – it’s still up for debate).  Obviously, I took the bet and sweetened the deal by wagering a free pair of new running shoes for myself if I broke 2:00 and a free pair of shoes for her if I couldn’t.  I trained for MAYBE 6 weeks with long runs on the weekends of 6, 8, 10, and 12.  At the time I completed the 12-mile run, I was getting ready to have to shell out for new running shoes for her.  Two weeks later, I was crossing the finish at 1:57.53.  I waited patiently for Mom to cross the finish line to claim my new pair of shoes.

From there it just escalated. I started going on more medium to long runs and at some point in time decided to sign up for the Hartford Marathon. As I began training for that, a good friend from high school completed an IRONMAN.  Not knowing much about the race, I joked with my family that I could do it.  At some point joking turned into why not try and I found myself submitting the entry fee for the Lake Placid IRONMAN in July of 2019.  A total of 18 months of training including my first full marathon (yes, my first marathon was actually a training run), and a half IRON that kicked my ass two months before the full and there I was after 14+ hours crossing the finish line at Lake Placid.

I became an endurance athlete because of a bet for free shoes.

As for the future, I will probably run a few more marathons, and maybe a half IRON or two.  I really enjoy the half marathon distance at this point because it feels short. I also really like the 5ks that give you free food and beer afterwards, especially the Hot Oil 5K (unlimited pizza and beer afterwards) that me and Nate Lungarini have turned into a yearly tradition!

Let's talk about the Coronavirus pandemic. When you were in college, you studied epidemiology and had a strong interest in that. What's your opinion of the current situation and how do you see it playing out in the short-term and long-term future?

Where do I even begin…

All thing considered, I think we are doing all right in terms of the pandemic. We were plagued by early deficiencies in testing that ultimately resulted in more cases and a faster spread of the virus. Some counties (LA) even think that there was an outbreak of the virus in October of last year and we just didn’t know it was COVID-19.  I think as testing ramps up and we catch up and are able to determine who has antibodies and who doesn’t and how well those prevent re-infection, we will be in a better place to determine how the next 1-2 to more years will be. Right now, I see us wearing masks for the foreseeable future. Activities like going to sporting events and the bar will be different than what they were before the virus.  In Connecticut, we will be home for another month (Gov. Ned Lamont ordered businesses to stay closed until May 20^th), other states are opening sooner than that so we will see what kind of impact that has on the spread.  The one thing that I am somewhat concerned about is the second wave of the virus and how impactful that will be to us.

Unfortunately, officials are having to choose between keeping people safe and saving the economy.  It is certainly a tough choice to make and I am happy to say it’s not mine. 

Ultimately, at the end of the day we will get through this stronger than before in a world more prepared for next time.

How are you and your family coping with the crisis?

This is the first time in three years that we have all been in the house together for an extended period of time.  It has been interesting, to say the least. We have been playing a lot of board games and doing puzzles. But overall things are going well and it’s good to have time with family. I think the best thing we have done is split up chores as well as which days people cook on. Knowing that you don’t have to cook every night relieved stress I didn’t even know I had.

Where are you living now and what are you doing career-wise?

I actually just moved back home to Connecticut after living in Michigan for a few months. I am working for a medical device regulatory consulting company and am currently placed at a client in my hometown. This basically means that I get to work with this client, the FDA and other regulatory agencies to ensure that they are meeting all the applicable regulations to ensure their medical devices legally stay on the market. 

What are your future aspirations in that area?

I would like to run my own consulting business for small pharmaceutical and biologic companies to help bring new and innovative products to market.

What message would you give to our current seniors who lost their final outdoor track season and final few months of their senior year?

My heart breaks for them. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if that happened to me.  It just goes to show that every day, every workout, every meet, every race is meaningful because you never know if it will be your last.  In essence, there are no days off – make every race count!

What advice would you give to current team members and/or prospective student-athletes considering Marist?

To the current team: Make the most of your time with your teammates, put in the work at lift and practice day in and day out because when you run your final race you want to be able to say you gave it all.

To prospective student-athletes: Running at Marist was one of the best decisions you will ever make.  Not only is the coaching staff exceptional, but the people you will meet and the experiences you will have on and off the track will stick with you for life! 

Anything else you'd like to add ...

Go Red Foxes!!