Craig Mottram
Encyclopedia
Craig Mottram is an Australia
n long distance
and middle distance
runner
.
, Mottram specialises in the 5000 m
event. He attended the prestigious Geelong Grammar School
. At 6 feet 2 inches he is unusually tall for a distance runner.
Amongst some African runners he is known as the Big Mzungu (Big White Man). He is a supporter of English Premier League club Sunderland
and ran in the Great North Run
2006, wearing a Sunderland shirt.
at only 20 years of age in the 5000-meter event: he did not qualify out of his heat, but finished in 8th place with a respectable time of 13 minutes, 31.06 seconds in Sydney. He would fare better in his next Olympic competition: with four additional years of experience and athletic maturity, Mottram qualified for the final of the 5000-meter event and finished 8th with a time of 13:25.70 in Athens
.
In 2005, he set a course record to win the Great Ireland Run
in a third consecutive win at the competition. On 14 August 2005, Mottram reached a career highlight, coming third in the 5000 m event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
in Helsinki
, running the event in 13 minutes, 32.96 seconds. He was the first non-African to receive a medal in that event since 1987.
On 9 March 2006 in Melbourne
, in his final warmup event before the Commonwealth Games
, Mottram took ten seconds off the 12-year-old Australian record for the 2000 metres. This distance, not often run at IAAF
events, was scheduled specifically to suit Mottram's Games preparation.
On 20 March 2006 at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne, Mottram came second in the 5000 m event with a time of 12 minutes, 58.19 seconds, beaten narrowly by Kenya
n runner Augustine Choge
. This race was only the second time that this event was won in under 13 minutes at a championship competition (first one being 2003 World Athletics Championships.) Mottram also ran in the 1500 m event in Melbourne
on 25 March 2006, entering the competition as favourite to win. Having worked his way into third position during the race, Mottram was accidentally tripped at the 800 metre mark when English athlete Andrew Baddeley fell behind him, clipping Mottram's heel. Mottram lost 20 metres on the field due to the incident and finished in ninth position, to his and his supporters' obvious disappointment.
In 2007 Craig started the year on a high, dominating "the Kenyan Hope" of Boniface Songkok at the Telstra A series in Melbourne. The race was a conservative one before Craig tore the field open with a quick 7th lap before a devastating final 400 m run in 53 seconds. At the Prefontaine Classic
In Eugene
(Oregon
), Craig ran the 5th fastest 2-mile of all time in 8:03.50 leaving in his wake the likes Alan Webb
, Tariku Bekele
, Matt Tegenkemp, Dathan Ritzenhein
and other American hopefuls.
After a good start to the season Craig suffered a hamstring strain. This affected his training for the World Championships, where he finished 11th.
2008 was an up and down season for Craig. He won the Melbourne Grand Prix 5000 m and the National Championship 5000 m and 3000 m. Craig then competed at the 2008 Indoor Championships in Valencia were he placed 5th in the final. Craig then contested the Boston Indoor Grand Prix were he won the 3000 m and broke the meet record of Haile Gebrselassie
. Craig hit form after he won the Stockholm
Grand Prix 3000 m and placed 4th in the 1 Mile. Craig also ran a 3:57.90 mile finishing 2nd to Bernard Lagat at the prestigious Millrose games in February 2008.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, Mottram placed 5th in the first heat of the 5000 in 13min 44.39sec and did not advance to the final. Following this disappointment, Mottram split from coach Nick Bideau, choosing to self-coach.
Due to injuries, he did not compete in the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. That year, after running for Nike
for all of his professional career, Mottram signed a contract with Adidas
. He also accepted a coaching offer from Australian distance running coach Chris Wardlaw, who has coached marathon legend Steve Moneghetti
among others.
In late November 2009 Craig made a return from his 12 month absence from racing, clocking 13 minutes and 23 seconds in the opening 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan
. This performance put his Australian team in first place, before they dropped to 7th. His time of 13:23 was just outside the event record.
In the 2010 season he won the Great Yorkshire Run
in Sheffield
, beating home favourite Chris Thompson to the line by just one second. He beat Chris Thompson again on 18 September 2010 by one second in a close finish at the Great North City Games 2 mile event in 8.31. http://www.greatcitygames.org/Events/Great-North-City-Games/2010Results.aspx
More Videos from the Prefontaine Classic
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n long distance
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...
and middle distance
Middle distance track event
Middle distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle distance event. The 880 yard run, or half mile, was the forebear to the...
runner
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
.
Biography
Born on 18 June 1980 in Frankston, VictoriaFrankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
, Mottram specialises in the 5000 m
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
event. He attended the prestigious Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School
Geelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
. At 6 feet 2 inches he is unusually tall for a distance runner.
Amongst some African runners he is known as the Big Mzungu (Big White Man). He is a supporter of English Premier League club Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and ran in the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
2006, wearing a Sunderland shirt.
Career
Mottram competed in his first Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
at only 20 years of age in the 5000-meter event: he did not qualify out of his heat, but finished in 8th place with a respectable time of 13 minutes, 31.06 seconds in Sydney. He would fare better in his next Olympic competition: with four additional years of experience and athletic maturity, Mottram qualified for the final of the 5000-meter event and finished 8th with a time of 13:25.70 in Athens
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
In 2005, he set a course record to win the Great Ireland Run
Great Ireland Run
The Great Ireland Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running competition which is held in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland in mid-April. It is part of the Great Run series of athletics competitions and it also holds IAAF Bronze Label Road Race status...
in a third consecutive win at the competition. On 14 August 2005, Mottram reached a career highlight, coming third in the 5000 m event at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, running the event in 13 minutes, 32.96 seconds. He was the first non-African to receive a medal in that event since 1987.
