© 2008 Mark Winitz and Pacific Association. All rights reserved.
2008 Pacific Association/USATF Olympian
Interview with Magdalena Lewy-Boulet
By Mark Winitz
PA/USATF Feature Stories and News Manager
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet lives the American dream. Every day. But, the 34-year-old marathoner doesn’t take her blessings—which she says are many—for granted. The fact that Lewy-Boulet has now achieved one of the ultimate American dreams (representing the U.S. as an Olympian), simply fortifies her belief in a gifted destiny.
Lewy-Boulet prominently led last April’s U.S. Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials race in Boston, forging an almost two-minute gap on the chase pack by halfway. The Oakland, Calif. resident finished the race in 2nd place in 2 hours, 30 minutes, 19 seconds, a 31-second PR, and joined fellow Californians Deena Kastor and Blake Russell as one of the top three finishers. The three talented runners earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team, and will compete in the women’s marathon at the Olympic Games on August 17.
At the 2004 Trials, Lewy-Boulet finished fifth—close but not close enough, in no women’s land, almost forgotten. Her qualifying time for the ’08 Trials (2:42:38 at the ’06 New York City Marathon) was only the 43rd fastest among qualifiers, and it came after a rocky year in which she struggled with a plantar fascia problem. Lacking a major shoe sponsorship deal, Lewy-Boulet rarely ventured far afield to race in the past several years. Instead, she primarily raced (frequently) in California—particularly on the Pacific Association/USATF Road Racing Grand Prix Circuit, scoring points for her club, Transports adidas.
With a strong Trials performance, Lewy-Boulet now has an attractive, multi-year sponsorship deal (Saucony) and a chance to live her dreams on the world’s most prominent athletic stage—the one that premiers every four years.
Magdalena ( “Magda” for short) knows, however, that her road to Beijing might never have appeared on her personal map if her family had traveled in a different direction. Lewy-Boulet, a naturalized American citizen, was born in Poland on August 1, 1973. Her father, Janusz, an electrician, sought escape from the communist country for his family by first moving them to Germany in 1988. Then, he brought Magdalena, her mother, and younger brother to Southern California in 1991.
On a day that that has motivated Lewy-Boulet to Herculean efforts, she took the oath of American citizenship on “9-11” (September 11, 2001) during a ceremony in San Francisco that was cut short to secure the federal building. Lewy-Boulet, and her husband, sub-4 miler Richie Boulet, learned of the terrorist attacks on their car radio after the ceremony concluded.
“I owe it, not only to those who died, but to Americans everywhere to do my best,” Lewy-Boulet said at the Trials in Boston, reflecting on the fateful day she became a citizen.
Lewy-Boulet graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in human biodynamics and an All-America honor via a third-pace finish (16:04.86) in the 5,000m at the ’97 NCAA Championships. She subsequently earned a masters degree in exercise physiology.
Lewy-Boulet lives in Oakland with husband Richie, and their three-year-old son, Owen. She works—when she’s not training or attending to motherhood duties—as Assistant Coach of Track and Field and Cross Country at Cal. She is coached by veteran distance coach and respected exercise physiologist, Jack Daniels, who is currently the Head Distance Coach for the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University.
At the Transports running store on College Avenue in Oakland, which Richie Boulet co-owns, a photo of Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, draped in the American flag at the Trials finish line, hangs in the front window. The cover of March/April’s California Track & Running News, featuring Magdalena, accompanies it. A simple sign reads: CONGRATULATIONS, MAGDA! BOUND FOR BEJING!
The Pacific Association’s Mark Winitz interviewed Lewy-Boulet several weeks after the Marathon Trials.
Pacific Association/USATF:: What does it mean to you personally to have made the U.S. Olympic team?
Lewy-Boulet: I think about it every single morning when I wake up. I’m so excited to have the opportunity and so excited to represent Team USA, Saucony, my family, and everyone who has been behind me. I’ve been trying to do this for the past eight years. I became a U.S. citizen on September 11, 2001—which was an event in my life that I’ll never forget. That makes it so much more meaningful—that I became a U.S. citizen and made the Olympic team and now have the chance to represent the U.S. in Beijing.
PA/USATF: What do you think about our all-Californian women’s Olympic marathon team?
Lewy-Boulet: I think it’s great. Deena (Kastor), obviously, has to be considered as one of the favorites in the (Olympic marathon) field. For Blake (Russell) and myself, having been fourth and fifth last time around, it’s so exciting. Not that we wanted it more than anyone else, but we learned from last time, and we had to do everything right. I couldn’t imagine a better team. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
PA/USATF:: What are the key factors that have allowed you to reach this pinnacle of your athletic career?
Lewy-Boulet: I think it’s due to the balance that I’ve found in my life, and doing what is required in training. I can’t express how much my family (husband Richie Boulet and 3-year-old son Owen) has played a role. In the beginning, my coach (Jack Daniels) had to learn along with me how to tweak everything, and to fit everything in one training cycle that needed to be done. It’s balance. I do everything for a reason. I don’t do more or less. I just do what’s required to get the most out of myself.
PA/USATF: And, that’s a lot considering how much you have on your plate—a role as a mother and wife, a coaching job at Cal, and a full time job as a professional athlete. Tell me more.
