PreRaceJitters Interview: The Mind of Lauren Centrowitz

She’s older now, she turned 23 on September 26 –but one thing about Lauren Centrowitz will never change: She’s plays it cool.

Centrowitz doesn’t take herself too seriously and isn’t afraid to laugh at herself. A trait that has served her well in her track career. She walks with a little swagger. It’s not overdone but it’s there.

Within track circles, she is known as the daughter of track legend Matt Centrowitz, a former U.S. record holder at 5,000 meters and head track coach at American University. She is also known as the sibling of Matt Centrowitz, the All-American sophomore runner at the University of Oregon.

She appeared at ease while competing in college under the scrutiny of the national spotlight as a track blue blood in storied program. It appeared almost methodical to watch Centrowitz drop her times over the last four years and progress into one of the United States’ most seasoned collegiate middle distance runners.

She made her presence known to her teammates and competitors while at Stanford.  Lauren Centrowitz played a pivotal role in helping the Cardinals win two nationals championships in cross country, earned All-American honors nine times and is the school’s record holder at 1,500 meters (4:10.23).

Against a stacked field, she showed poise, finishing sixth in the 1500 meters at 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June after running a long collegiate season. And then later in the summer, Centrowitz realized her dream: competing in her first runs in Europe this summer along with the sport’s elite runners.

Right now things are pop’n.  Lauren Centrowitz has packed her belongings and moved back home to the East coast. She is pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Policy at the University of Maryland and is training as a member of her father’s training group to get ready for her first full season in 2010 as a rookie on the professional track and field circuit.

But don’t let her lofty education pursuits fool you. In this interview, a lighthearted Centrowitz talks with PreRaceJitters about politics, competing against her brother Matthew, and of course Michael Jackson.

9 Things You Might Not Know About Lauren Centrowitz:

1. Her favorite political figure.
“If you look across history, I like Steven Colbert because he’s funny,” says a half-joking Centrowitz.

2. Post-collegiate Endeavors.
She is currently in her father Matt Centrowitz Pacer’s Racing Team training. Centrowitz says, “Officially my role is an athlete and unofficially my role is keeping my father happy for everyone else.”

3. Do or die.
“I simply can’t live without chocolate or my iPod.”

4. Michael Phelps fan.
Lauren confesses, “Michael Phelps is my favorite athlete outside of track and field. He’s also rep’n Maryland it’s just amazing to see an American athlete so dominant. I also have a lot of respect for swimmers because track and swimming are so similar.”

5. Playing Games.
Athletic families are known for sibling rivalries.  “I can beat my brother Matt in pretty much everything but running.  He can’t touch me in nertz, my favorite card game,” she laughs.

6.  A career in politics?
While Lauren’s preoccupied with running track and field, her education has meaning. After a long pause she responds, “My dream job in politics is anything that is behind the scene.”

7. New Job.
If Lauren were President of the United States for a day, she would focus on helping people. “I would provide universal healthcare because private interests shouldn’t come before people’s health, says Centrowitz.”

8. King of Pop.
My favorite Michael Jackson song is Can’t Stop Till You Get Enough.

9. Always Remembered.
She remembers the moment clearly.  Centrowitz recalls, “I was watching E! News, a couple hours before my 1500m prelim at USA’s, when they cut the program to announce that MJ had died. I immediately changed the channel because I didn’t want to get upset before my race.”

PreRaceJitters’ Podcast #37, Lauren Centrowitz PRJ’s Collegiate Female Breakout AOY

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At the beginning of the season Stanford’s Lauren Centrowitz had a 4:16.13 pr at 1,500 meters and ended up shaving six seconds off her time, running 4:10.4 by seasons end, along with earning All-American honors for the ninth time.

But the real story here is consistency both on and off the track.

In 2009, Lauren Centrowitz placed third in the 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 9 minutes, 14.35 seconds.  She also ran a leg on Stanford’s distance medley that placed fourth at nationals with a school-record time of 10:58.49.

Outdoors Centrowitz outran all predictions, finishing third in the 1,500 at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Off the track, during her collegiate career the Arnold, Maryland native was named to Pac-10 All-Academic team and is pursuing her graduate studies in the fall.

In this special podcast, Centrowitz discusses her post-collegiate plans of running with 1500m runners Lindsey Gallo and Julie Culley, who are also training with her father, Matt Centrowitz and the Pacers Racing Team.