Alan Culpepper, the Texas native and two-time Olympian, has pulled out of the Olympic Trials, effectively ending his Olympic career. Culpepper, a frequent visitor to Austin, will continue running, but will focus on other interests, including opening a running store in Louisville, Colorado which is near Lafayette where he, his wife Shayne (a two-time Olympian) and their three sons live.
Although Culpepper cited a sports hernia injury as the primary reason he wouldn't run in the Olympic Trials, he was ambivalent about running the Trials anyway. He dropped out of the Olympic Marathon Trials in November and since then, his running was on a back burner as he and Shayne awaited the birth of their third son in May and explored business options for a life after running.
"Physically, it's just so much harder with children," said Culpepper, 35, who had qualified for the 10,000 meters at the Olympic Trials. "But emotionally, it's been a lot better. Just the joy in general, the enjoyment in what I was doing. It just took a little of that day-to-day edge off. I'd have a workout, go home and be done with it. I didn't dwell on it, think about it or overanalyze it like I would have prior to having children.
"It didn't change our intensity and desire and focus to do well. Everything we did (in running) was always calculated and well thought out. We've always been very highly motivated and very focused on what we were doing. But you can get to the point where you sort of squeeze the life out of it. After having kids, I felt fresher at races."
Culpepper grew up in El Paso where he won state championships on the track and cross-country. But Culpepper, whose father ran the mile at TCU, quit running for his high school during his senior year when the coach ordered him to run the 800. Instead of running high-school meets, Culpepper worked out with the international stars attending UTEP and ran in open races against runners 10 years his senior.
"I've always been pretty independent-minded and self-motivated. Running really brought that out for me, allowed it to flourish," he said. "Team sports were always frustrating. I always felt kind of held back by different coaches' styles, that kind of thing."
At Colorado, Culpepper won an NCAA 5000-meter title in 1996 and earned All American status numerous times. But typically, he trained by himself and when he turned pro, he negotiated a contract himself with Adidas.
A reluctant marathoner, Culpepper made his marathon debut in 2002 in the Chicago Marathon and his 2:09:41 set an American record for the fastest first-time marathon. Although Culpepper would win the '04 Olympic Marathon Trials, his 2:09:41 in Chicago would remain his fastest.