Lewy-Boulet: I almost want to say that I have it all. I have a dream job at Cal. I’m a professional athlete. I train and race hard, which [satisfies] my competitive [nature]. Then, I come home and I have a beautiful family. At the end of the day, you have to be happy. I might be tired, but I’m very happy.
PA/USATF: You sound like the kind of person who needs something else in life beside just waiting for your next training session.
Lewy-Boulet: You’re right. I’m afraid that if I didn’t have all the other responsibilities and outlets that I’d over train. I’d push the envelope of being injured more frequently.
PA/USATF: Can you tell me more about your relationship with your coach, Jack Daniels, and his role in bringing you to the level you are now?
Lewy-Boulet: I’ve known about Jack (his accomplishments) since grad school at Cal. I majored in exercise physiology and studied and used his research then. Jack and I have worked together since the end of 2001. We do most of our planning and training over the phone and by e-mail. I go to Flagstaff, AZ as much as I can, even for a couple of weeks here and there. And, Jack comes to some of my major races as well. But, I do what he tells me to, nothing more and nothing less. He’s been amazing to work with. It’s a great relationship. He’s very responsive, extremely intelligent, and full of resources. He has worked with, and tested, so many elite athletes, going back to Jim Ryun and Alberto Salazar.
PA/USATF: The fact that he isn’t with you to watch your workouts everyday isn’t a limitation?
Lewy-Boulet: Oh, no. I think if Jack lived in the Bay Area, he couldn’t keep up with my schedule (laughter). Actually, it works out just fine. I call him right after workouts. I always keep telling him ‘Jack, I’m a big girl. I don’t need you to hold my hand.’
Sometimes, I never know when or where I’m going to work out. Sometimes a workout is scheduled for a Monday, but I have to do it on Tuesday or Sunday. It all depends on other responsibilities. At the end of the training cycle, it really comes down to if you’ve done the work versus whether you’ve done it at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m. Jack has enough trust in my judgment that it works out really well.
PA/USATF: Have you and Jack decided yet what particular aspects of your training that you’ll be concentrating on leading up to Beijing?
Lewy-Boulet: Yes, at the (USATF) Olympic Marathon Summit (for U.S. Olympic marathon team members and their coaches in Colorado Springs last May), Jack and I had some time to sit down and do some planning. The main thing that I’ll have to pay attention to—living in the Bay Area—is how to prepare for Beijing’s heat and humidity. I don’t want to go and train in Florida; I want to be here with my family, in a place that I love. So, we’re planning on some heat training by optimizing the resources that are available here: treadmill training, dressing up a little warmer when it’s warm enough already. Jack is a scientist and he has an interest in how much clothing I’ll need to wear (in training), how much fluid loss I’ll need to deal with, and what I need to do.
PA/USATF: And, your racing between now and then? Is your new shoe sponsor agreement with Saucony going to allow you to travel a bit more to major races?
Lewy-Boulet: Good question. I believe the answer is yes. My contract with Saucony is a multi-year contract, and it will allow me to go to different races and bring my family with me. One of the reasons I haven’t raced that much outside of California in the past is because I just couldn’t afford to take time off from work and leave my family behind. Things will change a bit now that I represent Saucony at races. For example, I would love to run the Boston Marathon one day, and Boston is the home of Saucony, so I’ll definitely get there. I would definitely like to do more races outside of California.
It’s hard to leave your own backyard when you have such a great system here, such as the Pacific Association/USATF (road Grand Prix circuit). I’ll run the Marin Memorial Day 10K (PA/USATF 10K championship on May 26 which she won - Editor). Then, I’ll do the New York Road Runners Mini 10K (on June 7 where she placed 4th in 33:29 in hot, humid conditions - Editor). Then the 10K on the track in Eugene (U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials). I might even squeeze in the Wharf to Wharf (6M, Santa Cruz, July 27) at the very end before Beijing.
PA/USATF: Although you’ll be competing in Eugene, you’re committed to the marathon, right?
Lewy-Boulet: Oh, definitely the marathon. But I love racing on the track and it’s hard to get in track races during marathon training. But the track trials are very prestigious. It will provide great competition, and it’s always good to break up marathon training and do something faster.
PA/USATF: It worked for you when you ran a PR in the 10,000m (32:33.02) at the Cardinal Invitational before the marathon trials.
Lewy-Boulet: Yes. Thanks a lot. Why not at this point? I’m healthy and I love to race, so there’s no better opportunity than the Olympic Trials in Eugene.
PA/USATF: Of course, a lot of runners here in California are familiar with your husband (former Cal All-American miler Richie Boulet), the Transports running stores (which Richie co-owns), and the Transports adidas running club (which Richie organizes). How big of a role has Richie played for you?
Lewy-Boulet: I don’t think any of this could have happened to me without Richie. His experience as an elite athlete has provided me with a lot of guidance. He’s probably been the biggest contributor to the balance in my life. If I wasn’t with Richie, I probably would have over-trained a lot. He’s always reminding me to take proper rest, which is so important. In addition, I worked at Transports right after college and they (store personnel and club members) have been my biggest support crew.
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