ABC News Interview in Winchester, Virginia


Just click this link below to see what actually aired on TV3 Winchester.

Viewing Instructions: On the righthand side of the page there is a video player. The player defaults to playing the current day’s sports news. To view David’s video use the navigation thumbnails below the main window. You will need to use the arrow pointing to the right to go back in time. When you see David’s picture titled “Making a Mile of it”, click on the thumbnail and it will display the video in the video player.

http://www.tv3winchester.com/sports/headlines/20609064.html



Here is the full “behind the scenes” interview in Winchester, VA:


O’Meara named “HeadBlader of the Month” for June 2008


I was just informed that I was chosen as “HeadBlader of the Month” for the month of June. I am honored to follow on the long list of HeadBladers before me like Howie Mandel and John Salley. Please visit the www.headblade.com then click on “HeadBladers,” then click on “User of the Month.” The easy, close shave from my “Zamboni like” HeadBlade razor does make me feel faster before I compete. It is part of my pre-race ritual as seconds count in the mile.

Also, I have just chosen a new race on August 2nd. I will travel back to Texas to participate in Paul and Mike’s Excellent Mile in Amarillo, TX. You can find all the information about the race at www.LoneStarRunnersClub.net

I met Paul Herrmann at Race #2 in Austin, TX. He was running the race in Austin and talked about his race in Amarillo. Then I called and emailed his associate for the race, Mike Flores. After conversations and emails, Paul and Mike’s Excellent Mile changed their race date from late July to August 2nd to fit into my race schedule. Then they offered me a wonderful package to get me to come to their feature event in Amarillo. I am really excited to return to Texas and participate in Paul and Mike’s Excellent Mile race at the beginning of August!

Family and Fans Join Us in Bangor, ME

Family and fans joined us in Bangor, ME on June 14th. It was great to have my family travel in from Arizona and New Hampshire to support me at The 8th Annual Garelick Farms-Bangor YMCA Main Street Mile Milk Run. Some of them even had “One Mile Runner” t-shirts made to show their support…




My nephew, Braedon, ran in the 2nd heat. It is good to see him have interest in track and field and other sports. We will have a clinic when I am in Arizona with him and his other 4×400 teammates.

The Bangor course is usually a straight shot down Main Street that would have been sweet, but with all the construction going on in town (due to the new gambling casino – not all the residents are happy with this addition), the organizers led by Tammy Hodgdon had to change the race to finish at the waterfront. It was a very good course that had few more turns in it, but the route concluded at a nice park. They might decide just to keep this course for next year as well.

The race had participants who drove down from Caribou, ME (one of the most northern spots in the USA as parts of Canada are below them). The participants from Caribou told me that they viewed my website a few weeks ago knowing that I was coming to Maine. They wanted to “link up” our sites and follow my journey, you can find this northeast running club at www.spudlandracers.com or www.aroostookmusterds.com



I finished in 4:42, 1st in the 40-49 age group and 4th overall. I spent a few moments with Z107 radio after the race. We had some delicious Thai food (my favorite) before we departed for a family reunion in Cape Elizabeth, ME.
The day before the race we were on ABC and FOXTelevision promoting the race in Maine.



I am off to Winchester, VA to race on the 21st. We look forward to meeting race director, Mark Stickley, who owns Runners’ Retreat, the store which puts on the event. I look forward to spending Friday with them promoting the event.






Pre, Indeed, Still Lives In Eugene


You can still feel the spirit of Steve Prefontaine in Eugene, OR. Running is the passion in Track Town USA and Pre is the still the energy behind it all. I was fortunate to be taken around to the all the running stops in Eugene by running friend, Chris Yorges. He showed me Pre’s rock where there is a memorial at the place of his car accident, Hendrick’s Park where Pre often ran, and Pre’s trail where the wood chips that Pre loved so much in Europe now adorn these trails across from the University of Oregon. It was a special trip for me to Eugene as I learned so much about the history of the University of Oregon, the famed Hayward field, and Pre.






I traveled to Eugene to participate in the Eugene Challenge Mile, a pancake flat course in downtown Eugene with four turns. The Eclectic Edge Racing team put on the event with the Eugene Running Club – and they all did a great job with the event. A special thank you goes out to Michael Black, owner of the Eugene Running Company, and William Wyckoff from Eclectic Edge Racing. The people at the event made me feel very welcome and made my trip to Eugene one that I will not soon forget. I ran a 4:45 and finished 1st in the 45-49 age group with a solid run down 5th Street. The competition, as you can imagine, in Eugene is very good as we had 24 runners break the 5 minute barrier.

One of those 24 runners was Ted Hunter who drove in from Washington. He came up and introduced himself during my warm ups. Ted stepped up his speed workouts over the last six weeks and at 43 years old he was delighted to break five minutes in 4:56.



The day before the Eugene Challenge Mile, the rains were falling. I had a television interview with KVAL TV and it was pouring while I was being filmed running along the Eugene trails. Brian Elder, sports reporter from KVAL 13, did a splendid job chasing me in the rain and then following up with his story before and after the race on Saturday. We will get Brian’s story linked up to our website for you all to see.



Also on Friday, I had the opportunity to do a video interview at Hayward Field for www.flotrack.com with Kevin Danaher. Kevin is a great guy and it was a pleasure for me to spend so much time with him over the weekend. Early the next morning, Kevin followed me for my pre-race preparations, performance during the race, and then my post-race wrap-up. You will be able to check out Kevin’s piece on www.flotrack.com later this week.



