On May 23, 2009, then one-time Olympian Leo Manzano came to Saint Louis to race the Saint Louis Track Club Elite Men’s Mile at the Festival of Miles. He was a late-entry but word spreads quickly in the running community and 1,000 fans showed  up to watch Manzano set a meet record, 3:55.29; the fastest mile ever run in the State of Missouri. Since that magical night, Manzano has cemented himself as one of the world’s best milers, culminating with his Olympic Silver Medal in last summer’s London Games. FOM caught up with Leo a week before his own charity track meet, the Manzano Mile, to talk about his Festival of Miles experience and more.

FOM
:
 First of all tell us a little bit about how training went this winter and where you are right now fitness-wise?
LEO: I feel really good. I started training November 1 after taking off the entire month of October. We did our altitude training in Mexico again and I got to train with Nick Symmonds and my new training partner Duncan Phillips. We were down there for five weeks in central Mexico and everyday it was 70-80 degrees. Perfect for training.
FOM: What was it like training with Nick?
LEO: We trained. We hit the gym. You know, you read a lot of stuff on the internet but I have to say…Nick’s a great guy.
FOM: Our event, the Festival of Miles, began back in 2008 but you took it to a whole new level when you ran 3:55 in 2009. As I remember it you were a last-minute entry that year after having a not-so-good-race the week before at a meet in California. Do you remember why you came to Saint Louis and what you were hoping to get out of it?
LEO: Normally I just need a race to get my season going and for me The Festival of Miles was it. There wasn’t a lot of pressure but at the same time it was a good field and the people really brought out the best in me. I went on to have a really good season in 2009.
FOM: We pride ourselves in having a really fun atmosphere at the Festival of Miles. What do you remember about the crowd that night and do you think the fans played a part in your fast time?
LEO: I remember one of my favorite moments was the energy from all of the kids on the backstretch. At most meets the backstretch is kind of boring but you guys had everyone on the infield. I felt like you brought the mile to the people and I could feel the energy all the way around the track.
FOM: It’s been four years since you ran FOM and your 3:55.29 still stands as the meet record. We are trying to get a field together to take a shot at beating it this year. What would you say to any milers out there thinking about coming to the meet; is it a good place to run fast?
LEO: I definitely think it’s a great race. If runners want to get a fast race in before the Championship season I’d Festival of Miles is where it’s at.
FOM: We’ve seen a ton of college guys breaking four this year. What would you say is the key to going from a guy who break four to a guy who breaks 3:55?
LEO: I’d say the difference is mostly time. I was training two to three hours a day in college and that was it. Mostly just two hours. Now, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday I’m doing 4-6 hours of just gym work and strength work [in addition to running].
FOM: I know you have a big event of your own coming up very soon called the Manzano Mile. Tell us a little bit about the event and what runners and fans can expect this year.
LEO: First of all I have to say the Festival of Miles opened my eyes and I said to myself ‘This is the type of event that could be shared with other people.’ I also got to travel all over the world to meets that had live music and I wanted to combine all of those things I was seeing and make a race that was similar.
FOM: What charities do you work with?
LEO: We are able to donate some of the proceeds to programs in Austin. This past year we were able to make a donation to the Austin Blue Santa program that brings food to underprivileged families. We also gave to the Children’s Day festival in my hometown of Marble Falls. We give running scholarships (free entries) to the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of Marble Falls.
FOM: Finally, will you be running this year?
LEO: You know I did it last year but it was just really tough to put on the event and try to race in it. This year I am going to focus on making sure the event goes smoothly and do everything I can that needs to be done.
Thanks so much Leo! We wish you the best of luck this season and you will always have tons of fans in Saint Louis. We’ll never forget that night!
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