Josh Perrin (#54) - An Emerging Elite Local Runner Chasing a Dream

The day before the 2010 Dexter-Ann Arbor (DX-AA) half marathon, Josh Perrin decided to enter the race on a whim. The 2009 graduate of Eastern University Michigan cruised through the first 10 miles of his first ever half marathon at a 5:03 mile pace. Suddenly the reality of not training for this specific event along with the final brutal hills slowed his last mile to 5:50.  “Dreading every last step,” as Josh put it, he still managed a 3^rd place finish in 1:07:44.  This experience was just another step in his post-collegiate plan to put his life on hold for a year or more to follow a dream that began when he was 15 years old.  That dream – to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Josh Perrin is not only connected to the Ann Arbor Track Club by having run the DX-AA race. He is a current assistant coach for the club’s Youth Track Program and has been sponsored by the AATC to compete at the USATF Half Marathon Championship in Houston on January 29^th.  Josh will proudly wear the club’s colors during his quest to run 1:05:00 or faster to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials in the marathon.  The trials will be held in Houston on January 14, 2012 on the same course. As a side note, U.S. athletes can qualify for the trials marathon by meeting standards in the 10,000 meters or half marathon.

What is it like to be a “second tier” elite runner striving to reach the next level?

Earlier this month, I watched the former Hillsdale H.S. individual 2003 cross country champion compete in a 2000 meter race at the EMU Invitational. He cruised through the mile around 4:25, easily chewing up great chunks of track with his 6’ 3” build. The race was only a small part of that day’s workout. Afterward, Josh spent time discussing his running career and future plans.

First the stats from his EMU years:

- 10,000 (track) = 29:44 @ his Hillsdale’s hometown Gina Relays

- 5,000 (track)  = 14:16

- Mile (indoor) =   4:06 - 2007 MAC indoor champion

- USATF Junior 10,000 meter champion

- MAC Outdoor Championships  2009 & 2009, 10,000 m. champion

- MAC Outdoor Championship 2009, 5,000 m. champion

- Most Outstanding Track Performance Award @ 2009 MAC Championships

Josh started his running career in middle school where he ran cross country but also played basketball, soccer, and baseball. In 9^th grade, basketball propelled him to focus on running in a backhanded way. He was shocked when he was the only one cut from the team during tryouts. Channeling that frustration, he ran outdoor track, turned down pleas from the soccer coach to play and never looked back.

At EMU, Josh was co-captain of the cross country and track team from 2007 to 2009. He demonstrated the leadership that comes with that title when he came back from a prolonged IT band injury to run in the MAC 2008 cross country championships to place 11^th overall. It was far from Josh’s best performance, but it was his proudest achievement. “It was my last chance to compete in a total team environment in college. My injuries really grounded me. I moved from focusing on myself to the team. It was one of most painful races and every place counted as we were able to eke out a win by only a few points.”

Today, Josh finds the post-collegiate world of the elite runner very different from what he expected. “In school, you sat in class and had all the daily stuff taken care of. When you went to meets, you never gave a thought to the travel and logistics. It was all just taken for granted and done. Now I am on my feet for almost 12 hours straight due to the nature of my job.  Planning to travel to major meets is a new chore that just takes time and expense. However, I still think I have it pretty good compared to other aspiring elite athletes.”

He now holds a full time job and follows a national class training routine that demands tremendous personal sacrifice and a solid support system. With 5:30 a.m. training runs prior to work resulting in 90 mile weeks, Josh is building the volume and quality necessary to reach the next level. Fortunately, his employer, the Michigan Rehabilitation Specialists (MHS), allows him to work three 12 hour days per week.  MRS also provides access to anti-gravity treadmills which come in handy during Michigan’s winters. Ron Warhurst, University of Michigan’s legendary track coach, also provides technical and motivational support for Josh.  Coach Warhurst coaches other elite athletes as part of the newly formed Very Nice Track Club based at MRS in Hamburg, Michigan. Rounding out Josh’s support system are the other elite runners at MHS including Brandon Bethke (Arizona State) and Lee Emanuel (New Mexico State) among others.

