Fanwood native Mike Dixon, who won the Fanwood 5K after a grueling week of long-distance races – including a marathon – says he hopes to make the U.S. Olympic Trials.
It only seemed fitting that when road racing returned to Fanwood after a six-year hiatus, the inaugural race would be won by native son Mike Dixon. He has done his share over the past three years to put his hometown squarely on the New Jersey road-racing map. Dixon has already locked-up his third consecutive New Jersey United States of America Track and Field (USATF) grand prix title, which goes to the state's top runner. Dixon has a nearly perfect 5,687 of a possible 5,700 points in three categories of races that encompasses short races (under 5 miles), middle distances (up to 9 miles) and long distance (9.3 miles and up).
When Dixon captured the Fanwood race Oct. 24 in a time of 15:50.62, it marked a return to the first course that Dixon had ever raced. In August 1999, as a member of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School cross country team, he ran in the fourth of nine Contact We Care races that were held from 1996 until 2004. Coach Jeff Koegel had opted to use the August race as a time trial before the season began, and Dixon was trying the sport for the first time. He completed that first race in 17:57 finishing 20th at a pace of 5:47 per mile.
More than 11 years later, the return of the Fanwood 5k culminated a super-human week for Dixon. On Oct. 17, barely a week before the 5k, he completed a marathon in 2:27:21 – a personal best, and fast enough to earn him $1,000. Then, only a few days later, he competed in the Great Race of Middletown on October 23 and won that, too, in 15:48. The Fanwood race merely gave him the hat trick.
It was a grueling week. But Dixon said that the adrenaline rush that came with running in his hometown helped him summon the strength he needed to pull away from former high school track teammate Brian Kopnicki and win the Fanwood race.
"I really enjoyed the course and I was excited to see so many runners turn out this year," Dixon said. "The spectators were amazing and I will definitely plan to run this event as often as I can. With a fast course and races for the whole family, I can see this event building for years.
Like many high school athletes, Dixon first ran track to get in shape for other sports. Dixon said he had hoped to play varsity soccer, and that his speed had helped him become a strong club soccer player from kindergarten through his sophomore year. But after a successful sophomore season in track running the 400- and 800-meter races, as well as dabbling in the jumping events, Dixon said that he decided to switch to cross country.
"I had heard that cross country was a sport where you race through the woods over rocks, roots, downed trees," he said. "This sounded like a lot of fun to me, so I signed right up. Although running over three miles of uneven terrain was new to me, I enjoyed the challenge that it presented because I could no longer utilize my sprint speed over that kind of distance."
He acknowledged that the transition to the sport, however, was a challenge. "In soccer, we used to jog a couple laps around the field and complete wind-sprints for conditioning," he said. "Now, I was running over ten miles out on the hilly roads around the Watchung Reservation and doing grueling interval workouts on the track. After seeing what it took to do well in distance running I decided to spend less time experimenting with other events and I focused on specific races." Dixon ultimately became a county champion on the track in the 800 and qualified twice for the State Meet of Champions.
Today, Dixon puts himself through a punishing schedule. A typical weekday begins at 5 a.m. with an hour run at a comfortable pace through the streets of New Brunswick. Then it is off to the train to Newark where he works from 8:30 to 5 before coming home for a second, one- to two-hour run at 6 p.m. When at peak training, Dixon said, the two runs will usually amount to about 16-26 miles per day. He added, however, that he is careful to balance his training intensity with the recovery his body needs to avoid injury.
"The effort that I put into my training is fueled by my desire to get the very best out of myself," he said. "I know that it is difficult to put in the consistent training that is necessary to reach the next level, but I enjoy the process and I am highly driven to succeed. The difficulty lies mainly in balancing the stress with the recovery and making sure that I take care of any injuries before they prevent me from doing what I love."
He added that he also tries to maintain variety in his training. "I enjoy running on trails as much as I can and I also do plenty of running on a treadmill whenever I need a break from the elements," he said. "Most people look at you funny whenever you tell them that you run for three hours on a machine but often it is easier on the body to run indoors, especially in the winter." As a result, Dixon has demonstrated an unusual ability to succeed in a wide variety of distances. This year, he has won races as short as five kilometers, and as long as half-marathons. He also competed in his first 50-mile race at Bear Mountain in New York.
He said that his favorite distance, however, is the marathon. "I enjoy the challenge of putting my body through over two hours of solid running," he said. "Although, I can recall a time when I promised myself that I would never run one again because of the extreme agony. I think that I got that out of my system now that I have completed over six marathon races. On top of the pain and torture involved, I have the most motivation toward this event because I hope to one day qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials so that I can run against the best in the country."
The younger of two children Dixon grew up in Fanwood. He attended Ramapo College and now lives in New Brunswick with his girlfriend, also a Fanwood native. He is the leading member of the state's top running club, the Raritan Valley Road Runners. He works at the United States District Court in Newark as a clerk in the criminal division.
Dixon's success stemmed from a long-term and remarkable patience. "I figured out that I could have great success with running if I increased my workload over years instead of only weeks," he said. "This gradual progression helped to improve my performances in all of my race distances…. I always say that it's not the end-result that is important. You must enjoy the process because the process is the goal."
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