Gabe Jennings

Gabe Jennings (born January 25, 1979), is one of the United States' premier middle distance runners and Olympian. A graduate of Madison East High School (WI) and Stanford University, he is best known for winning the 2000 USA Olympic Trials in the 1500 m with a time of 3:35.90.cite web
author = USA Track & Field
title = USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions, Men's 1,500 m
url = http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/m1500m.asp
accessdate = 2007-08-09 ] His eccentric style and aggressive racing tactics have made him a favorite among hardcore distance fans, achieving almost a cult-like following. In 2003, after a poor 2002 season in which he failed to live up to the expectations generated by his previous success, Jennings biked from California to Brazil. Along the way, he was mugged, robbed, attacked by monkeys, and infected with a near-fatal strain of hepatitis. [http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/general/features/2003/jennings_gabe_intro.html Track and Field News: Features: Gabe Jennings: Walkabout ] ]

Gabe also plays several instruments, including the didgeridoo and the berimbau.=High School=

ophomore Year

After growing up in a northern California, Gabe Jennings and his family then moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where Gabe enrolled in Madison East High School. Because of his long hair and California habits, Gabe was viewed as being a bit odd in Wisconsin, but he found acceptance in athletics. In the fall of 1994, Gabe qualified for the WIAA Division 1 State Cross Country Championships and placed eighth overall. He would become more well known during the track & field season that spring, when he won State titles in both the 1600 m (4:15.6) and 3200 m (9:15.7).

Junior Year

Now the premier distance runner in the State, Gabe swept through his junior season and won the 1995 WIAA State Cross Country title despite being stricken with a sideache with more than a mile to go in the race. He then qualified for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, where he placed seventh overall with a time of 15:29. Even despite this dominance, Gabe was always much better on the track. He made his first huge splash on the national scene by winning the Penn Relays high school 1500 m title in 3:50.84. With three State titles already under his belt, Gabe decided to try to double his total at the 1996 WIAA State Track & Field Championships. He qualified in all three individual distance events: 800 m, 1600 m and 3200 m. Gabe easily won the 1600 m on Friday afternoon, but was disappointed to miss the existing State record (he ran 4:12.1 to miss the mark of 4:11.81). Later in the day, he breezed through his 800 m prelim to qualify for the final. On Saturday, Gabe won the 800 m final in 1:54.4, then was back for a rainy 3200 m final just an hour later. Cornelius Hill of Milwaukee Bay View (who had finished second behind Gabe in cross country) made the race interesting by opening up a big lead with just a few laps to go. Gabe fought back, passed Hill on the backstretch of the final lap and reportedly said, "And Aloha means goodbye," as he went by. The triple was complete.

enior Year

Just as he had done the year before, Gabe breezed through the cross country season, easily winning his second state title. He also qualified for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships again, and as the second highest returning athlete was one of the favorites for the title. However, a sideache limited Gabe to a 27th place finish among the 32 runners.

During the track & field season, Gabe once again won the Penn Relays high school 1500 m title with a sensational time of 3:45.98. Rather than once again attempt the distance triple, Gabe sacrificed the open 3200 m to run with his teammates in the 4x800 m Relay at the WIAA State Track & Field Championships. The 4x800 m Relay was the first event of the meet, and Madison East was in ninth place when Gabe got the baton for the anchor leg. He split a 1:50.7 to move Madison East into fifth place with an overall time of 7:59.35. Later in the day, Gabe won his 800 m prelim to advance to the finals. On Saturday, Gabe attempted to do what he could not in 1996: break the State meet record in the 1600 m Run. This time around, there was a stirring possibility that Gabe could scare the 4:00 barrier, though he was only running a 1600 m (not a Mile). Gabe was on pace, running 59 seconds through the first lap and 1:59 through the halfway point. He crossed the third lap in 3:02 and finished with an outstanding time of 4:04.97 to shatter the State record. Later in the day, he planned to make an assault on the 800 m record, but a 2.5 hour rain delay derailed his plans. He still ended up winning big with a personal best of 1:52.18 to cap off his high school career with nine State titles. A few weeks later at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, Gabe ran a stunning Mile time of 4:02.81, the fastest prep Mile in 23 years. He still has the fastest 1500 m, 1600 m and Mile times in Wisconsin prep history, along with the seventh best time in the 800 m.

=College=

Freshman Year

Gabe was part of an unbelievable freshman class of milers at Stanford that also included future Olympian Jonathon Riley. With a powerhouse cross country team returning (Stanford was the defending NCAA champ), the Cardinal redshirted Gabe. He did, however, carry on one Stanford tradition: winning the US Junior National Cross Country Championships (marking the fourth year in a row it was won by an athlete from Stanford). A team made up of Stanford athletes called the Cardinal Harriers easily took the team title with just 19 points.

