Former U.S. marathon champion Scott Larson has had a tough year. He suffered from heat stroke during the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts in late August. "My body temperature actually got up to 108 degrees!" he said. For most people, a temperature that high would have been critical, but doctors say Larson was able to pull through it because of his superior athletic conditioning.
By September, Larson was back on the race circuit with a win at the Boulder Backroads Half-Marathon. He set a blazing course record time of 1:06:31. The win gave him a confidence boost for the upcoming New York City Marathon in November. "I was ready to roll," he said, "but unfortunately it got too hot." Larson raced through the first half of the race in 1:05:49, then fell back during the second half as temperatures began to climb. He was able to clinch the third American spot in 2:23:10. Not bad for one of his slower races, but not the time Larson was hoping for either.

During his younger years, Larson never had dreams of becoming a professional runner. He grew up in Boulder and graduated from Fairview High School in 1989 as a soccer and basketball player. He attended the Colorado School of Mines for one semester, then transferred to the University of Colorado. He decided to try out for CU's cross country team as a sophomore, hoping to grab one of the walk-on spots. "It was a spur of the moment thing," he said, "but I was able to make varsity that year." And a star was born. Larson went on to become a collegiate All American.

By 1997, Larson was ready to try longer distances. He debuted in the marathon with a 17th place finish at Chicago, running his current marathon PR of 2:14:57. In 2001, he set a PR in the half marathon by racing to a 1:03:08 finish at the World Championships as the top American. That same year, he became the U.S. marathon champion at the New York City Marathon. "That was the highlight of my career so far," he said, "but I think my best marathon is still ahead of me."

For now, Larson is concentrating on running fast at a half marathon in San Diego in January, then the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Birmingham, Alabama in February. He admits that the marathon is a challenging event because you can train for months and then "one little thing will go wrong." He trains at a staggering intensity, putting in 130-mile weeks in his quest for speed and endurance. His week begins on Sunday with a 20-22 mile long run. Monday, Thursday and Saturday are "easy" days with two daily runs totaling 16-18 miles. Tuesday is for short intervals on the track. Wednesday calls for a medium long run of 15-18 miles. Friday is the day for longer track intervals. In addition to the grueling routine, Larson likes "to get plenty of sleep," although as far as the diet goes, "I can pretty much eat whatever I want!"

The Superior resident says he's enjoying Colorado's winter weather and he likes to train at his parents remote cabin near Fairplay. "I love going up there and training. You get away from all of the little daily things you're always worried about." At 10,800 feet, he says the views are breathtaking and there are plenty of dirt roads and trails to discover.

And although running definitely takes up most of his time these days, Larson does have a few other interests. "I love to ski and I like going up in the mountains to camp."