Josh describes his key to personal motivation as “surrounding myself with people that push me to do well and hold me accountable.” Those people include his roommate who passes severe judgment if Josh fails to rise for his 5:30 a.m. workout to Coach Warhurst who refuses to allow him to cut short seemingly impossible workouts.  One such workout involved running 10 miles at a “relaxed” 5:10 mile pace and then accelerating to a 4:45 mile pace for the next 3 miles. And this was on a treadmill under the watchful eye of Coach Warhurst. After mile 11, Josh stopped. He told his coach he was “done, finished, exhausted.” Coach Warhurst told Josh that “you actually looked composed and you can do this by visualizing the last 2 miles of the half in Houston”. Not totally convinced but imagining the clock in Houston showing 1:04:59, Josh made it through those final 2 miles. “This kind of workout will give me the confidence to push hard at the end of a half marathon,” Josh noted.

Other emerging elite runners also provide inspiration for Josh. A favorite for Josh is Antonio Vega. A few years ago, Antonio Vega from the University of Minnesota, struggled from the unknown ranks to become a potential Olympian. Just out of college, Antonio’s PRs were a 29:01 10k and a 1:04:26 half marathon.  In 2010, he won the Houston half marathon in 1:01:54. Josh describes Antonio as a “blue collar kind of guy who had little support but scratched and sacrificed to make it.”  It’s easy to see the parallel between Josh and Antonio both with raw talent and strong work ethic.

What is Josh’s strategy for his assault on the 65 minute (4:57 mile pace) Olympic Trials qualifying time in the upcoming USATF race in Houston? “I plan to stay close to the leaders, even if the first mile is 4:40. I plan to run with a former college competitor, Craig Leon from Ohio University.  Craig is a sub 2:20 marathoner and has already qualified for the U.S. 2012 Olympic team marathon trials. He runs a steady, controlled pace. This should help as I am an emotional runner and need help keeping things under control. My focus is on running a sub 65 minute race. However, if I am on pace after 8 miles and I feel good, I will change my focus to picking off runners and placing as high as possible.”

If it comes down to a sprint at the end of the half marathon, Josh will more than hold his own.  In 2007, when he ran his PR 4:06 mile, he outkicked Mike Inge from Kent State. Inge had previously run 1:47 for 800 meters and should have been easy pickins for the “slow” 10k specialist. Josh credits one of his heroes, former EMU coach John Goodridge, for this performance and his overall college success. Coach Goodridge told Josh he didn’t have the speed for the mile and needed to concentrate on the 5k and 10k.  He gave in to Josh’s wish to compete in the shorter mile race. Of course Goodridge knew Josh had more than enough speed.  Biting on the coach’s reverse psychology, Josh just had to prove the coach wrong and dug deeper in the final 50 meters to overtake Inge.  Obviously, both coach and runner were thrilled with the outcome.

Before concluding our discussion, Josh shared how his “love of just running” continues despite his tortuous training.  He described how a little 6 year old talked to him while running in the Arboretum hills about school recess and other kid stuff fun. That run jolted him back to the feeling of pure joy when running. That need to continually feel the passion of running makes him take off his Garmin and leave it at home for at least one of his weekly training runs. Not bad advice for us non-elite runners as well.  “It’s just great to run as hard or as easy as you feel and enjoy the natural beauty of your surroundings,” says Josh who characterizes his upbringing as a “simple, country boy living on a lake who loves the outdoors”. He likes to fish, hunt and hike. Last week, he took a break with some ice-skating at Gallup Park to help balance his life.  His passion for running is so deep that he claims that he’ll be running 20+ mile weeks until the day he dies.

Following the Houston race, Josh plans to run his first marathon in March at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina followed by the Martian Races in April here in Michigan. And of course, he plans to enter our own DX-AA half marathon on June 5^th where you get your own “up close and personal” view of Josh.

The AATC is proud to sponsor Josh and wishes him success in achieving his dream of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials in the marathon. Go Josh!

Submitted by: Terry Reilly, AATC Board Member and runner ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )