By Don McLean

Ian Dobson, 35, 6-2, 150 pounds (at Stanford), attended Klamath Union High School. As a prep, he was 2nd in the state in the 1500 and 3000, and a two-time Oregon state cross country champion. Dobson competed at Stanford (2000-2005), where he was a 10 time All-American and NCAA Indoor Champion in the 5000. As a pro, in 2005, he was 2nd at the U.S. Championships in the 5000; also competed in the 2008 Olympics in the 5000. He retired in 2012. He now coaches Team Run Eugene and, with Vin Lananna, the Sunday group at Hayward Field. He also serves as TrackTown USA's director of community programs and development.

1. You were blessed with the genes, truly outstanding in the 1500 to the 10,000, the steeplechase, and even posted a 1:02:33 half marathon. When/how did you first realize you were born to run? Did you instantly embrace your destiny, or was it a struggle to forsake inferior sports like football, basketball, et al?

Growing up in Klamath Falls, OR I was lucky to be exposed to a variety of sports when I was young. I started track & field in the 4th grade through the school track team and was a pretty good runner right away but I also played soccer, swam and biked. By the time I was in high school I was focused on running but I did swim on the HS team each winter. I never struggled with the decision to focus on running; I had such a great coach, Marnie Mason (now Marnie Binney) and teammates in high school that I never felt like I missed out on anything.

2. And with a resume including a 27:59.72 in the 10,000 and the promising half marathon, why no marathon or ultra? Is it too late for a 35 year old former Olympian? Even after he retired, your buddy Ryan Hall ran seven marathons in seven days. 

I stopped running competitively after the 2012 Olympic Trials and have never regretted it. Training and competing at that level requires sacrificing a lot of things and I was ready to move on to a new career. I still love running and I’m training for the Peterson Ridge Rumble 20-mile trail race (they allow dogs, so my dog Chap and I are training together) but in a totally recreational way. I was fortunate to compete professionally for seven years and I really believe I quit at the right time. I never got sick of the sport and I knew I wasn’t going to get any faster. 

3. Some people who know Ryan Hall tell me he is the most gifted U.S. long distance runner, and also the most quirky. True or false? Care to share a fun story or insight about him? 

I don’t know if he’s the most gifted guy out there or not; lots of guys are really talented but Ryan’s results certainly speak for themselves. Beyond being talented, which he definitely was, Ryan was very, very dedicated to being great. He and Sara were friends and teammates of mine in college and for a few years after that, when we were training in Mammoth Lakes, CA. I have a ton of great memories of training with them, but one example of how they could be kind of quirky was when they bought their first house in Mammoth and it turned out to have a bear living under it. I can’t remember how they got rid of it, but I’m pretty sure they lived in that house for at least a few weeks before getting rid of that bear!

4. You had great coaches with Vin Lananna at Stanford, Terence Mahon at Mammoth, and Mark Rowland in Eugene. What key takeaway you appreciate and absorbed from each?

Yeah, I was really lucky to get to run for those coaches. My high school coach, Marnie Binney, should definitely be included in that group too as she was a huge influence in my career and Andy Gerard was my coach for my last two years at Stanford when I ran the fastest 5k and 10k of my career.

It’s tough to pick out exactly what I learned from each of them but in general terms I think that from Marnie and Vin I learned a lot about what it means to be a teammate and how team culture can be performance-enhancing. Andy coached me at a point when I was beginning to have stronger opinions about the sort of training I felt I needed and he helped me think about that in a really productive way. Terrence definitely taught me a lot about the value of always searching for new ideas and Mark helped me think about the level of independence athletes should strive for in new ways.

I had success and failures with each of those coaches, so I feel like I was able to learn a lot from each of them based on how they worked with athletes when they were succeeding or struggling.

5. Team Run Eugene always starts with drills and a warm up, as does every other coached program we know in Eugene. For your individual clients, how many daily minutes (hours) do you require? How much was required by Lananna, Mahon, and Rowland?

TRE is made up mostly of athletes who support themselves through work in addition to running. I expect them to be present at all team practices which add up to about 10-15 hours each week. However, they also spend any number of additional hours taking care of all the other things that go into performance: nutrition, sleep, massage, etc. Those other coaches had similar expectations when I was part of their teams.

6. Looking back, your woulda, coulda, shoulda?

There are definitely things I would do differently if I could do my running career all over again, but I really think I gave it a good shot. I made decisions for reasons that I thought through with the help of smart people, so I don’t actually regret anything. Looking back, there are specific races I wish I’d raced differently, but for the most part I’m satisfied that I got the most out of myself.

7. Favorite running books and movies?

I love running but I’m not super interested in running books and movies. I really enjoyed Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Tiecher’s film, Track Town, but other than that I don’t have any favorites.

8. Now retired, how much running, other exercise, competitions do you do?

I run about 30 miles a week on average – just enough to stay in shape. I love to be fit, but the biggest difference now is that I get to do all the things I was afraid to do when I was competing. Now I get to go skiing, rock climbing, biking and whatever else I want to do.

9. Like Pre and Bowerman, you have helped the prisoners in the running program at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. Please tell us about it.

I’ve participated off and on in the monthly races at OSP for the last couple years. The program is run by inmates and I just participate like anyone else can. The runs are limited to a small number of outside runners, but it’s worth going to see how important running is to some of those guys.

I also participate in runs at the MacLaren Youth Correctional facility in Woodburn. That program prepares guys to run a marathon in their facility which is a huge accomplishment for everyone involved. Thanks to some amazing staff at MacLaren, last year was the first year of the program and this year it’s grown this year to a couple dozen guys. Like the program at OSP, experiencing running through the perspective of guys who don’t have the freedoms that most of us do is inspiring and is an incredible reminder of how lucky we are.

10. Hey, I'm fine with wine, but you're a beer guy. Best beer, places in Eugene? 

Yikes, it’s hard to pick favorites! Right now I’m particularly fond of Coldfire Brewing but I make a point of enjoying beers from all of our locally owned breweries.