Brooks PR Invitational - Get To Know New Zealand's Sam Tanner

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

In February, New Zealand teenager Sam Tanner broke Nick Willis' national U-19 recordin the 1,500 meters when he ran 3:43.01 at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui. 

Tanner is a University of Washington recruit and has committed to particpate in the Brooks PR Invitational, June 15 in Seattle. After that, he'll compete in the Oceania Track and Field Championships in Australia. 

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What follows is a Q&A with Tanner and also his coach, Craig Kirkwood.

A conversation (over email) with Sam Tanner

DyeStat: The event in June at Brooks PR is a mile. Have you raced the mile distance before? Are you doing anything in practice to prepare for a race a bit longer than the 1,500m?

Sam Tanner: Yes I have raced 1 mile before, 3:58.42 (New Zealand U20 Record). Training for this is compared to the 1,500m. It just requires a little more in each session.

DyeStat: Obviously, signing with Washington makes your entry into this meet interesting because you will have a chance to spend some additional time in Seattle. Did you visit Seattle once already before you made your college decision? Will you be staying in Seattle after the Brooks race, or going back home?

Tanner: I have visited the (university) before. I came on a recruiting visit earlier in 2019. I will be heading over a couple of days earlier so I can recover from the jet lag issues and will be coming home straight after. 

DyeStat: How would you describe your build up to the Brooks meet? The height of your season was back in January-February. Are you still in PB-level shape?

Tanner: The Brooks PR is a great opportunity for me have a race before the Oceania Track & Field Championships at the end of June, so I’ve been just training hard to get ready for both meets, plus working to save some money. I've had a few accidents recently, which has resulted in a few missed trainings. I'm not sure at this stage if I am still in PB shape.

DyeStat: How are you feeling about joining Coach Andy Powell and the Washington program later this year? What was it about Andy, or the UW, that drew your interest?

Tanner: I am very sad to leave Craig and his amazing coaching and team but I chose this option because I need a degree as a backup for after my (running) career. It was Andy’s outstanding reputation that drew me in.

DyeStat: How are you feeling about racing some of the top American high school runners, perhaps as a taste of what's to come in U.S. collegiate track and field?

Tanner: I’m excited to race them and would love to show them how a Kiwi kid runs.

DyeStat: Do you plan to run cross country as well or do you tend to specialize in the 800/1,500?

Tanner: Yes I plan on running cross country while I’m in the U.S. and have always loved the challenge cross country brings.

A conversation with Coach Craig Kirkwood

DyeStat: Can you tell us a little about your time with Sam, when that coaching relationship began, and how you have seen him make progress over time?

Kirkwood: I started coaching Sam at the beginning of 2016. I’d watched him for a few years before that, and knew how talented he was. However, one of my founding philosophies is that I’ll never ask an athlete if I can coach them, nor will I actively recruit them. It has to be their decision. He came to me around January-February of that year and he’s gone from strength to strength. He was a real rookie when it came to race tactics. He knew only one way to race, so we’ve worked hard on his ability to read a race and make great decisions at critical moments. He’s developing into a formidable force. He has great closing speed coupled with a huge aerobic engine.  

DyeStat: It is now becoming late fall, early winter in New Zealand. Can you tell me what Sam's training has been like over the past several months? Are there other races for him in April/May/June or as he been focused on the Brooks PR meet throughout this time?

Kirkwood: Sam finished his domestic track season with the Australian Championships, where he finished a close fifth in the senior men’s final. Since then he’s had some time off, then got back into preparing for the Brooks PR meet and the Oceania Track & Field Championships in Townsville, Australia at the end of June. After that, he’ll start preparing for his first NCAA cross country season. Don’t be surprised to see him at the front of those races.  

DyeStat: Nick Willis is obviously a big star, even here in the U.S. So what do you think Sam's national U-19 record in the 1,500 meters portends for him in the future? Do you think he could rise to the level of Willis? Does he seem to be on that trajectory?

Kirkwood: Nick is a massive star both in New Zealand and the USA and for Sam to beat him over 800 meters, take his U19 1,500 meters record and take the U20 mile record certainly shows that he’s on the right path. What makes that even more special is the fact that he’s done that off what most would consider extremely low mileage.   

DyeStat: What sort of work ethic does he bring to the track?

Kirkwood: You can’t break any New Zealand record without being dedicated to the training. It’s one thing to be physically gifted, but if you don’t have the desire to do the hard yards, you’ll never make it. Sam loves to win, he loves to compete, and is happy to put in the work required.