Original Gangster of Running (Mike Roche)
“If you only train with people you can beat, you’re cheating yourself. Or, said another way, if you’re the fastest guy in your neighborhood, move to where you are not.“
When did you start running and why?
I started running my freshman year at Cranford High School, New Jersey, Spring of ‘68. I wanted to play football, even though I was 5’/110 pounds with pads on. My father would not sign the permission slip unless I agreed to run Track in the Spring. I wanted to play baseball in the Spring and just figured it would slip his mind. My father had been a hurdler/triple jumper at UCLA and my older brother Casey had transformed himself into a Pole Vaulter over the previous year. Spring came and Dad did not forget. Despite my complaining, I had a reasonable season of Track (5:08 mile). Enough to compel me to run Cross-Country in the Fall.
Graduated HS with Personal Records of 4:23 and 9:31 for Two Miles. I ran in a very competitive conference against Vince Cartier and others – I was always in the chase pack. We didn’t have Indoor Track, so I tried out for basketball. Got cut every year, but I got close my senior year.
Toughest opponent and why?
I tried to run everything from the steeplechase to the marathon (never ran a marathon…see “biggest disappointment.”) So, I had many rivals on both track and roads.
As a steeplechaser, I seemed to always be chasing Doug Brown, Henry Marsh, Ron Addison, George Malley, John Gregorek, Ken Martin and others.
On the roads, Bill Rodgers, Craig Virgin, Randy Thomas, Greg Meyer, Herb Lindsay, Jon Sinclair, Garry Bjorklund and Mike Slack, Bob Hodge, and others. I actually think I could be more competitive on the roads and on any given day anything could happen.
Most memorable run and why?
‘76 Trials final, Steeplechase.
I would have been content to make the Steeplechase final as the ‘76 Trials approached. I had been ranked 10th in the US at the end of 1975 after running 8:40 coming off a PR of 8:58 in ‘74. I managed to get down to 8:32 at the Prefontaine Meet, a few weeks before the Trials.
In the Trials semi-final, inexplicably, Randy Smith, who was the dominant Steeplechaser in ‘76 and had won Nationals a couple of weeks before, failed to qualify for the final. This obviously opened up a spot for someone as Smith was considered a shoe-in for the team.
In the final I found myself in 5th place in the Trials final with about 600 meters to go. I was feeling content about being 5th in the Trials when I passed into 4th with a lap to go. Leaders Doug Brown and Henry Marsh were about thirty meters ahead and Don Timm five meters back of them.
Don had beaten me soundly at the USTFF meet a few weeks before.
As I approached the back straight, I could sense Timm coming back to me. Despite feeling completely spent going into the final lap, I felt this flush of energy I can only attribute to the sudden absurd possibility playing out in front of me.
I closed on Timm approaching the last water jump. I was concerned about Timm getting energized as well and tried to time the pass, so I could carry it through the finish. I passed Don a few yards before the last barrier heading into the final straightaway. I had been accelerating before the water jump and was in an all-out sprint heading to the final barrier.
My trail leg hit the barrier squarely. I remember trying to get my hands out to break the fall, but also to push off the ground as quickly as possible.
I was there. I saw the whole thing. Historic Hayward Field. Olympic Trials. Like being in the movie. You impressed me to no end.
I don’t really remember much after that point other than Don was ten-fifteen meters ahead and I just focused on what I thought was the finish line. I was incredibly lucky to catch him at the line. Two one-hundredths (0.02) of a second separated us.
I have often wondered how different my life would have been if that whisper of time had not been in my favor.
I spent the weeks before the Olympics trying to recover from a severely swollen knee and broken wrist as a result of the fall. Just didn’t have it in my Olympic heat and finished 10th.
Biggest disappointment and why?
I think most runners would say they could have done better at every distance. Four things I wish I had accomplished – sub-four-minute mile, a marathon, a 10k on the track and to have broken 8:30 for the steeple.
I never trained for the mile specifically, so my 4:04 was accomplished with high mileage weeks and Steeple/5k/10k training.