On 9 March 2006 in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, in his final warmup event before the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, Mottram took ten seconds off the 12-year-old Australian record for the 2000 metres. This distance, not often run at IAAF
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
events, was scheduled specifically to suit Mottram's Games preparation.
On 20 March 2006 at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne, Mottram came second in the 5000 m event with a time of 12 minutes, 58.19 seconds, beaten narrowly by Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n runner Augustine Choge
Augustine Choge
Augustine Kiprono Choge is a Kenyan middle distance and long distance runner.He won world youth and junior titles on the track in 2003 and 2004, eventually going on to set a world junior record for the 3000 metres in 2005...
. This race was only the second time that this event was won in under 13 minutes at a championship competition (first one being 2003 World Athletics Championships.) Mottram also ran in the 1500 m event in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 25 March 2006, entering the competition as favourite to win. Having worked his way into third position during the race, Mottram was accidentally tripped at the 800 metre mark when English athlete Andrew Baddeley fell behind him, clipping Mottram's heel. Mottram lost 20 metres on the field due to the incident and finished in ninth position, to his and his supporters' obvious disappointment.
In 2007 Craig started the year on a high, dominating "the Kenyan Hope" of Boniface Songkok at the Telstra A series in Melbourne. The race was a conservative one before Craig tore the field open with a quick 7th lap before a devastating final 400 m run in 53 seconds. At the Prefontaine Classic
Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
In Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
(Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
), Craig ran the 5th fastest 2-mile of all time in 8:03.50 leaving in his wake the likes Alan Webb
Alan Webb (athlete)
Alan Webb is an American athlete. He holds the American record in the mile, with a time of 3:46.91. He competes professionally for Nike.-High school:...
, Tariku Bekele
Tariku Bekele
Tariku Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres. He is the younger brother of Kenenisa Bekele. He is the fourth fastest Ethiopian ever over 5000 m and 3000 metres...
, Matt Tegenkemp, Dathan Ritzenhein
Dathan Ritzenhein
Dathan Ritzenhein is an American long-distance runner. He held the American record in the 5,000 metres from 2009–10, when it was broken by Bernard Lagat...
and other American hopefuls.
After a good start to the season Craig suffered a hamstring strain. This affected his training for the World Championships, where he finished 11th.
2008 was an up and down season for Craig. He won the Melbourne Grand Prix 5000 m and the National Championship 5000 m and 3000 m. Craig then competed at the 2008 Indoor Championships in Valencia were he placed 5th in the final. Craig then contested the Boston Indoor Grand Prix were he won the 3000 m and broke the meet record of Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
. Craig hit form after he won the Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
Grand Prix 3000 m and placed 4th in the 1 Mile. Craig also ran a 3:57.90 mile finishing 2nd to Bernard Lagat at the prestigious Millrose games in February 2008.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Mottram placed 5th in the first heat of the 5000 in 13min 44.39sec and did not advance to the final. Following this disappointment, Mottram split from coach Nick Bideau, choosing to self-coach.
Due to injuries, he did not compete in the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. That year, after running for Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
for all of his professional career, Mottram signed a contract with Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
. He also accepted a coaching offer from Australian distance running coach Chris Wardlaw, who has coached marathon legend Steve Moneghetti
Steve Moneghetti
Stephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is an Australian long-distance runner. Moneghetti has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat...
among others.
In late November 2009 Craig made a return from his 12 month absence from racing, clocking 13 minutes and 23 seconds in the opening 5 km leg of the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This performance put his Australian team in first place, before they dropped to 7th. His time of 13:23 was just outside the event record.
In the 2010 season he won the Great Yorkshire Run
Great Yorkshire Run
The Great Yorkshire Run is an annual road-race event run in Sheffield City Centre. It is a part of the Great Run series of events, and as such is linked with the Great North Run...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, beating home favourite Chris Thompson to the line by just one second. He beat Chris Thompson again on 18 September 2010 by one second in a close finish at the Great North City Games 2 mile event in 8.31. http://www.greatcitygames.org/Events/Great-North-City-Games/2010Results.aspx
Personal best times
- 1500 metres 3:33.97 (Zurich, Switzerland, 08/18/2006)
- Mile 3:48.98 (Oslo, Norway, 07/29/2005, Oceanic Record)
- 2000 metres 4:50.76 (Melbourne, Australia, 03/09/2006, Oceanic Record)
- 3000 metres 7:32.19 (Athens, Greece, 09/17/2006, Oceanic Record)
- 2 miles 8:03.50 (Eugene, Oregon, 06/10/2007, Oceanic Record)
- 5000 metres 12:55.76 (London, England, 07/30/2004, Oceanic Record)
- 10,000 metres 27:34.48 (Stanford, United States, 05/04/2008)
- 10 km (road) 27:54 (Manchester, England, 05/23/2004, Oceanic Record)
External links
- Athletics Australia profile
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation website for 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Listings of all-time performances in events
Video interview
More Videos from the Prefontaine Classic