Pandemic Papers: An interview with Sean Prinz

Prinz, with signature arm sleeve, at Clarendon Day 5k, 15:27. Neat.

It’s unhealthy, unproductive and sometimes downright dangerous to peddle in stereotypes. We all should know this. That, of course, was just a brief, two-sentence disclaimer for my peddling in the following stereotype (confirmed here by Pandemic Papers star Sean Prinz, Class of 2006): XC/track guys from Wantagh High School can be a bit off kilter. Unique. Beat to their own drummer. In Prinz’ own words: “a strange bunch.” Or, if you’d like: Insert your own cliché here. My sample size of Wantagh runners coming to Marist is small but significant, and it has more than bolstered this broad-brush stroke of uniqueness. But hey, these Strange Rangers have contributed greatly to the lore of what we have tried to create over the past 30 years; none more unique than Sean Prinz himself.

Preseason wiffleball, Gartland

When I think back to Prinz’ four years at Marist … to be honest, I slowly scratch my gray beard and think, hmmmm, well, THAT was a strange trip! Prinz would love being on the team now, and I’d love having him on the team now. An obsessive worker, he would revel in our current team’s fixation on post-run core (#MoreCore), stretching and our twice-a-week lifts. Those things were anomalies in the Time of Prinz. But not for Prinz. He did it all and more. I forgot about his 10-milers on the old track, the Torture Test, his running workouts too fast, and probably a lot of other things that I never knew about off the track that I’d most certainly want to forget as well. Prinz always looked at the world from a slightly different angle. Still does. I always appreciated him. If I had to recall, I bet our “van talk” conversations were quite bizarre. I think the 55-year-old version of me would have equal parts more tolerance and less tolerance for Prinz than the 40-year-old version of me. We’d have far more wide-ranging conversations about a lot more topics now (and Prinz, I would welcome that over a cup of Stewart’s coffee … from the appropriate social distance of 2 meters, of course, at your convenience), and I would probably flip my shit and slam my clipboard in frustration over his butchering of prescribed track workouts (kind of like Hogue!). I’d probably vent about that on the van ride home from the Vassar track, but then get into some extended text conversation about philosophy with him later that night.

But alas, Prinz was a man before his time here. He did contribute a lot, over a wide array of distances. He probably had no business chasing that 10km USATF Juniors standard (I’m sure that was my doing), but to his credit he came maddeningly close to it. Soon after, he was a consistent cog in that magical 4x800 relay at BU. Amazing range! And that sight of Prinz and Schab sprinting to the finish at Disney is one I can still see in my mind’s eye, 16 years later. Good on Prinz for remaining very competitive into early middle age. He’s still chasing it, big-time. He’s as fast or faster than he was in college, and he continues to reinvent himself now as a competitive triathlete. He has a great guide in Sean Hopkins, an equally cerebral student of the sport, someone from whom I learn now as well. Prinz has stayed connected to former teammates and Forever Foxes he has never met through his unique virtual challenges during this pandemic. A freak ankle injury has slowed him currently. But if I know Prinz, he’ll be back and better than ever in a few months. I hope you enjoy Prinz’ unique view of the world, and I thank him for his continued loyalty to our program.

What got you started in the sport of running? Did you play other sports growing up as a youngster on Long Island?

Young Prinz, circa 1989

If you want to go way back, my older brother would make me run up and down the block over and over again -- I’m not sure why, but that memory sticks out and I recall enjoying that type of fatigue. Hockey was/is my favorite sport to watch and play (Go Stars!). I ran to “stay in shape” for hockey.  At a modest 5-9 and 130 pounds, I was quick, but I would get smashed on the boards all too often. I played in a no-check hockey league throughout high school and switched my focus to running senior year. 

You went to Wantagh High School, home to several Running Red Foxes. Tell us about your high school cross country and track career there. What was it like and what were some of your highlights from that period?