I don’t like to speculate on a Marathon time. Until you run the distance, you really have no idea. I did run 46:57 for ten miles in ‘81, but add sixteen more miles and it could have gone either way. I just wish I stayed injury-free long enough to try. I retired four months after that ten-mile effort, due to injury.
I also would have loved to test myself at 10,000 meters on the track. I ran 28:54 in 1979 on a hilly/hot Peachtree course, behind winner Craig Virgin, (28:30) who set an AR 27:39 a couple of weeks before. I looked back at my training log and I had run 147 miles the week ending two days before the Peachtree race. Marathon training.
In the Steeplechase, I ran between 8:30:2 (PR) and 8:33 both in shape and not-so-good shape several times. When I ran my PR, the clock stopped at 8:29:8 and I thought I had done it, but it was later changed. I also ran 8:32 with the fall in the Trials, but it would be nice to have broken 8:30 legitimately.
My overriding disappointment, in retrospect, was I wish I knew how to rest/taper properly before races. I never felt fresh or recovered because I was paranoid about losing fitness with reduced training. It also led me to frequent injury.
All but a couple OGORs have said they wish they had rested/recovered/tapered more.
What would you do differently if you could do it again? Why?
Focus and Rest. Not be obsessed with training based on volume and intensity. Focus on specific event training. I trained for the Steeple like a long distance runner, rather than a middle distance runner. When I thought about training for a Marathon, I increased my mileage, which was already over 100 miles per week, until I got injured or ill.
In my defense, before that, the more I ran, the more I improved. I went from breaking 4:20 in the mile for the first time in theSpring of ‘74 and made the Olympic Team in June of ‘76. No one could have convinced me my process was wrong.
Favorite philosopher? Quote?
I don’t really have a favorite philosopher, but I will offer some thoughts/advice that I leaned on over my competitive years.
- Take Personal Responsibility for your fitness. What you do at team practices pales in significance to what you do when no one is watching.
- If you only train with people you can beat, you’re cheating yourself. Or, said another way, If you’re the fastest guy in your neighborhood, move to where you are not.
- Tom Fleming is quoted often for this thought: “Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not. When you race him, he will win.” In a similar vein, when it was FIVE BELOW in the Northeast with several inches of ice and snow on the ground, I would wake up at 5:30 am and look out the window and say to myself, “Barry Brown.” I would envision him in Florida in shorts, out for his morning run. That would motivate me to dress and get out the door. (Barry was the former American record holder in the Steeplechase, living in Gainesville Florida training with Marty Liquori and the rest of the elite Florida Track Club.)
Special song of the era?
“Baby I Love Your Way,” from Peter Frampton comes to mind as it was the explosive album of ‘76 and was heard constantly on radio and anywhere music was played. I was/am a huge music fan and feel lucky to have grown up on the music of the ‘60’s ‘70’s, Beatles, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, James Taylor, and so many others.
Favorite comedian?
If I had to pick one from back in the day it would be Steven Wright. Saw him live in Cambridge, MA with George Malley and Randy Thomas. If I’m not mistaken, he was “discovered” that night and was on the Johnny Carson show soon after.
An example of Wright’s humor: “I was born by Caesarian section. Now every time I leave the house, I go out the window.”
What was your ‘best stretch of running’?
Spring/Summer 1978.
I qualified for the World Cross Country team in Atlanta in January. (sidenote: I never ran well in XC. Never qualified for an NCAA meet at Rutgers. In fact, my best place in the qualifying meet IC4A’s was 164th) The US team placed 2nd in Glasgow. Guy Arbogast (RIP) placed 5th and Craig Virgin 6th led the team, in a very close race with France. I was the last official scorer (52nd) for the team and wished I’d had a better day. An American Men’s team has still not won the World XC title, although runners-up at least twice. Craig Virgin, of course, went on to win two World titles.
I had a minor injury in the middle of the Spring and did not do well at the US Nationals in the Steeplechase. I focused my training on a Fall marathon and increased my weekly mileage in preparation. I got invited to the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta on July 4th and decided to join my New Jersey Athletic Attic teammates, Greg Meyer, Pete Squires, Gary Cohen, Bob Anastasio and Bill Sieben.