Due to Terry Howell’s recommendation and invitation, I changed my flight plans to stay another day in Eugene to observe the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday. This track meet is the top track meet on American soil. After a 10 mile run on early Sunday morning with Terry and his Australian friend, Ian Leitch, (also a runner from the Santa Barbara area), we all went to see if Bekele or Defar were going to break their world record attempts. Bekele ran unbelievably well, but missed breaking his own world record. It was a memorable day at The Prefontaine Classic as American pole vaulter, Brad Walker, set a new American record and was named the athlete of the meet. We also saw Maria Mutola win her 16th 800 meters in a row at the Prefontaine Classic.



For a Prefontaine fan, visiting Eugene is like visiting Graceland if you were an Elvis Presley fan. You can feel the spirit and the energy of a person that made such a remarkable impact with his life’s gifts and works.

HeadBlade Signs On as New One Mile Runner Sponsor


On Friday, May 30th, Sekyen and I flew west across the country to Los Angeles. We went directly from the airport to Culver City, CA, where HeadBlade headquarters is located. HeadBlade is the world’s largest grooming products company for men who shave their heads. There we met with Todd Greene, founder and President of HeadBlade, Inc. Todd is also a Bowdoin alum who grew up in New England as well. Now he is an inventor and entrepreneur who believes that HeadBlade and The One Mile Runner are  a great fit. Todd presented me a check for sponsorship, we had a photo shoot with Senior Designer at HeadBlade, Lin Mei, and made the business relationship “official.” Check out the product line at www.headblade.com







After the meeting, we drove out to picturesque Santa Barbara, CA that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Santa Barbara has a beautiful main street called State Street.  This is an incredible course (a straight shot that goes slightly downhill without pounding out the quads). The State Street Mile is celebrating its 25th anniversary which began back in 1983 by Terry Howell – who is still running very fast today. It was fun to sprint down a vacant State Street on Sunday morning June 1st. I finished in 4:38 (2nd in my age group).


We flew to Phoenix after the race to see family that I have not seen in a while and to meet with my web designer. I will fly to Portland, OR on Thursday to participate in The Eugene Challenge Mile on June 7th and then observe the Prefontaine Classic track meet on June 8th.




The Weatherman Predicted it Perfectly


I started Memorial Day morning at 6am at Youngstown’s Channel 27 WKBN. I was guest on The Morning Show with weatherman, host, and runner, Rich Morgan, who predicted a passing shower at 9am and then stopping before the first heat of the Memorial Mile at 9:35. He was exactly right. At 9:05, the heavy rain came and then finished by 9:30. The skies cleared leaving wet streets and a bunch of excited runners. Rich Morgan’s prediction of the weather was right on the mark.





This was the 18th year of The Memorial Mile in Boardman, Ohio. The race is put on by the gracious owners of JockStop, Lenny Krispinsky and Don Whitman, and race director and runner, Phil Pillin. I was joined by Anthony Velardocchia (you remember him as my pacer for my first race) who flew up to participate in the race. The challenge of the Memorial Mile is the sharp incline around the middle of the race. Phil told me before the race that it is a very deceiving course – and he is right. Once you topple the incline, you still have 1/3 of the race to go. Only one participant was able to break 4:40 on this course this year. I finished 6th overall and the first Master’s runner in 4:47. When the elite heat is finished, the Memorial Day parade began down the same course. It was a wonderful day to commemorate the troops past and present that have fought for our freedom.  Here is a photo of the gift that JockStop gave Anthony and I for making The Memorial Mile one of our stops on the 20/20/20<5@45 tour.




After the race, Anthony, Sekyen,and I flew back to Florida. I have a couple of days off before I fly across country to California for a race on June 1st. Here is a video from our time during the Memorial Day holiday…




McColloch’s Leap


Major Samuel McColloch’s famous leap in 1777 off the summit of the hill that overlooks the West Virginian city of Wheeling was the start of The Ogden Mile. To avoid an Indian onslaught, Major McColloch’s lept with his horse  surprising many that he survived and rode away from disaster. On the Friday evening of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, The Ogden Mile begins with a half mile downhill. My strategy of taking it easy on the downhill and accelerating on the flatter part of the course allowed me to avoid disaster, as well. I ran a negative split (not something I customarily do in the mile race) running 2:15 on the faster first half, and a 2:13 on the second half. I finished in 4:28 winning the Master’s division and the first place check. The 20K race that takes place on Saturday in Wheeling is undoubtedly one of the most difficult courses I have seen in the United States. With extreme uphill and downhill, I hope the participants have prepared properly for this challenging route.



Thanks to Stacie Nevelus, my trusty massage therapist in Sarasota and on my panel of Consultants, I was able to recover from the race in Austin. Coupled with my new pair of orthotics from my sponsor, Faklis Orthotics, my feet are starting to feel better. Stacie also gave me traveling “cups” and an air gun to suction certain trigger points. I always get my periformis and gluteus minimus “cupped” every week, but after a downhill race here I am suctioning my quads as well. I believe “cupping” began back in ancient Greece. Now massage therapists can be certified in this technique that reduces the pain in certain troubled spots before they dig in with their hands and elbows. Stacie will soon write a blog on the use of “cupping” and other of her recommended techniques before and after races.



Sekyen and I are spending the day in Pittsburgh on Saturday. On Sunday, we will pick up Anthony Velardocchia, the future fastest priest in America, who is joining me at The Memorial Mile on Monday morning. This two-day break will be my shortest turnaround between races this summer. Short rest might not be a big deal for younger runners, but for a 45 year-old runner, sufficient recovery is a key to five months of racing.