Pat is Back | Houston Half Marathon

The name Patrick Tiernan became synonymous with grit and determination after collapsing at the Tokyo Olympics, but any notions of an Aussie battler undermine his status as a world class athlete – a point he will be looking to prove at tonight’s Houston Half Marathon. 

Such is the mindset at the highest level that sentiments of heroism did little to nullify Tiernan’s heartache after falling one lap short of a lifelong goal, matching it with the world’s best 10,000m men at the pinnacle of athletics before his mind pushed his body beyond its limits - picking himself up off the track multiple times to finish 19th in 28:35.06. 

“I learned a lot of lessons from Tokyo and a lot about myself in that race. I’ve tried to take positives away from it but there are things that I need to address, with the obvious one being that I didn’t finish the race how I would have liked,” he said. 

Returning to the fast and flat roads of Houston after a sixth place finish in 2019 when setting a new personal best of 1:01:22, Tiernan is set to race his first competitive encounter since the Olympic Games in July – time that was first spent on a break getting “out of shape” before ramping up preparations from September onwards. 

“Everyone goes into road races with a goal to run, but if I can just be competitive in a race that is historically always won in around 60 minutes – I will run fast. I’m confident that if I can stay with the leaders through the 10-15km mark, I will really be able to roll the last 5km,” he said. 

The Australian will have his work cut out for him in the form of three sub 60-minute men in the field, but Tiernan has proven throughout his career that he is not short of either confidence or talent – relishing the opportunity to return to his best form tonight. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time reflecting and making small tedious changes as to what we can do differently, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and putting a result on the table that reflects that progress,” he said.

The 27-year-old has become accustomed to opening his season over the 21.1km journey before turning his attention to the track, sticking to the formula in 2022 as he eyes a berth in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in July.  

“It’s a good starting point to reflect some good base work over a few months of training and it also satisfies that itch to race without going too crazy speed wise,” he said. 

The race will be Tiernan’s last under the guidance of Mark Rowland of Oregon Track Club Elite as he looks to new beginnings, a decision that he describes as difficult in the interim yet one that will be best for his future. 

“I’m really excited to race. Mark is coming out to watch and we’ve really put a lot of effort into this race, so I want to leave on a high note and do well to reflect what he and that group have done for me,” he said. 

With the Australian and Oceania 10,000m record of 27:22.55 to his name, Tiernan’s main focus for the year will be finishing the job that he started in Tokyo – battling for a medal at the World Athletics Championships on the Eugene soil that he has called home since 2020. 

“We’ve had a lot of debriefing over what went wrong in Tokyo. I feel like I’m going to be in a good position to prepare for this race the best that I can and make the changes I need to make in order to be able to compete,” he said. 

The Houston Half Marathon will begin at 12:01am tonight, Monday the 17th of January. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 13/01/2022