The evening before the race, the Athletic Attic manager of our team advised us we would all have to wear Adidas since they were the new sponsor. Greg Meyer and I were sponsored by Nike and refused to change. We entered as the Cheryl Tiegs Track Club and then finished first and second in the race. (Side note: I had swapped singlets with World XC champ John Treacy from Ireland in Glasgow. I wore his vest instead of the Athletic Attic).
The Athletic Attic team still won the team title that day without us.
I was in the best shape of my life in July of ‘78, but had no races scheduled. My next race was Falmouth on the second weekend in August. I am convinced I could have PR’d in any event that July and truly missed a huge opportunity I would not have again.
Falmouth that year had gathered the best road race field ever assembled up to that point. Every top American was there – Rodgers, Salazar, Virgin, Bjorklund, Slack, Thomas, Hodge, Meyer, Fredericks, Bickford, Lindsay, etc.
I finished second to Bill Rodgers after chasing him in a group with Alberto Salazar and Craig Virgin. (Alberto famously overheated and was actually given last rites after the race.)
My regret of this race, the early pace was rather silly given the hot day. The evening before Bjorklund and Slack and others were talking about how fast they were going to take it out. I took that conversation as a personal challenge and proceeded to contribute to a 4:20ish first mile. Wily BR didn’t take the bait and worked his way to the lead mid-race. I still take great pride on the day, however.
Not long after Falmouth, I developed some sort of ailment that was never properly diagnosed. I could not manage even short runs. Doctors could not put their finger on causes, but, in retrospect, I think it may have had something to do with high mileage through a very hot summer. Needless to say, my marathon in the fall was no longer a possibility.
ARRS – Race: Falmouth Road Race
And so why do you think you hit that level at that time?
Probably just a healthy stretch of running. I was always between injuries, unfortunately.
What was your edge?
The fall of my junior year at Rutgers I got injured after a summer of very little running. I was out of shape. And I realized my running career could be over or I could really explore whatever potential I might have. I chose to explore.
After healing up, I began training twice a day and piling up 100+ mile weeks. In December, at the first Indoor meet. I ran 9:15 for Two miles, which was an PR from my HS 9:31. I soon was down around nine minutes. After this “enlightenment,” I was able to train intensively from that point forward, to a fault. My ‘edge’ and my flaw.
I was also lucky to have great coaches and training partners/teammates at Rutgers under Les Wallack and then afterwards with Coach Frank Gagliano who coached at Rutgers my senior year. At Rutgers, Bruce Carpenter, Bill Sieben, and Ron Speirs, were inspirations. Bruce introduced me to the notion of running twice a day and also graced the cover of Once a Runner. Bill was a top East Coast runner and ran 2:16 in Boston one year. Ron ran 3:56 in the mile.
With Coach Gags, we had an incredible group; Pete Squires, Dave Reinhart, Speirs, Sieben, Mike Keogh, Gary Cohen, Bob Anastasio, Joe Savage and others I apologize for forgetting. We pushed each other every week and it was just a magical training environment.
How did you go from mediocre to Olympian in five years?
Actually it was more like 2 ½ years.
As I wrote above, the Fall of my Junior year at Rutgers, I began running twice a day and piled up 100+ mile weeks. I improved dramatically over that year and qualified for the NCAA steeple with an 8:58 time. I had run 9:35 the previous year.
Significantly, I had also matured physically during this time. I was a late bloomer. I don’t think I shaved until age 20.
Another factor was that the additional mileage had made me leaner. I had been running at around 150 pounds and was now 135.
The single most important aspect was having Coach Frank Gagliano come to Rutgers my senior year. Gags brought a different level of training expertise to Rutgers. The results were startling for me personally and on a team level.
I improved almost 30 seconds in the Steeplechase in two years under his guidance, which put me in contention at the Trials.
Give me some idea of your weekly mileage.
