Well I'm 14 years old. My goal is to go to the Olympics in 2012 in London. What do i do to get in? Or qualify?

Question

I'm a long distance runner.

PR for Mile last year was 5:17.

Would like to run:

800m.

1,500m

5,000m.

10,000m.

Answer 1

You start competiting locally and then if you win you go onto regionals, states etc.  You need to be invited to trial for the olympics and this will be based on the times you run.  

Answer 2

Ease up on the Mackers.

Answer 3

2012 is too soon. If you have the natural skill and dedicate massive amounts of time to running then 2016 (when you're 22 peak age) could be possible.

Answer 4

You best bet is to figure out ONE sport (rowing OR running OR swimming) based on your physique (remember, your body will change a lot over the next 4 years, so, for example, you may not want to look at running as your sport if your physique is likely to end up being good for weightlifting).

Don't forget to consider sports you may not have much experience in. For example, you may have a very good physique for cycling even though you have not really done it competitively!

N.B. You HAVE to have a passion for your sport. You will be doing it all day every day and it will cause you more pain and heartache than you can imagine, so you better love it enough to get you through these rough times to the good times!

Next practise, practise, practise! Find a good club, with a GREAT coach and kiss your social life goodbye for 4 years. Sport at this level is all about sacrifice. It is not just the endless hours of training, it is also about the free time between training when you rest instead of partying, when you read up on technique/competition instead of going to the movies, when you travel to and from competitions instead of going camping.

Most people want to do this as a part time gig but the ONLY way to get there is if you treat it as a fulltime job AND you are lucky enough to be genetically blessed! That is why we all admire these athletes, they are the very best of the very few!

Good luck and give me a wave from the Gold Medal podium in 2012!