Collis Birmingham - Limitless Potential

Collis Birmingham has paid his dues. He's done the hard slog on the domestic scene; he's been knocked out in the heats of the Olympics; and most importantly he's followed the rule that to be the best in the world, you have to start by being the best in Australia. And now that Birmingham stands alone as our best long distance runner, he's ready to take on the world.

Those who hadn't heard about the 24 year old Victorian were quickly brought up to speed on the 24th of April this year, when he stepped out onto the Berkeley track in the US, and over 25 laps proceeded to etch himself into the Australian record books by claiming one of our most difficult records, the Australian 10,000m record. Birmingham's time of 27:29.73 broke the previous record set by Shaun Creighton in 1996 by over two seconds. It was a long time coming. "I felt he was ready to run a time like that for 10,000m in February," says Brimingham's coach and manager Nic Bideau, "And to me it was just a matter of him holding that form and getting him to Berkeley in the right sort of race and he'd do it."

The Australian record run came on the back of Birmingham's national title over 5,000m in a then-personal best time of 13:16.26, set in rainy conditions at the Melbourne World Athletics Tour meet. His times over 5,000m and 10,000m set him apart as another standard above the rest of the rapidly improving Australian athletes. He was the man who had a few more years of training and competing at an international level in his legs, and the experience that comes with it - and he was putting it to good use.

Birmingham's dominance did not happen overnight. For years he had risen through the ranks of Australian distance running, following the road running circuit, the big track meets, and winning his fair share.

But 2008 was Birmingham's big breakthrough year. Everyone was hoping he might get the Olympic A-qualifying standard of 13:21.50 in the 5,000m in Melbourne. But it was not to be, with Birmingham still running a strong time of 13:27.31. He then made the decision to head overseas to the US in April, to train and race on the US circuit.

It turned out to be a brilliant move on Birmingham's part. In a solo effort at Mt. Sac, he powered to a brilliant last lap to just scrape under the qualifying mark with 13:21.12. It was the next step Birmingham needed to take, to qualify for a representative track team. It would give him the experience he needed to make his spot on the Australian team a permanent fixture. Birmingham then smashed his 10,000m personal best running 28:08.23 a few weeks later, a run which gave him even more confidence in the lead up to the Olympics. And although Beijing didn't go as planned, with Birmingham missing out on the final after not having the speed for a kickdown in a slow heat, he'd had a taste of a major championship, it wouldn't be long until he was back on the tartan. "I thought he ran quite well in Beijing for his first Olympics," says Bideau, "But I think we could have done a better job with providing the right sort of environment around him which would have resulted in him running better there and possibly being in the final." Bideau has made the important changes for 2009. "I feel this year he has a much happier group around him so he's much happier and more relaxed which has been a big factor in his improved form."

Birmingham moved up another gear this year, and has progressed from being on the verge of qualifying for major meets, to looking to make the final and compete well. Many put the turning point at the Great Australian Run in November 2008, over a 15km road course through the streets of Melbourne. There Birmingham was third behind Haile Gebrselassie, and was the first Australian home, and crucially ahead of Craig Mottram, in what turned out to be Mottram's last race to date. With Mottram off the scene the door was open for Birmingham to step through and become the top long distance runner in Australia - a title Bideau thinks Birmingham has earned. "I haven't seen any other Australian distance runner going round this year who is better than him," he says.

Indeed Birmingham's coach has nothing but praise for how the tall Victorian has developed. "I've really enjoyed working with Collis" says Bideau. "He's really come on in the last eighteen months with his fitness and his maturity. It's always very rewarding watching someone improve, but it's even better when you can see them turning into how you see them having the potential to become when you first meet them."

Birmingham first showed his new international prowess at this year's IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Jordon. In the senior men's race over 12km, Birmingham came 29th, and was the second non-African runner across the line. Birmingham was becoming more of a force on the international scene, something he showed again in the Oslo Golden League 5,000m, where he battled well in a high quality field to score a new personal best of 13:14.53. But the pace was all wrong for the Victorian, and he did well to run a fast time at all. Birmingham's personal best belies his true ability, with most people tipping him to go well under 13:10 in well-paced race in better conditions.

Birmingham then toed the line for a final tune up in London over a mile, where he ran 3:54.30, another personal best, and out-sprinted Australian 3:34 1500m runner Jeremy Roff to come fourth. Birmingham's speed is now his advantage, and he is much faster than his 3:37 personal best over 1500m would indicate - which he will be using to his advantage come the IAAF World Championships in Berlin.

All eyes are now on Berlin, where Birmingham will line up in either the 5,000m or 10,000m. He hopes to not only make the final (if he runs the 5,000m where there are heats), but run competitively in that final and make an impact on the race, rather than simply making up the numbers.

Bideau sees Birmingham's future potential as limitless: "I don't like to put limits on people - but I do feel he still has considerable improvement in him. I believe he can still run quite a bit faster at 1,500m and he's untapped at the longer events - half marathon and marathon." It seems the marathon might be where Birmingham will have even more success. "I think he is the most likely Australian athlete I've seen to be our next top marathon runner," says Bideau, "but you never really know about that event until they try one."

But no matter how Birmingham runs in the Berlin World Championships, he has already cemented his place as the man to catch for all Australian 5,000m and 10,000m runners. He is in the enviable position of easily qualifying for national teams; and is only getting stronger every year. If he does not shake up the international distance running world this year, then it is simply a matter of time.


 

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