I tried to run at least 100 MPW, but was up to 120-140+ when I was healthy. There were often months off due to injury or illness, but once I was healthy I ramped up pretty quickly. I once ran 210 miles in a week. I had been in NJ and the winter was horrible. Spent a week in Gainesville prior to the Florida Relays and ran 30 miles per day. Just to take advantage of the warmer weather, just to say that “I did it.” Stupid in retrospect.
Favorite Workout?
20×200 with infield jog @ 30 seconds or faster.
So run the 200, then cut immediately across the track to start again. I would estimate the interval to be between 30-45 seconds. You could really gauge fitness with this workout.
I could ramble for pages about Coach Gag’s incredible ability to bring the best out of his athletes. Suffice to say that today, at age 85, literally all or most of his athletes still are in contact with him and he continues to inspire. A remarkable human being. He could be coaching 100 athletes yet each feels a personal connection with him.
I moved to Boston after the ‘80 Trials to train with the Greater Boston Track Club. Greg Meyer moved from Michigan at the same time to join the club. The prospect of training with Bill Rodgers, Randy Thomas, Bob Hodge, Meyer and others who were coached by the legendary Bill Squires seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Also, New Balance had begun paying stipends to athletes and I could afford to focus exclusively on running. Unfortunately, the injuries also followed me to Boston and my time with the club was short.
What supplementary exercises did you do?
I lifted weights a couple times a week and did a lot of sit-ups, sometimes as many as 800 per day.
What was your toughest injury and how did you deal with it?
I probably had every running injury at some point. It seemed that I was always between injuries. The running footwear at the time would be considered pathetic today and I was a pounder. Also, I would often wear a pair of “favorite” shoes for nearly 1000 miles.
The injury that ultimately led to my retirement from running was Osteitis Pubis, which is essentially an inflammation of the pelvic area. This affects all the muscles that attach to the pelvis as well. I was living on coated aspirin (there was no Advil back then) in order to train. Because of this (aspirin use) I started having stomach issues and a loss of hearing, due to my blood thinning excessively.
I was twenty-seven and thought I had some good years left, but I had lost my shoe contract and it was time to go to work.
Have to mention two athletes that probably influenced me more than any others. Frank Shorter and Steve Prefontaine.
Watching Frank win the Olympic Marathon in Munich was the single most inspiring moment I can remember. Up to that point, running was important to me, but Frank’s performance that day was earth-moving. To this day I get angry at the imposter who entered the stadium before him. To take away Frank’s moment and to be welcomed with whistles (for the imposter) instead, was such an injustice. Likewise, Shorter being cheated out of a second Gold from Montreal and not being rectified (along with Don Kardong’s Bronze) is inexplicable to me.
I followed Steve Prefontaine’s career closely and admired his “kill or be killed” attitude and general toughness. One of my biggest disappointments was not meeting Pre before his death. In 1975, I was scheduled to go to Eugene and stay with Matt Centrowitz, prior to the AAU’s and after the NCAA meet in Provo. I had finally qualified for a national meet, but was most excited to finally meet Pre in Eugene. When I heard the news of his death, like most runners at the time, I was devastated. The sport had lost its most iconic athlete. I spent some time at Pre’s Rock prior to every race I ran in Eugene and actually set all my Steeplechase PR’s there in the next few years.
First met Mike when he pulled himself up from that Historic Hayward Field track and made the Olympic team, like a stunning miracle of will. Here’s a few of Mike’s contemporaries, men who knew him better.
Bob Hodge:
The 1979 Freedom Trail Road Race was a gathering of misfits – most of us competing for GBTC and also supported by New Balance.
The day after the race NB requested us who were in town to attend a meeting at the NB offices in Boston.
The post-race party was at the Exchange Restaurant and as I was leaving I spotted Miguel holding court still in his racing singlet shorts and shoes – I mean, at least I had thrown on some jeans and a dry Tee.
Next morning driving to Boston for the meeting at NB accompanied by my future bride Frannie, who I had met the previous day, I pondered the future while relishing the present.
I arrived at NB office musta been about 9 AM and the first person I saw was Miguel still wearing that NB racing singlet shorts and racing shoes from the day before. Still had his race number on.
