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ATHLETE PROFILE 001
Derek Alcorn | Denver, Colorado | 5280 Distance Project
To put it plainly, Derek Alcorn is the quickest (and therefore, most difficult) person I've ever tried to photograph during a marathon. He simply isn’t bound by the same laws as my Citi Bike—and never will be. Luckily, I managed to catch up with him pre-race at a relaxed pace, spending some quality time with him and his fiancée, Chloe who I was lucky to spend some time running with while at UC San Diego. We all shared a few moments before Derek took off to cook up a casual 02:23:08 at the NYC Marathon, finishing 44th overall.
Avg Pace: 5:24/mi
Avg HR: 172 bpm
Currently: Denver, Colorado
Team: 5280 Distance Project
Weekly Mileage: 85 MILES
Training In: ON CloudMonster
Racing In: Nike Alphafly 3
Marathon PR: 2:20:46
10K PR: 29:53
Recovery: Compression Boots
Race Goal: 1:05:00 Half
Training: 5280 Team
Long Run: 20 miles
Wrkout Fuel: Skratch High Carb
Rcvry Fuel: Protein shakes
Water Intake: 100oz/day
Favorite Race: Bloomsday
Recovery Pace: 7:00
Marathon Pace: 5:20
Hobby: Beer brewing
Weather: Sunny, 55F
Hardest Race: San Diego
Rock n’ Roll Marathon
02:23:08 | 5:24/mi | November 3, 2024 | 9:10AM
©1991
Q: Let’s start with a little about yourself. What does life currently look like outside of running?
A: Outside of running I work as a materials engineer at an aerospace company. I studied metallurgical and materials engineering in school, and it is cool to apply the things I learned in school to the real world. Otherwise, my fiancée and I bought a house earlier this year with an unfinished basement, so I have been spending a lot of time working down there to make it a livable space.
Q: An absolute renaissance man. I’m sure you’re making Home Depot runs on the regular. On that topic, how did you first get into running?
A: I first got into running in elementary school. Believe it or not, I didn’t want to run or compete at all, but my parents signed me up for the track team. I never told my parents when the meets were, so I never went. Once I got into middle school though, I started running cross country and really enjoyed it. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q: And for college you ended up at Colorado School of Mines - how did that shape you as a runner? I know the Track & XC life can sometimes push and pull people in different directions. What was your biggest takeaway?
A: I loved running at Mines. The coaches were very supportive and wanted each athlete to succeed, so the training program was highly tailored to the individual. Otherwise, the team dynamic was great and I am still close with most people I ran with at Mines. I didn’t realize how special that community was to me until I left college and tried to continue training on my own. Spending 20+ hours a week with the same group of people really helps you bond and making those types of relationships outside of the collegiate environment can be challenging.
Q: What does your running life currently look like? Tell me a bit about 5280 Distance Project and where you're at.
A: 5280 Distance Project was started by two of Chloe’s friends. They had recently graduated from Colorado Christian University and were looking to continue training and racing at a high level. The team is mostly made up of folks who competed in Division 2 at schools in Denver. It is a relatively small team and a great group of people. The team tries to meet up a few times a week for a combination of easy runs, workouts, and long runs. Most people on the team are training for half or full marathons, so a lot of the training overlaps.
Check the NYC Route on Strava Here:
Follow Derek here!
Q: Favorite training time?
A: I think my favorite part of the training cycle is 6 weeks to a month out. I love the high mileage training and it is around that part of the build where you can start to see and feel the results. It is a really tough time as well, but all the hard work pays off.
Q: Favorite training distance?
A: Long runs with a workout built in.
Q: Favorite race distance?
A: Tie between half and full marathon.
Q: Speed work - love it or hate it?
A: Love speedwork when I can work with other people.
Q: Weights - gotta have it or overrated?
A: I enjoy weights, but struggle to make the time to do them.
Q: How do you stay healthy?
A: Pay attention to the little things.
littlethings
Q: I’d love to explore a bit how you heard (and answered) the call to the marathon. Was it always something you were curious about?
A: I thought for a long time that I wasn’t going to do a marathon, but then I turned 30 and felt like I should try that type of “milestone” race.
Q: What was your training like leading up to NYC?
A: Leading up to NYC was tough because of the basement work. So I was working full time, running 85+ miles/week and doing manual labor in our basement. I added in more hills to this build than past builds and that definitely helped out later in the race. There are a lot of long, gradual climbs on the NYC course.
Q: Manual labor is weight training in disguise I suppose. Any tips for staying healthy during heavy cycles? We all need to know.
A: In my opinion, the best thing you can do for your body during a long build is to pay attention to the little things. That said, I’m not known for doing the preventative stuff like rolling out consistently. I started to incorporate those during this build and it really helped me in the final weeks feel more fresh and ready to tackle the big workouts. Along the same lines, when you do feel an injury coming on, get in to see a PT ASAP. If you are hitting mileage that you have never done before, don’t overdo it. I’ve been hitting 85+ mpw since college, so my body is used to it. It takes time to increase mileage and stay healthy.
Q: Alright, I’d love to explore a little bit - how would you break down your approach to the NYC marathon?
A: My approach to NYC was different from my approach to marathons last year. Last year I was heavily focused on hitting the OTQ time of 2:18:00 and I missed the mark by a couple of minutes and ran 3 marathons in the process. This year, NYC was the only marathon I was working towards, and we aren’t in an Olympic qualifying period at the moment, so I didn’t need or want to focus on hitting a PR, particularly with how tough NYC can be. This time around I focused on enjoying the marathon more and I tried to have process-oriented goals vs results-oriented goals. For instance, one of my goals was to have consistent splits throughout the race and to feel strong in the last 10km, both of which I accomplished!
Q: Yeah, NYC is a pretty rolly course. I was so fired up tracking you and trying to keep up. I’ve never shot anyone moving that fast on the course before. Ok…if you don’t mind me asking - what’s the dream? You seem to enjoy running so much - any goals you’d be willing to share?
A: Now that I’m focusing on marathons, the dream is to qualify for the US Olympic Trials in 2028. The USATF hasn’t released the qualifying standards yet, so I don’t know how fast I’ll need to run, but that is the long term goal.
Q: Road or trail?
A: I race almost exclusively on the roads, but I love trail running and need to get out there more.
Q: Early morning or evening runs?
A: I prefer running in the mornings. I lose all motivation if I wait to run until after work.
Q: Go-to snack before a long run?
A: Kids Clif bar and a shot of espresso. Slice of toast with peanut butter and jelly if it is over 20 miles.
Q: Favorite post-race meal?
A: Breakfast Burrito.
Q: Any weird pre-race superstition?
A: I don’t know if this is really a superstition, but I always lay out my clothes the night before a race. I start with the warmups and then work backwards to my race kit so that when I wake up I can just put on the clothes in order without thinking about it.
Q: Best recovery tool?
A: The best recovery tool that I have are the compression boots. They are great to just put on when you’re watching TV or working on your laptop.
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