Graff's plan works for everyone

(NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of stories about the Papa John's 10 Miler/USA Men's 10 Mile Championship, which will be run in Louisville on Saturday.)

When the USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship starts in Louisville tomorrow morning, 2003 champion Chris Graff and his wife will be home in the Washington, D.C., area enjoying the ninth day of their newborn son’s life.

That’s all according to plan.

Graff, who finished in the top three in each of the three years the race has been part of the Papa John’s 10 Miler, has known for a while that he wouldn’t be running in the fourth edition tomorrow. What’s the time frame for a pregnancy these days, nine months or so?

To avoid certain conflicts (such as the World Series, which Yankees fans like the Graffs believe is a birthright), Chris and Elizabeth carefully planned the pregnancy that ended happily with the arrival of Owen Anton last Friday.

Missing the 10-mile championship was a reasonable sacrifice, although Chris did admit that he likely would be running tomorrow if the U.S. Olympic Trials were on the schedule instead; he placed fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2004 Trials.

“The pregnancy was planned with reference to when we wanted to have him so I think it wouldn’t really come up,” he told Beyond the Derby’s Nathan Chambers. “We would, of course, have him whenever we could get him. But we decided to try to conceive in July because he would come after the NCAA tournament, and his birthday would always be at a good time. As a Yankees fan you don’t want to have lots of things conflicting with the World Series in October. We are crazy, I know, but it worked.”

Nonetheless, Graff has maintained ties to the 10-mile championship, developing what could be called a long-term relationship with the race that has been such an important part of his career in recent years. Working from home as the elite athlete coordinator, he has assembled a strong field with race director Camille Estes and has handled the travel logistics for the runners.

“Since I know my way around in Louisville, I know Jim (who is a USA Track and Field official) and (his wife) Camille well, and I know the people who make the race happen at Papa John’s, it was a good fit for all parties for me to do the elite athlete coordination for them,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed the experience, as well. It’s a lot of work putting a race together, and I am a small cog in the machine, but it’s rewarding work to make it happen.”

The list of runners competing for the 10-mile championship includes 2005 champion Abdi Abdirahman and 2004 champion Dan Browne, both of whom ran in the 10,000 meters at the 2004 Olympics; Anthony Famiglietti, who ran in the steeplechase in the 2004 Olympics; previous top-five finishers Matt Downin, Matt Lane and Justin Young; and Bowling Green, Ky., residents James and Jef Scott. Ryan Shay, who was third in 2004, and James Carney have withdrawn.

“Overall, we are looking at a very strong field,” Graff said. “There are certain obvious people missing because they are running in Boston (on Monday), and frankly we aren’t going to compete with the Boston Marathon. Other than those few guys, we have a tremendous field. We have six guys who post a 10k of 28:08 or better.”

The 10-miler is the third of eight national championships in the USA Running Circuit, a road series that USA Track and Field started in 1995, and the winner of the race will be awarded $10,000 from a total purse that exceeds $26,000. So many of the runners don’t have to be recruited.

“We have the luxury of being a USATF championship, which means we are on everybody’s radar from a long way out,” Graff said. “Since I know most of the participants personally I was able to go out and try to get a few new faces. For example, I remembered cooling down with Anthony Famiglietti last year after the 15k in Jacksonville and his comments about how much he enjoyed the relatively low stress environment of road racing as opposed to the track. So I contacted Fam and he liked the idea of getting a longer race in this time of year for his summer steeple preparations, and he decided to come. And we are happy to have him.”

Of course, one of the most prominent runners who won’t be in Louisville tomorrow is Graff, and others have taken notice.

“I’ll miss having Chris Graff running,” Lane said, although he won’t miss having Graff finish ahead of him. “He’s always competitive, especially at 10 miles for some reason. I can’t figure out how to beat him at 10 miles.”

Graff wants to return to racing this summer and is targeting the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis in June.

“I hope to be in enough of a routine by the end of the month so that I can resume full training May 1,” he said. “That will give me enough time to be fully prepared for nationals.”