Funny thing, no one batted an eyelash. (I am still waiting for Mike to tell me the whole story.)
Greg Meyer:
I had started running for the New Jersey Athletic Attic club in 1978. My coach Ron Warhurst was from NJ. In July, at the massive Peachtree Road Race, the owner of the store cut a deal with Adidas that we had to wear their product. Both Mike and I were getting free gear from Nike and felt loyalty to them.
We got kicked off the team for refusing. We then went and bought blank shirts and wrote Cheryl Tiegs Track Club on them. She, of course, was the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Mike won the race, I was second. The Cheryl Tiegs track club had a very successful one day run. I believe Mike ended up on a national morning TV show the next day.
Ken Martin:
Mike was one of the dream team of early road racers in the running magazines and was a big name at the ’80 Olympic Trials. I was surprised when I finished in front of him, and because I did, it occurred to me that perhaps I was a more talented runner than I realized.
Bill Rodgers:
I’m looking forward to reading your article on OGOR Mike Roche. He certainly deserves the coverage. I know because I raced against him. I know how high level and determined he was and – of course -becoming an Olympian, as he did in the Steeplechase. How that occurred when he fell going over one of the hurdles and broke his wrist, I believe, and still was able to get up somehow and make the team top three? It is an incredible story, there’s not too many like that really.
I know how competitive Mike is because I raced them at Falmouth and at the New Haven 20 km Championships. He was such a strong runner.
The one thing I always remember about Mike Roche – he’s such a good person. He’s just so friendly, never has a bad word to say really about anyone or anything. He seems kind of mellow in that way off the track and after the race but he was a fierce competitor. Super nice guy.
Dave Reinhart:
As you may recall, I’ve known Mike for over FIFTY (50) years, since our high school days in central New Jersey.
And the funny thing is in high school “Mike Roche” wasn’t the Mike Roche we all learned about a mere five to six years after high school.
What I mean is his improvement from being a non-imposing 4:23 miler in high school in 1971 to making the Olympic team in the steeplechase in 1976 is astonishing.
I’m not sure if I have any specific anecdotes other than seeing the tremendous work ethic, his whole body of work, from being an above-average high school runner to US Olympic team in a short period of time.
I do have memories of many track workouts together in the winter of ‘76 into the spring of ‘76 under Coach Gagliano and a bunch of us New Jersey guys right out of college. Gags informally started one of the first running enclaves in the US.
Guys from that era included, Ron Speirs, Pete Squires, Mike Keogh, Gary Cohen and Joe Savage among others who would come and go and join us and work out at Rutgers University.
So, given Mike’s absolute focus and determination in those years after college, I was not at all surprised to see him get up after tripping over that last hurdle in the trials steeplechase final and nabbing at third spot on the team.
And then, of course, to work out a few times with him when he had that broken arm. That cast – only came off just before the Montreal games – was just another indication of his toughness.
Lastly, beyond the athlete, Mike is one of the classiest guys in our sport and to this day is very hard to get him to talk about what he did.
Modest beyond words.
Mike never mentioned he was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall Of Fame in 1994.
Roche earned international acclaim in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. A member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team in Montreal, he also earned All-American honors in his specialty in 1975 with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Roche was also the IC4A 3,000 meter steeplechase titlist in meet record time of 8:41.0 in 1975. His personal best time was 8:40.0 (all-time best 8:30) The holder of several school marks, Roche was the first Scarlet track and field team member to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Winner of both the most improved and the most valuable performer awards in both cross country and track, he was ranked in the Top 10 in the U.S. with third being his highest position.
Personal bests On The Roads
| Type | Distance | Time | Flags | Site | Date | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RD | 10 km | 28:54.6 | a | Atlanta GA/USA | 04 Jul 1979 | |
| RD | 15 km | 44:59 | Portland OR/USA | 29 Jun 1980 | ||
| RD | 10 mi | 46:57 | Cherry Hill NJ/USA | 15 Mar 1981 | ||
| RD | 20 km | 1:02:26 | Far Hills NJ/USA | 20 May 1979 |
