Tyler Anyan, Brookwood GA, was a state champ in the 3200 (8:52) and runner-up in the 1600 (4:10) in epic battles with Foot Locker finalist Kirubel Erassa. Despite his elite status, he thinks fondly of his teammates. Find out more about an amazing student-athlete below...
MileSplit.us: The GA state meet turned out to be quite the battle between Erassa and you. What was each finish like, being outkicked in the 1600 and then outkicking him in the 3200?
Tyler Anyan: The state meet was a battle, but I think that everyone assumed it would turn out that way. In the 1600 I made a big move with about 150 to go and actually made up about 2 seconds on him (Erassa) but I let him get too far from me in the third lap. Seeing how much ground I made up gave me confidence for the 3200 where I KNEW THAT I would have to make the kick at about 300 out. Winning the 3200 was an awesome experience; never in any race have I seen a crowd go as crazy as they did that night.
MileSplit.us: 4:10.01 and 8:52.83 are both high up the national lists. Which event do you think you will pursue through the end of the season?
Tyler Anyan: My post season is still in the works as of now. I’m trying to get into the Adidas dream mile right now. After that I plan on running the two mile at New Balance Outdoors as well as the 4xmile and the mile leg of the DMR.
MileSplit.us: What type of workouts and training do you do to prepare for each event?
Tyler Anyan: My season starts off with long aerobic runs with a lot of tempo runs and Lactate Threshold stuff. This fused with hill repeats makes up the bulk of my winter. We never really abandon the tempo and LT stuff at any point, rather we just add more track work stuff in the mix. When we do workouts targeting the two mile our main goal is usual on the mental side of things, so long 1200s and 100s are usually what we do, while in the mile it’s usually hard quarters and 600s.
MileSplit.us: Do you have a favorite workout that stands out from the rest? What is the best you have done at this workout?
Tyler Anyan: I think my favorite workout is the five mile tempo that the team does many times through the season. It’s up and down a hilly road so you get the up hills and the down hill. The best I’ve ran was 25:20 two weeks before the state meet with a 4:49 last mile.
MileSplit.us: What has been your most memorable race to date in your career? Why does this one stand out?
Tyler Anyan: Two races stick out in my mind. The first was the state cross country meet where our team scored a state record 32 points to win with a team average under 16:00. Winning a state championship with a team is an amazing feeling. The other was the State track meet 300m hurdles this year. Although I didn’t run, my teammate Patrick Kelly won with a 37.05 which was a PR by 1.5 seconds and sealed up the Team Track Title! It was surreal.
MileSplit.us: What do you like to do with your time when you aren't competing or practicing? Hobbies? Activities with friends?
Tyler Anyan: For the most part I hangout with my friends, which usually means doing absolutely nothing after we run, or doing something stupid like running through a mall during the Christmas shopping season.
MileSplit.us: When did you first get into running? Was there a particular event or person that influenced you?
Tyler Anyan: I got into running in ninth grade. At the time I was a swimmer and my friend said that running was a harder sport. So I went out to prove to him that I could be good at his sport.
MileSplit.us: What role models do you have in T&F? Why?
Tyler Anyan: I think my biggest role model in track and field is Dathan Ritzenhein. Not only because of the great year he had last year, but the fact that when you watch him in races he always seems to have a look of complete concentration and grit on his face. He also seemed like a really good guy when I met him at NXN. Runner-up definitely has to be Evan Jager… that hair is flawless.
MileSplit.us: Who do you look up to outside of T&F? Why?
Tyler Anyan: Sean Hitchens because he taught me how to love. And my coach, Ben Denkhe for helping me through all the good and bad times the last four years of my life. Without him I probably would have suffered a serious injury by now.
MileSplit.us: If you allowed yourself to think ahead for the next several years, what would you like to accomplish in college? Beyond college?
Tyler Anyan: Looking ahead I would love to picture myself in the hunt for many individual NCAA titles and to help Georgetown become a podium team in cross country. I hope that I am still running professionally after college.
MileSplit.us: You will be running for Georgetown University next year. How excited are you to join a program with an excellent academic reputation, but also a talented distance program as well?
Tyler Anyan: I couldn’t be happier with my choice! I get the best of both worlds in terms of a great school and a great running program! I’m ecstatic!