PUBLISHED 10/22/2006
Hansons-Brooks runner, Mike Morgan was on the ground laying under a bike on Friday and today, Sunday, he earned himself an Olympic Trials qualifier. Morgan recovered from the training run bike accident to finish 15th in the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:15:11. It was an impressive effort under any conditions, but especially so after the accident two days before the race, the weather conditions and the fact that it was his first marathon.
"We were just out on a little shake out run on Friday," said Morgan. "I was talking to Keith (Hanson) about the World Series and all of a sudden I was underneath a bike. I got up. I was scraped up, but it wasn't too bad. I think I was mostly in shock."
There was some yelling, people were upset, but things sorted themselves out quickly, Morgan said. The group went on with their run and prepared for the race as if the accident was merely another challenge to cope with during the build up to the marathon. "It really didn't matter," said Morgan. "I mean, Carey Pinkowski (the race director) isn't going to hold up the race so I can get healthy. Keith and Kevin (the Hanson brothers who coach the runners) teach us to be prepared for anything, so this was just another thing I had to deal with."
His left leg was cut and bruised, but there was no structural damage, said Morgan. The pain would work it's way out once he began running, he said, and the crowd lining the course early in the race made it easier to forget whatever discomfort he had and get into the race. He didn't notice the leg again until 24 miles when he started to fatigue, he said, but by then he was able to hold himself together through to the finish. "Obviously it was a struggle," he said. "I went in like a rookie, and I learned like a rookie. I choked on some water. Drinking at about 35K, some water went down the wrong way. It was my first time, and I made some mistakes, but that's the way it goes. You've got to be prepared for everything."
Morgan was limping a bit after the race and admitted that the next few days would likely be painful, but that's expected after a marathon, he said. "I've got some time to rest now, so all in all it turned out pretty good."