Regionals, 2005

Wantagh runners—we are a strange bunch. My high school coach, Bill Hedgecock, is the real deal. He has the record for most wins in New York State. Wantagh was an 80s powerhouse, winning states in 1986 and six consecutive county championships. There was a lull in the 90s, but come the early 2000s, Wantagh began to have a star each year. 

I tried hard but wasn’t very good for most of high school. I didn’t listen to my coach often enough and that didn’t serve me. When I got mono as a junior, the AD said I couldn’t train anywhere on school property; that motivated me to train very hard as close to school property as possible. I went from 18:04 to 16:19 in the 5k in a few months, went undefeated for most of XC until County Champs, and, in typical “Prinz-fashion,” I followed an excellent performance (State Quals) with a terrible one, and bombed at States. The perfect, affordable recruit: good and off the radar!

Wantagh HS Highlights:

- All of the training, the pushups, and the insane workouts we did day after day with no recovery.

- Creating the Torture Test (an obstacle course race that ran for nearly 10 years!)

- Setting the indoor 600m school record.

- 4x8 team that finished 3rd at States. 

Take us back to the recruiting process. How did you hear about Marist, what other schools did you consider and what ultimately led to your deciding on attending Marist?

Well, in 2001, you sit down with your guidance counselor, who you just met for the first time in 4 years and they give you a couple of brochures for schools that might be a good fit. I looked at Syracuse, Marist, Lehigh, and Geneseo. The summer prior to my senior year, my mom and I drove to Marist and scouted the campus and let ourselves into Fontaine and wandered around. We met Dr. Mark Worrell (Philosophy, he left a few years back) and he really left an impression. I got into all four schools. Syracuse was my number 1 choice until I went there and it didn’t feel right, plus the coach didn’t think much of my running resume and I don't blame him. Marist was just so beautiful and I felt an immediate connection with the area and people. After a sleep deprived recruiting visit (a fire alarm in Champagnat went off all night and Hopkins (05) and I stood outside for a long time) I was ready to commit--one of the best decisions of my life.

What was your major at Marist and talk about how your academic experience at Marist prepared you for your post-graduate career?

Technically, I was a double major: English Literature and Spanish Literature. At the time, they were giving double majors away. When people ask, I say English. I work in hospitality and the skills you pick up in pursuit of an English degree are essential. I teach people the art of hospitality, whether that be at the host desk, behind the bar, or in the dish pit. I present very often to groups of all sizes. Dr. Tom Goldpaugh (English, retired) was a master presenter and introduced me to the paranoia-filled world of Thomas Pynchon. I look for Pynchon in NYC on my way to work often. Maybe one day I’ll see him and email Goldpaugh.

You had a varied and wide-ranging running career at Marist, excelling at many disciplines. What are some of your biggest highlights and fondest memories athletically?

Prinz and Hopkins, his mentor

I was productive for a brief, 15-month period. The training, practices, long runs, workouts, bridge runs, Midrise hill loops, stretching in McCann, 10 milers in McCann while the Dance Team practiced in there, Culinary Trails, Vanderbilt, Locust Grove 1ks, the Powerlines, Minnewaska long loop, this is what remains with me. To be honest, I don’t remember many of the races. Races are fun and all, but as a top 5 kind of guy, you experience a lot of defeat. The beauty of defeat is that it shows you yourself.

My college career, in list format:

Freshman: Welcome to the big leagues. Knocked on the door of top 7. Missed Jr. Nationals in 10k by a smidge.

Sophomore: Good. Mr. Stop the Bleeding, 5th man in XC. Indoor 4x8 school record. 

Junior: Good. Reprised my role as 5th man in XC. Injury Red shirt for the rest of the year.

Senior: A mess. Endlessly trying to be the man that I was without success. Although, that particular regionals (running JV) was special because it’s when I started to look at running differently--more as a lifestyle and less of a sport. Then I pumped out a 15:27 at West Point in March and tore my Achilles -- the end.