Stanford did not redshirt Gabe for the Track & Field season. By any standard, Gabe had a very successful freshman campaign, finishing as the top freshman in the nation in the 800 m, 1500 m and 3000 m. The only freshman ranked ahead of him in the 5000 m was his own teammate, Jonathon Riley. He ran the second fastest 3000 m time (7:58.40) ever by an American Junior, and he was the first American Junior to break 4:00 in the mile in over 12 years. On the NCAA level, he was just as successful, earning Indoor All-American honors by finishing fourth in the 3000 m at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. A few months later at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Gabe was leaned out at the tape for the win in the 1500 m final. In the summer, he won both the 1500 m and 5000 m races at the US Junior Track & Field Championships, then placed fifth overall in the 1500 m at the World Junior Championships. In a display of his incredible range, Gabe took fifth at the US Track & Field Championships in the 800 m with a personal best of 1:46.99.

ophomore Year

While the cross country season did not go quite as well as predicted, Gabe still won the Cardinal Invitational. His poor showing at the Pac-10 Championships kept him off the NCAA team. Stanford, as a team, would end up second behind the University of Arkansas. Gabe redshirted the indoor season, then, in a surprising move, the Cardinal redshirted both Gabe and powerhouse teammate Michael Stember for the outdoor season. Stanford fell just seven points short of the NCAA Outdoor team title, which made the move to redshirt Stember and Jennings so puzzling, especially when the two placed 4-5, respectively, at the US Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 1500 m. Gabe was able to get some international experience by competing in races over in Europe.

Junior Year

Gabe started his cross country season on top by winning the BYU Invitational, which Stanford won easily. He finished 18th at the Stanford Invitational and 48th at Pre-Nationals while Stanford again won both team titles. The Cardinal suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Arizona at the Pac-10 Championships, where Gabe finished 20th overall. Running perhaps his best race of the year, Gabe finished fourth at the NCAA West Regional to lead Stanford to the team title. His luck (and his team's luck) did not continue at the NCAA Championships, where Gabe placed 123rd overall and Stanford managed a fourth place finish.

The 2000 track & field season was a breakout one for Gabe Jennings. He ran the lead-off 1200 m leg of Stanford's Distance Medley Relay that won the NCAA Indoor championship and set a new indoor World Record with a time of 9:28.83. The next day, he also won the mile (3:59.46) while his teammate Michael Stember finished second. Jennings came back a few hours later to place seventh in the 3000 m (8:04.96) to earn his third All-American plaque of the meet. Stanford finished second overall as a team (for the third consecutive year). Outdoors, Gabe and Stember again finished 1-2 at the NCAA Championships, this time in the 1500 m. It was Gabe's third NCAA title of the year, but more importantly, Stanford won the overall team title (its first in 66 years).

Despite his success during the year, Gabe was only considered a mild threat to make the United States Olympic team in the 1500 m. The prohibitive favorites at the Trials were previous Olympians like Paul McMullen and Steve Holman. Gabe and his teammate, Michael Stember, made some noise by finishing 1-2 in their qualifying heat to make the finals. After jostling around with the pack for the first two laps of the final, Gabe made a big move and shot out to almost a 30 m lead. He kept chugging and crossed the line first in a new personal best of 3:35.90 to qualify for the Olympic team. Stember was no better than sixth with 100 m to go, but held his form and finished third in a personal best of 3:37.04. While Gabe's time qualified him for the Olympics, Stember's did not, so he had to chase the time all summer, finally achieving it in his final attempt. At the Olympics, Gabe finished sixth in his preliminary heat to advance to the semifinals. But his Olympic dream would end in the semis when he got outkicked for a spot in the finals.

=Other=

Personal Bests

*800 meters - 1:46.99
*1500 meters - 3:35.21
*Mile - 3:59.32
*3000 meters - 7:58.40
*5000 meters - 13:44.60

Video Interviews

* [http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/search.php?q=gabe+jennings Flotrack videos of Gabe Jennings]

External links

* [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/oldBios/2001/Jennings_Gabe.asp USATF Athlete Bio]
* [http://www.wisconsintrackandfield.com/bios/gabejennings.html Wisconsin Track & Field Bio]
* [http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-track/mtt/jennings_gabe00.html Stanford Bio]
* [http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/general/features/2003/jennings_gabe_intro.html Track and Field News]

Other References