Steeplechaser clears hurdles
SACRAMENTO -- The public witnesses the finished product, the well-trained, self-motivated Olympic hopefuls who inspire many with feats few can accomplish. We miss out on the real triumphs, when athletes overcome obstacles most anyone can identify with, and still have enough in their tanks to chase a dream.
Boston College assistant track coach John Mortimer is a top middle-distance runner because of years of hard work and erudition. Yet he competed in last night's US Olympic Track and Field Trials 3,000-meter steeplechase because he has motivated himself through personal setbacks and drawn inspiration from the will of his mother June, who died of ovarian cancer in April.
Four years ago Mortimer was diagnosed with a rare kidney ailment caused by an anti-inflammatory medication taken after knee surgery. That left the seven-time University of Michigan All-American and two-time US track and field team member wondering if he would compete again, let alone qualify for an Olympic Games.
Yet there he was last night, having reached the final after placing fourth in his semifinal heat Monday. And although failing to make the Olympic team when he finished seventh in 8 minutes 24.92 seconds, Mortimer will continue to find time to make recruiting phone calls to high school prospects.
"Being an assistant coach at Boston College during the year, I have a lot of very nice distractions with all of my athletes," said Mortimer, who has been an Eagles assistant since 2002.
"Having my coaching requirements finish about a month ago, it freed up my own time to worry about what I need to do as an athlete and not so much as a coach. Of course, without neglecting my recruiting responsibilities."
He ran the steeplechase at the 1997 World University Games and 1998 Goodwill Games. A Londonderry, N.H., resident and former standout runner at Londonderry High School, Mortimer was a 12-time New Hampshire state champion in cross-country and track.
He was runner-up at the 1994 Foot Locker Cross-Country Championships and a three-time National Scholastic Track and Field champion. In addition to his on-track exploits at Michigan, where he graduated in 1999, Mortimer was a four-time academic All-American.
But four years ago, his track career all but came to a close when he was diagnosed with membranous nephropathy, a disorder resulting in disruption of kidney function.
"It was at the point where I could jog maybe a mile then have to walk home," said Mortimer. "It was very different from the type of condition I was used to being as an athlete. Going back four years ago, it was my lowest point athletically. I wasn't running at all.
"My hopes of running at the Olympic trials or even at Athens were the furthest thing from my mind. I was just trying to be as healthy as I could."
It was around that same time that June Mortimer was diagnosed with cancer. "Her fight against cancer paralleled with my fight against kidney problems," said Mortimer. "She gave me a lot of inspiration and strength."
John Mortimer grew stronger through medication, which he continues to take, but his comeback has been filled with ups and downs. Last year, he won the Penn Relays steeplechase, but became ill at the US Championships and never made it past qualifying.
"I have to keep up on my levels and everything," he said. "I'm always wondering how I'm doing, and I have points where things have dropped low. [After the US Championships] I learned my lesson from keeping up with medications and everything."
Still, Mortimer felt he was able to compete consistently with the ailment during the past indoor season, particularly after running in meets at Boston University and Harvard. "I started to feel like my old self again," he said.
Yet his mother's condition grew worse. Still, June Mortimer, herself an accomplished runner, was able to watch her son participate in this year's Penn Relays. Inspired by his mother's courage, Mortimer ran a personal-best time of 8 minutes 27.66 seconds, the fifth-fastest qualifying time for the trials.
June Mortimer died six days later.
"She was there to see the fastest I've ever run," said John Mortimer. "That was a special moment for me, and the thought of that memory keeps me training every day."
His training led to a solid run in the trials semifinals, as Mortimer concentrated on making the final rather than finishing in the top three. He benefited from being in the second heat, and having watched the pace of the first, he said he knew how fast his race would be.
Mortimer said he enjoyed the experience of running in the trials while still finding the time to recruit. He said he is accustomed to recruiting by phone.
