Gregson gears up for 2021

As the dense morning fog rolls in at Falls Creek on the first Sunday of 2021, its business as usual for Ryan Gregson – lacing up his shoes after a meticulous morning’s preparation ahead of his weekly long run.

Whilst the conditions limit visibility to no more than 100 metres, all Gregson can see is a ticket to Tokyo and the opportunity to cement himself as a three-time Olympian and Australian great.

“Looking back to the last Olympics when I was able to make the final in the 1500, the year started with a really good camp at Falls Creek in January - so I just want to replicate that,” he said.  

But upon the completion of the 1-hour and 45-minute run, there is only one pressing question.

“Can someone put the cricket on?”

It’s a refreshing insight into the man who spent over a decade spearheading Australia’s 1500m stocks on the international circuit – a stint headlined by an Australian record of 3:31.06 at the age of 20, along with two Olympic Games appearances.

To Gregson’s disgust, the New Year’s test match does not start until the 7th of January – prompting an investigation into what NBA games are on.

When asked who he follows, Gregson replies without hesitation - “I just want Lebron James to go down as the greatest of all time.”
It’s clear the 32-time sub-four-minute miler has thought about this before.

“I’m inspired like guys like Tom Brady and Lebron James because they put so much effort into their body and their craft to make sure that when the years are adding on they seem to just be getting better,” he said.

“Even if their physical prowess is declining, how they’re able to gain on the court or the field from their experience and maturity has helped me a lot.”

These role models leave Gregson confident that he’ll be at the top of his game for not only Tokyo, but so too Paris.

Upon completion of three weeks of altitude at Falls Creek, Gregson will launch into his Olympic campaign at the prestigious Zatopek meet in Victoria – where he will run the 1500m.

“It will be my first 1500 since September so it will be good to get the ball rolling to try and qualify in April, then we’ve got the nationals which will be really important,” he said.

“As you get a bit older I think you do need a few races under your belt and you can start really hitting your straps around the third race in. This will be a season opener but who knows, I might surprise myself.”

Whilst Gregson does not yet have an Olympic qualifier to his name, his performances in the compressed 2020 season on the international circuit may hold more weight than first thought.

“Last year in a really small season I ran 3:35 three times and a 3:52 mile all in the space of five weeks, and whilst I didn’t get the breakthrough I felt I was capable of I think if it was a normal season I would have got there,” he said.

“For such a small season I was actually pretty impressed with how I was able to run.”
After breaking the Australian record in 2010, Gregson’s prominence at the elite level over a decade later is a credit to his diligence as an athlete.

“I’ve been able to be relatively consistent because from the age of 20 to 25 I pretty much had a day off for every day I ran, but I feel like getting a lot of injuries out of the way early taught me how to look after myself,” he said.

“I think that really helps with longevity because the more you dwell on things you can get a bit stuck but I think when I get a niggle or have a bad race I can move on to the next one, which really helps me to bounce back and be consistent.”

Aside from watching hours of cricket and American sport, Gregson emphasises the importance of being able to switch off and rest once the work is in the bank.

“I started my university course in 2013 and I had a really bad season with injury and fatigue, I was just in a massive hole and I just got sick of people asking what I do and me saying I was a runner because it was going that badly,” he said.

“It was just nice to have something else going on and even when running was going bad I was still moving forward in life.”

The Australian legend has also learnt the importance of focusing on himself.

“I’m not too entrenched in the day-to-day of the sport and following all the results like I did as a teenager, but now I’m more focussed on what I need to do and I know that if I do that I’ll be in a good position,” he said.

Ryan concedes that his wife, Genevieve Gregson, an Australian record holder and two-time Olympic finalist in her own right, keeps him in check when it comes to dieting and gym work – humbly assessing the pair as “a pretty good team.”

In 2016 Gregson became the first Australian man to make an Olympic 1500m final in 40 years - a position he will be looking to put himself in again come Tokyo. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 21/1/2020