McLain prepares for trip to Beijing
Sizing up Boaz Lalang’s fan base at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China will be as difficult as picking out a cup of decaffinated coffee at the local Starbucks — you can’t tell by just looking.
As RLC track coach Brent McLain leaves for a 2-day flight to China Wednesday morning, he is taking a lot of people with him.
“You are all going to be in my backpack,” McLain told a gathering of RLC students, faculty, staff and administration Monday morning at a press conference. “You won’t be up there in the stands, but you will be with me.
“The support that has been shown for Boaz is unbelieveable and when I see him in Beijing and hug him and wish him good luck he will know you are all there with me in spirit.”
McLain is heading to Beijing after a joint fundraising effort from the RLC Foundation and Rend Lake College.
“We figured that we needed $8,000 and we got half from the Foundation and the other half from the college,” said Pat Kern, CEO of RLC Foundation.
The $8,000 comes on the heels of the $2,000 that was raised to send Lalang back to Kenya to compete for a spot on the Kenyan Olympic team.
So McLain is very humbled and appreciative of the opportunity to go to China.
“That the Foundation and college was able to do this … I’m just stunned,” he said. “The support we receive here is unbelieveable. We have 16 sports and are adding women’s soccer next year. We are very fortunate.”
McLain will leave at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and will reach Beijing at 9:30 p.m. Thursday. And as bad as McLain wants to be in Beijing, he admits he is a little nervous.
“I’m scared to death,” he said. “I’ve never been anywhere where they don’t speak English.”
He is getting there on a bargain, though.
“We are way under budget right now,” he said. “I found an apartment that acquaintances of mine are staying in and I am getting to stay there for free, so that saves a lot of money there. Transportation to the events will be provided, too. So it’s a good situation.”
McLain will travel to Beijing and will be on hand as Lalang runs the 800-meters for the Kenyan Olympic team on August 20. If Lalang is in the Top 16 after the first day, he will run on August 21 in the semifinals. The Top 8 from the semis then make the finals on August 23.
McLain likes Lalang’s chances.
“He was born to run,” McLain said of Lalang. “And when you get to this level, everyone is so close. But God put something in Boaz … he has never been out of a race and he is a very intelligent runner. I’ll say that he will make it to the finals unless something freakish happens like an injury. You put him in that race and let him show his athletic ability and use his intelligence and you never know what might happen.
“Cake for us is making it to the finals,” he said. “Getting a medal would be icing on the cake.”
Lalang is ranked No. 13 in the world in the half-mile, so he is right at the top of the world standings.
“But some of those ranked ahead of him aren’t there,” said McLain.
One of the runners that is competing is Thomas Chamney, a 2007 graduate of Notre Dame, who will be running in the 800 meters for his native Ireland.
Kern said Chamney sent in a donation to the Foundation to help Lalang get back to Kenya.
“And now he will be running against him,” Kern joked. “He sent in $150 to help Boaz and then he also qualified for the Olympics … it will be interesting to see who wins.”
McLain will not be in a coaching capacity in Beijing, though.
“The last time I was a fan at a race was eight years ago,” he said. “Sitting in the stands, I will be more nervous than if I was coaching. I will be a wreck.”
When he’s not watching Lalang run, McLain will try and see some other competitions in Beijing.
“I’ve always been a big Michael Phelps fan, so I would love to see him compete,” he said. “And basketball … I would love to see the men’s basketball team play. Doug Collins, I know, is there and it would be nice to be able to tell him I’m from Benton and talk to him.”
But his main purpose in Beijing is to support Lalang and get information back to Ina. McLain’s web-blog will start on Friday and can be found at www.rlc.edu/wordpress. There will be webcasts with McLain and Lalang on August 18 and 22 at 9 a.m. in the Administrative Conference Room at the college.
“I will be sending back whatever I can,” McLain said. “Once we get settled in we will be able to start.”
The Summer Olympic Games are being televised by NBC. Lalang’s first race will be at 7 p.m. on August 20. The semifinals will be shown at 7:50 p.m. on August 21 and the finals at 7:30 p.m. on August 23.
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Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 11:57 pm under