What was I good at? I guess I had a pretty nasty kick, but the urgency of collegiate sports got to me. I realize now I just didn’t have the constitution to race with such frequency. It’s hard to be good for 4 years and 12 seasons. I was a habitual line-stepper and wasn't mature enough to listen when it mattered. I didn’t allow myself to recover. When Coach Pete said 6x1000 at 3:20 with 45 sec rest, I would run 3:10s and then hammer the cool down. It was all very silly. 

College Highlights:

- 4x8 school record with Harris, Bambi, and DeMarco. Six weeks of Indoor Track where we had only good days.

- 3rd man at MAACs at Disney. Great sprint finish against friend and former roommate, Mike Schab (06).

- While my dear friends have given me a lifetime of shit for missing Jr. Nationals by 6 seconds as a freshman, it was a big deal for me to even get that close. Thanks for getting me close, Coach Pete.

- AAU Championships at McCann.

- Every single van ride back from a meet. Van talk!

- Every single pre-season, the romance of having campus to yourself, the year rife with potential, possibility, and PRs.

- I love all the stats (I guess now we call it analytics.) Tracking, comparing, documenting all workouts, runs, etc., the Disney Roster Rankings on my wall in 2004 (The Battle of the “Belge” for the coveted 14th spot between Belge (07)  and CT (07). Belge won that spot, but CT sure did come back with a vengeance!)

Your era of Marist Running was filled with a lot of unique individuals. What are some of your fondest memories away from running, with your teammates and otherwise?

One of my favorite parts of the Pandemic Papers is reading about the old days before I got there. 

How come no one is talking about the Library? I’m only 35, but texting wasn’t the way things got done back then. It was all about the AIM away message. Put up a good away message, head to the Library, and hit the Cabaret; the end of the day is just the beginning. I would also like to point out that only one person had a digital camera. The rest of us, on occasion, had disposable cameras. So much of what happened went undocumented (thankfully). If it weren’t for Denise (06), there would essentially be no photos from my college experience. I don’t know where she is, but thank you and I wish we could burn the negatives.

I lived in Champagnat freshman year. More importantly, I lived on the first floor (where we used our windows like doors sometimes.) We had a Marist Brother living on the first floor with us instead of an RA (does this still happen?)

After Champagnat, I lived in Gartland (respect) and I cannot believe we were allowed to have so much autonomy at such a young age. 

Walk us through your career path -- what you've done and what you are currently doing -- how you got there and how Marist prepared you for it.

After Marist, I went right into hotel and restaurant management. I lived in 7 cities in 7 years. I met my wife in the biz. I’ve met and had the honor of serving incredible people in rare and luxurious places. Now I work as an executive for a restaurant group. We have 16 venues. I am the Director of Service & Hospitality. I teach people how to be nice. Hospitality is a lot like running. A dear friend of mine once wrote, “The service industry is the only industry in which you must work your way up, no matter who you are, but it will allow you to do so, and show you how.” 

Back to Dr. Mark Worrell, he’s a brilliant philosopher and taught me a lot about hard work. Students called him a GPA killer. He was the only B and B+ on my transcript, but I’m most proud of those two semesters. You were graded every class. You were awarded nothing for showing up to class; showing up wasn’t enough. At the very least you had to contribute by asking a thoughtful, appropriate, and sound question. Points lost during the semester could never be made up. It was this unforgiving climate that made you really pay attention and take it seriously. The real world is serious. Decide what you want to be, pay the price, then be what you want to be. I’m grateful for this lesson. Thank you, Marist and Dr. Worrell.

Up until recently (broken ankle!), you have continued to run and race at a high level. How have you stayed motivated (Hopkins?), what are some of your best race highlights and what are some of your future goals, once you can get back at it? What keeps you going?

1985 Mercedes, 'we like old things'

My wife and I maintain a spartan lifestyle: small house, small piece of property, no TV, nothing in storage or in our attic. We like old fashioned things. We have what we need and need what we have. 

