Tanner enjoys run of success
Sam Tanner has been forced to cut back on the ‘‘crazy stuff’’ as his Olympic dream draws close to reality.
In just over two years, Tanner, 18, has gone from a more than handy cross-country runner, surfer and skateboarder to claiming the unofficial tag of the next Nick Willis.
So far in 2019, Tanner has been surfing a wave of success on the track. He has beaten Willis (a childhood hero) over 800 metres, won his first senior national title (1500 metres) when beating sixtime champion and Olympian Hamish Carson with an explosive kick, and broken Willis’ record to be the youngest Kiwi to run a subfour-minute mile (3:58.41).
Tanner also broke Willis’ longstanding under-19 1500m record when running 3:43.01. It remains his official personal best following an absurdly slow nationals in Christchurch this month.
It’s an easy assumption to think an exciting talent like Tanner has spent the majority of his life running countless laps around an athletics track, perfecting his craft and dreaming of a year like the first quarter of 2019, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
New Zealand’s next great middle distance hope – who specialises in the 1500m and mile – is equally happy riding the wave of running success as he is the swell at Papamoa Beach.
He was a regular at club level athletics when he was just five but for eight years between the age of eight and 16, he moved his focus to cross-country because athletics was getting in the way of his main weekend passion – surfing.
Tanner spent most of his childhood
riding waves or skateboards.
‘‘I don’t live a life that most runners would. My dad built a skate bowl . . . so we have a skate bowl in our backyard,’’ Tanner said.
‘‘We’re kind of an all-rounded family and we’ve always loved to do heaps of crazy stuff.’’
There was also a makeshift BMX track near the family home and the four trampolines – including one on an angle – to practice extreme moves but along with skateboarding those pastimes – which could easily cause careerderailing injuries – are largely off Tanner’s to do list.
‘‘I definitely don’t skate as much as I would like because I have to try and stay injury free.’’
But surfing remains a safe alternative and helps with recovery.
‘‘I do it as much as I can and I do think it helps, especially with the cold in winter time.’’
And Tanner is no mug. He was fifth in the 2018 national secondary schools championships at Raglan despite not surfing for two months because he was in Europe for a campaign that climaxed by missing the final at the IAAF world under-20 championships in Finland by just one spot.
Tanner has remained in contact with Willis since defeating the two-time Olympic medallist in the Capital Classic in February.
‘‘He’s just a good dude and he’s given me some really good advice. I look up to him,’’ Tanner said.
In his first year out of Tauranga’s Bethlehem College, Tanner will head to the University of Washington in August to further his education and follow a similar running path to Willis.
Tanner hopes to lower his personal best enough to represent New Zealand in the 1500m at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
He has until June 29 next year to run 3:35.0 or qualify through a world ranking system.
The qualifying standard has dropped 1.2 seconds from Rio. The task for Tanner is enormous but in his mind, not insurmountable.
‘‘I think that my capability means I have the potential to be a sub 3.30 runner – similar to Nick Willis – so if that’s my potential then I think 3.35 should be doable by the time I’m 19 or 20,’’ he said.
If it doesn’t come in Tokyo, he knows he will still be ascending towards his peak in Paris four years later.
Tanner’s career has gone to another level since linking up with his coach, Craig Kirkwood, early in 2017.
Tanner won a silver medal in the world secondary schools cross-country championships in Paris last year but oddly it was winning the 2017 national equivalent, as a year 12 student, that caught the eye of US colleges.
‘‘The next day coaches from the US started contacting me. It was a bit bizarre,’’ Tanner said.
‘‘I’d never even thought about colleges before that.’’
He is yet to decide what he will study at the University of Washington but is leaning towards the engineering field.
Tanner, who continued his 2019 success when winning the John Walker Junior Mile (under20) in Auckland yesterday, will face a step up in competition at the Australian track and field championships in Sydney next month, but he’s ready for it.
Tanner is confident he can run 3:38.0 for the 1500m or close to it but it’s the 3:35.0 and the June deadline that is consuming his mind every time he takes to the track.
‘‘I don’t live a life that most runners would.’’ Sam Tanner