Interview with Jen Toomey

Posted on January 15, 2008, Interview conducted January 13, 2008

By Alison Wade

Despite showing some talent in high school, Jen Toomey did not take up serious competitive running until the late 1990s, when she more or less found immediate success. She gradually improved until her breakthrough year in 2004, when she set an American Record in the indoor 1,000m (2:34.19) and won the USA Indoor 800 and 1,500m titles before going on to finish fourth in the 800 at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships. Unfortunately, a fall during the latter meet set off a series of injuries that have set her back in recent years. Despite struggling with those injuries, Toomey finished second in the 1,500 at the 2004 Olympic Trials (but didn't make the Olympic team because neither she nor the race winner, Carrie Tollefson, was unable to meet the "A" standard of 4:05.80). She followed that up with a 1,500 win at the 2005 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

Toomey recently returned to working with the coach, Tom McDermott, who helped her find so much success in 2004. She has also returned to racing again and shortly after turning 36 in December, she ran 2:04.71 (800m) and 4:34.83 (mile). Toomey, whose maiden name is Lincoln, holds lifetime bests of 1:59.64 (indoor 800m) and 4:06.24 (1,500m). Toomey lives with her husband, Mike, in Salem, Massachusetts.

Can you give a synopsis of what happened at the 2004 World Indoor Championships that set you back, and how did that hurt your buildup to the Olympic Trials?
I was in really, really good shape going into World Indoors. In the first round, someone clipped me from behind and I fell. I got up, made it to the next round and ended up coming in fourth overall, but it really threw my body out of whack.

When I got home, I experienced a lot of pain in my knee. Of course I kept running through it, to the point where it got so swollen that I couldn't run and I couldn't walk up and down the stairs. I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus. My doctor recommended against surgery because the recovery time would be too long and I would miss running in the Olympic Trials. We decided to wait until the swelling went down and keep our fingers crossed. That was the only chance I would have of even running the Trials. After months in the pool, I was able to start running again in late May, basically being thrown right into the fire.