1) Wife & Family     2) Training & Self    3) Job 

I make training a priority. Most of the time, my wife and family are extremely supportive and allow me to make training the #1 priority. Each year I look to improve my training and understanding of the body and the sport. From a numbers perspective, I aim to dip under 16 in the 5k or 27 in the 8k. I’ve done this every year since graduation, except 2012, 2013, and 2019. I was injured all of 12 & 13. In 2019, transitioned to full distance triathlon and got really close with a 27:05 8k. Those 5 seconds above 27 minutes would usually bother me, but, just like at Regionals my senior year, sometimes the run itself has to be enough. You’ll lose your mind if you’re too competitive all the time.

Perry the dog, loves 'recovery'

The switch to triathlon was difficult. Swimming and biking are not like running---both are so technical. The change in sport was because I had fallen into a pattern of injury: run well for 10 months, get hurt, 2 months rest, run well for 10 months, get hurt again. All my aches and pains from running disappeared when I started triathlon. I was no longer fast and weak; triathlon makes you fast and strong. Nowadays, nutrition and recovery are everything. 

I want to remain fast for as long as possible. Coach Hopkins encouraged me to listen to my body and hold back in workouts; only run fast when you’re supposed to run fast. If you want to have a long, successful running career after college check out his website: bighorndistanceproject.com

What keeps me going? I love the process and there is a purity in physical pursuits. Training satisfies some kind of addiction, my craving for fatigue, expansion, and connection, just like running up and down the block with my brother long ago. It hasn’t always been easy. Sometimes I run home from work at midnight (from Brooklyn to New Jersey) or I work breakfast and lunch service, hit the treadmill from 3-4 and I’m back in the restaurant for dinner service at 5. Sometimes, I miss a run and feel bad for the rest of the day. 

It’s hard to pick out highlights in the last 15 years. 

• Pacing my dad to a 37-minute 5 miler in his 60s.
• Solo cool down with Ryan Hall after the Cow Harbor 10k.
• The swim and last mile of Ironman Wisconsin 2019.
• Training at altitude in Colombia for 4 months in 2009.
• Traveling from Tokyo to Lisbon with my wife and running in every city in between in 2015.
• Finishing 141st at an Olympic Distance Tri in 2018 and then winning it the following year.

Think back to your last few months as a student-athlete at Marist. What do you remember most? How can you parlay those memories into advice or guidance to our most recent graduating seniors, who were robbed of that special time?

I might be the wrong person to ask. I loved my time at Marist, but I was ready to leave after XC my senior year.  Once I finished my senior thesis in the fall and made it through my three defense questions I was ready to get on with the real world. 

My message to seniors: Don’t wait for life to tell you when it’s time to take the next step--bosses won’t and jobs certainly won’t. Relationships and life don’t follow a timeline. College running can be the start of a long relationship with athletics, fitness, your community, and most importantly, yourself. It’s ok to feel bad that you were robbed of a season or a moment. This will happen again in life. I encourage you to take control of it, and if I know my fellow foxes, you already have! 

How has the pandemic affected you and your family and where do you see it going from here -- short-term and long-term?

My wife has her own Wedding & Wellness company (@honeycombprinceweddings) and many of her brides have moved their weddings to 2021; she’s still planning and working with her brides on a daily basis. Also, the micro wedding scene is expanding during quarantine. A lot of recently engaged brides don’t want to wait and are coordinating weddings in their own backyards and rooftops. It's definitely slowed things down for her, but she’s still busy. As for me, it’s the restaurant business apocalypse. We hope to start re-opening our venues in September--we’ll see. Restaurants will be back, but there is no need to rush into it. My family and friends are safe and sound and that’s what matters. 

From the distance of time and space, what can you say seems different (or the same!) from the track/XC program when you were here and now in the present?

Everyone is so much faster and Pete (and Chuck) remain the foundation of a program I’m proud to call myself a part of. Each of us plays our part in moving the program forward. Sometimes that means breaking records; sometimes that means being a reliable guy in workouts for 4 years. I’m glad the records keep getting faster.

Anything else you'd like to add... 

You can’t always help who you love, but you can help who you marry. Marry someone who “can take the dark out of the nighttime.” (Thank you to Bob Dylan for that lyric.)

Prinz with Sarah on wedding day