If you’ve been following the early results this season, you know that Great Oak’s Nicholas Doan has been making a big impact, hitting early state leading marks in the 800, 1600, and 3200. What you may not know is that Nicholas only started running competitively a year ago. Though he wasn’t a star out of the gate, he had enough success in track to convince him to pursue cross country last fall, where he rose through the competitive Great Oak program, culminating in a 10^th place finish in CIF SS Division 1 Finals with an impressive 15:05 at the Mt. Sac course.  

But this Spring, Nicholas has truly taken his running to another level. On March 5^th at Great Oak’s season opener vs. Dana Hills, Nicholas turned in a 4:17 state leader in the 1600, and followed it up with a 9:28 in his debut 3200. Three days later he ripped a 1:55 800 meters at Mt. Carmel (Race Video) – another state leader. Finally, this past Saturday he ran an amazing 9:05 3200 at the Great Oak Distance invitational (Race Video), beating star Steven Fahy of La Costa Canyon in the process. (Note: This was a state leader for a few hours, until Garret Corcoran exceeded the mark later that day). I caught up with Nicholas this week and asked him about his recent success.

Scott Joerger (SJ):  You have had a great start to your track season with a 1:55, 4:17, and 9:05 all in the first 3 weeks of the season. What did you do in the off season to get you off to such a great start?

Nicholas Doan (ND): We started with a high mileage base during the Winter Track season in preparation for the Indoor State Meet. I ran 60 to 80 miles weekly. Coach Noble increased our core strength with weekly exercises.

SJ: I understand you were a soccer player before you started running. Was that your primary sport prior to high school?

ND: Yes, I started playing club soccer when I was 11 years old and then played varsity soccer during my sophomore year in high school.

SJ: When did you start running competitively?  How did you get into it?

ND: My friends who ran track invited me to run an open track meet during the 2013 winter track season. I missed the indoor state meet qualifying mark in the 550M by 0.5 seconds. After that I fell in love with running and tried out for sprints during the 2013 outdoor track season. I ran the 400M and my best time was around 53 seconds. I wanted to try running the 800M to see if I could earn my varsity letter as I was not fast enough in the 400M. Without any distance training, I ran the 800M in 2:06. Coach Soles then invited me to run the first leg of the 4X800M at the Mt Sac Relays. I ran the 800M in 2:00. Coach Soles urged me to quit soccer and focus on the cross country season.

SJ: How was the transition from soccer to distance running?

ND: The transition was horrendous, and I felt horrible. I lost soccer friends, felt alone, and felt my family wasted a ton of money on club soccer. Everything about cross country was hard, and there were no races during the off season to give perspective on why we were running so much. It really sucked... A 6 mile run felt like a marathon, and it took a good month to feel good about running. My primary goal was to make the top 16 on the team so I could attend the team's running camp in Mammoth.

SJ: What has been the hardest thing about becoming a full time distance runner?

ND: The most difficult thing about running long distance is mentally staying focused with training, with the high mileage, with a healthy diet, and with living a balanced life.

SJ: I understand you gave up video games. How do you feel that has helped you with your running?

 
ND: I was massively addicted to video games. I wasn't getting enough sleep because I was playing excessive hours in the middle of the night. I wasted all my adrenalin playing video games, and I was hooked on the online competition of games like Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Starcraft. I wasn't able to perform athletically. I did not achieve my full potential. After I stopped playing video games, I was able to focus on school and athletics. Now I run for my adrenalin rush, and I dream about running all the time.

 
SJ: You have had great success in both Cross Country and Track.  What is your favorite season, and why?

ND: I have had only one cross country season and one track season. I will tell you which I like better after the 2014 outdoor track season. In cross country, our team had great success, and it's been a lot of fun. Our team is young with Robbie Gleason, Isaac Cortes, and Tony Robison, who are all sophomores and running the 3200M in 9:30 or less. Also, freshman Solomon Fountain runs a 4:29 mile. I am really excited about the upcoming cross country season!

SJ: What goals have you set with your teammates?

ND: First, we are trying to qualify for the Brooks' Invitational 4x1600M Relay. Second, we want to win the state title for D1 cross country.

SJ: The Great Oak boys have become one of the top distance programs in the state. What do you think this success can be attributed to?

ND: Coach Soles' knowledge, experience, and leadership are essential to building a strong running program. Also, it's amazing we have so many talented runners living in Temecula.

SJ: What do you see yourself accomplishing at the end of this season?

ND: I would love to qualify for the 2014 Outdoor Track State Championships. My goal is to run a 4:10 or less 1600M and a 9:00 or less 3200M. A 1:53 or less 800M would be icing on the cake!

SJ: What do you like to do outside of track & cross country?

ND: I like to hang out with my friends, go to church, eat a lot of food, listen to music, and watch videos of famous runners.

SJ: Anything else you’d like to add?

ND: I am blessed that I am able to run at such a competitive level, to be at the right place and at the right time, and to have a great track program at Great Oak High School.

Quick Stats 

Nickname:  Doan

Performance you are most proud of:    Mt Sac, 2013 CIF finals where I finished in the top 10 – 15:05

Last thing you read:  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Favorite subject in school:  First Period Cross Country

Favorite food:   Frozen Yogurt & Lots of Trail Mix

Favorite movie:   Lone Survivor

Pet peeve:  Not enough porta potties at meets and when people ask, “Do you run for fun?” - I run to compete.

Note: Nicholas credits giving up video games for part of his success. His father, Andrew Doan, MD, PhD is an author and speaker on the subject. If you're interested about how gaming is like a digital drug, please watch the presentation he gave in Jan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4OI6VdvwIk