OTC Elite's Blankenship off to impressive start

Oregon Track Club Elite’s Ben Blankenship races at The Big Friendly 4, The Force of the Friendly, hosted by Portland Track. Photo by Jake Willard

by Curtis Anderson | January 26, 2021

EUGENE, Ore. - For Oregon Track Club Elite's Ben Blankenship, this season is all about getting to the starting line.

And the more starts he sees, the better.

That certainly wasn't the case last year when the 2016 Olympian skipped the cross country and indoor circuits to focus on training for the U.S. Olympic Trials on his home turf at Hayward Field.

Unfortunately, Blankenship suffered a fractured right tibia in May, about seven weeks out from the Trials, and he never fully recovered, gamely advancing to the 1,500-meter semifinals before fading to 11th place in that race.

"I did a ton of cross training, worked hard, showed up at the Trials and gave it hell," he said. "I was proud of that. I was really glad I stood on the start line ... it gave me a new perspective. Sometimes, it's OK to get your ass kicked."

Those were Blankenship's only two starts in 2021.

This year, in a span of eight days in January, he has already matched that output with a seventh-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in San Diego, followed by a victory in the 3,000m at the UW Indoor Preview in Seattle.

"The more start lines I can see this year, the better, and I'm really excited for that prospect." said Blankenship, who has been training at altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz., since October. "I just put together a long training block without any catastrophic issues, so now, let's go enjoy some races. I'm not 100 percent, but that's OK. Just get to the start line and feel good about it."

This was Blankenship's first time competing at the U.S. Cross Country Championships, a daunting 10,000m course at Mission Bay Park in San Diego.

It was also one of the few times in his professional career that he has ever competed at that distance. The 33-year-old Blankenship clocked 28:08 in the only 10K he has ever finished on a track in August of 2020, and he won the men's title at the 2018 U.S. National Club Cross Country Championships in Spokane.

So, why would a middle-distance runner jump into such a race?

"I've always had this goal as a pro athlete to make all four disciplines at the world level," he said. "Outdoor track, indoor track, roads and cross country. Early in the fall I wrote down World cross country. I thought that would be an absolute blast and a great challenge. It also fit well in my schedule ... I knew I would be coming off training with a good base."

Sadly, due to the ongoing pandemic, the world meet, set for Feb. 19 in Australia, was postponed for a year. Blankenship chose to run the U.S. championships anyway, and as it turned out, his seventh-place performance would have qualified him for the World team.

"I had a really good time and I found some fitness," he said. "I was pumped to go out and participate, maybe a little too eager in the first 4K, but that's what a good miler does. I knew it was going to get really hard, and I wanted to suffer. I love suffering. It's a really good test of not only racing, but seeing how well we can do under adversity, and I felt really good about it."

Good enough that he flew to Seattle one week later to win the 3K race at the Dempsey Indoor in 7:45.92, less than a second off his indoor PR of 7:44.96 set nearly six years ago. Blankenship held off two former Ducks - Sam Prakel and John Gregorek - in his first indoor race in nearly two years.

Besides starts, another focus this season is standards. Blankenship can't recall another track and field season in which he came into the year with zero qualifying standards.

"It adds a little pressure," he said. "But in all the years that I made world teams, I was always able to run that standard during the season, whether or not I had it previously."

His goal for 2022?

To get to the U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships - set for June 23-26 at Hayward Field - with world qualifying standards in the 1,500m (3:35.00) and  5,000m (13:13.50).

If feasible, he would also like to take a shot at hitting the 10,000m standard (27:28.00). The U.S. 10K race is expected to be held at Mt. SAC's Hilmer Lodge Stadium on May 20 to allow more recovery time before the 2022 World Athletics Championships make their long anticipated debut on U.S. soil, July 15-24, at Hayward Field.

"I'm super excited for the World Championships," said Blankenship, now in his 10th season with OTC Elite under the tutelage of coach Mark Rowland. "I can't wait to introduce the world to Eugene, the place I call home, and show them how good the running is, and how good the community is."

For his part, Rowland is focused on making sure Blankenship is injury-free this season with a robust training base as he gradually builds to the most important races of the year.

"It's important to race, and we're using those races as stepping stones to get ready for the outdoor season," Rowland said. "That will provide a great platform and foundation to build on as we move forward to the summer."

As a coach, Rowland has always been willing to embrace an "emphasis on individualization" with his athletes, and Blankenship certainly falls into that category.

"Ben likes to be in control of his program, and he's always had that," Rowland said. "We're in constant communication, and our relationship has evolved over time ... that's the beauty of what we do here. It's very individualized. You always have to change and adapt your style of coaching to fit the athletes."

Rowland is encouraged by the momentum Blankenship has built in his training blocks and early-season races, and he's not worried about him hitting standards prior to the ultimate prize: the World Athletics Championships.

"It will happen, it will take its course," he said. "For me, it's fantastic to see Ben training again, and back on track with his running ... I like the sharp end of the sport, and the hope is that Ben can get there, and go out blazing."